Serve strategy progression

[Drew_a_blank]

I'm curious to hear how your guys' Service strategy/plans develop throughout the course of a match. Do you go for the lines during your first service game, or do you play it safer and try to keep your % high? Middle of the second set and on serve, what do you do?
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Also, would you consider your serve a weapon against most players your level, or more of a tool to get you into the point? Something you wish you could avoid altogether?:shock:
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For me, I try to keep my 1st serve % high in the first game or to, going mostly for backhand or into-the-body serves. As the match progresses I go for the lines more often. If I'm playing against a stronger player, I definitely go for more on my first serve, trying to get as many free points as possible before a neutral rally can begin.

 

[pvaudio]

Tell me, what is the advantage of starting the match with a high serve percentage when you're going to deliberately risk having a lower serve percentage later? To ensure you gain enough of a lead? Yes I do consider my serve a weapon against those I play against. I think what you're implying is that players consciously decide to go for an ace rather than simply for a good serve. I don't know of a single player who would think like that. Attempt to up the pace after hitting a great couple of serves? Sure. I just do not see the point of playing "high percentage" serving when you would still have a high percentage when going for more offensive targets since your serve is good. When you do this, you risk giving your opponent your big serve right into their racquet. That ball is going to come back more fiery than when you sent it out.

Here is my strategy:

Love: Note where the player is standing. Decide then which wing to serve to. Heavy. No conscious decision to go for an ace.

Love-15 or 15-Love: Again note where the player is standing, but will more likely go to the BH with topspin to carry it off the court even more.

30-Love: Shorter angle out wide with a bit of slice, or heavy right up the T. Also will go for a bigger slice serve up the middle which will hook into the body after they prepare.

15-all: Same as Love

Love-30: Heavy to the backhand wing or topspin right third of the box.

40-L: Short angle flat wide, or up the T depending on where they're standing. Also potentially a slice serve out wide so it hooks into the body as they go for the BH. Rarely hit slice up the middle on the ad side.

L-40: Exact same as above. Least expected.

40-30: Heavy out wide
30-40: Same as above

Heavy is simply my go-to serve: lots of action, good pace, but not flat or any particular type of spin.

In none of these situations do I go for an "ace" or for the lines. It's simply placement in the box. I you don't gather from the above, I prefer serving out wide. It yields more benefits than up the T. When you shorten the angle, then it's even better. These short angle wide serves are why I think Federer is so hard to return against. They simply keep moving away from you.

 

[dizzlmcwizzl]

I have an effective serve and this is my basic strategy as the match progresses.

I look to be as aggressive as I can be with my 1st serve while getting about 60% of first serves in. My second serves are almost always kickers and hard slice serves. I will usually DF 1 or 2 times in a set which is an acceptable risk for me.

What this means with regard to my first serve is this ... I will usually get about 40-50% of my hardest flat serves in play. I can control whether I hit it to the FH side, BH side or into the body but I am certainly not looking to paint lines.

I usually start by hitting hard kickers early and mix in the hard flat serves once I am loose. Once I know how the hard first serves are working I will adjust the mix of kickers and slices serves on first serves to keep my opponent off balance and get that 1st serve percentage up at 60%. I feel that if my opponent has to be prepared for the hard one it is harder to get a good rip at the slower, spinning serves.

Generally if I had to get an ace ... I am much more likely to to go with a hard spinning sliced ball with good direction than to attempt to boom a big serve on the lines.

 

[Rozroz]

boy you guys can really control your serves!
it will take me a lot more serve practice to get to that level.
i'm still at the stage of either putting a hard one to a vague placement like the T, or trying to go for "the side".
my 2nd kickers are still not very direction oriented.

 

[LeeD]

I think it's best to hit your best up the T and widest serves right off the bat, and if that isn't working...not going IN, getting returned hard and low, then just go forehand, backhand, and into the body.
After that, you shot off your best stuff, so if that's still not working, you need to alter the bounce height thru various spins.
If that don't work, shake hands and chalk it off as a good experience.
You need to note exactly WHERE your serves are landing.