Can a slice be just as fast as a topspin?

[Golden Retriever]

Usually slice is slower than topspin but thats because people deliberately slow down their swing speed when hitting a slice. Now what if you use the same swing speed that you would have used for hitting a topspin to hit a slice? Shouldn't a slice in theory should go just as fast as a topspin? Yeah, I know the underspin slows down the ball but so does the topspin, right? Any kind of spin would slow down the ball, right? I am sorry but my physics suck.

 

[ceejay]

I reckon hitting a fast slice would mean you hit long. Top spin likes to comes down, whereas slice likes to float.

You probably could hit them at the same speed, but the top spin shot would come down into the court quicker.

 

[Tennismastery]

In theory, there is no limit to how hard a topspin can be hit. The physics nature of topspin creates lower pressure below the ball and higher pressure above the ball...which is what makes a topspin drop. The more spin, the more this differential in pressure exists. A topspin can be hit harder and harder as long as the amount of critical spin is ample for the forward velocity of the ball.

Slice or underspin creates the opposite air pressure values. Thus, the harder a slice is hit, the more it will rise. There is a limit based on the velocity, the amount of underspin as well as the vector of the shot in which a slice can stay in.

So, no, the two shots don't have the same quantitative values for dropping into the court.

This should explain why the modern game has changed. Because the slice has such limitations, it technically has not changed over its use of say the last hundred years. However, the advent of topspin, with more severe grips and new perceptions of how hard a player can swing, has changed the topspin groundstroke considerably.

Is it no wonder that the number of 'chip and charge' players on tour have dwindled? The offensive nature of the topspin passing shot has increased dramatically whereas the slice approach shot has remained nearly constant over the last number of decades.

Hope this helps understand the two shots better!

 

[Bagumbawalla]

Tennis mastery is correct. That does not mean slice no longer has a place in tennis, just that its place is more limited than in the past-- for example the way Fererer slices his backhand mid court and often gets an easy floater back.

On the other hand, something in between topspin and slice-- a drive with very little top (almost flat) can be quite effective and very fast. It takes quite a lot of skill, however to hit it low over the net and keep it in the court.

 

[Rickson]

Usually slice is slower than topspin but thats because people deliberately slow down their swing speed when hitting a slice. Now what if you use the same swing speed that you would have used for hitting a topspin to hit a slice? Shouldn't a slice in theory should go just as fast as a topspin? Yeah, I know the underspin slows down the ball but so does the topspin, right? Any kind of spin would slow down the ball, right? I am sorry but my physics suck.

When you throw a baseball, what kind of rotation do you get? Underspin. Slice, as in backspin, can be even faster than topspin if that's what you're going for.

 

[moxio]

My slice is pretty fast, but I reckon it'd be quite a bit harder to hit a slice as fast as a topsin shot.

 

[LuckyR]

When you throw a baseball, what kind of rotation do you get? Underspin. Slice, as in backspin, can be even faster than topspin if that's what you're going for.

True, but unless you are hitting down into the court, the balls will tend to be out.