When players begin learning tennis, they are usually introduced to several fundamental strokes at the same time: the forehand, the backhand, the volley, and the serve. As players become more involved in the sport, much of their training time is typically spent improving baseline rallies—developing stronger forehands, more reliable backhands, and better movement during exchanges.

While these skills are essential, something interesting often happens as players progress: the serve does not always receive the same level of attention as rally strokes.

Many players spend hours refining their groundstrokes, practicing consistency from the baseline and improving their ability to sustain long rallies. Yet one of the most powerful opportunities in tennis—the serve—is often trained far less than it deserves.

This is important because forehands and backhands are part of the rally. They occur after the point has already begun. The serve, however, is the shot that starts every point on your terms.

Along with the return of serve, it is one of the two most decisive moments in tennis. In modern tennis, many points are decided within the first few shots. Analysis of professional matches consistently shows that a large percentage of points end within the first four shots of the rally. This means the serve and the first ball after the serve often determine how the point will unfold.

To understand why the serve is so influential, it is important to first look at its physical demands. The tennis serve is not simply an arm motion. It is one of the most complex movements in sports and relies on a full-body sequence of force production known as the kinetic chain. In this sequence, energy is generated from the ground and transferred through the legs, hips, trunk, shoulder, arm, and eventually the racquet.

The legs initiate the movement by generating upward force during the push-off phase. This force is transferred through the hips and glutes, which help drive the body upward and forward. The trunk and core muscles, particularly the abdominals and obliques, play a crucial role in stabilizing the body while also allowing powerful rotation that transfers energy from the lower body to the upper body.

The latissimus dorsi contributes significantly to the acceleration of the arm and racquet, while the shoulder complex and rotator cuff muscles stabilize and guide the arm through the throwing-like motion of the serve. Finally, the forearm and wrist contribute to the final racquet speed and spin applied to the ball.

When this entire sequence works efficiently, the serve becomes a fluid movement capable of generating tremendous racquet head speed and power.

Many players attempt to improve their serve simply by repeating the motion over and over again. While practicing serves is necessary, repetition alone does not always produce optimal results. Like any athletic movement, increasing the demand on specific muscles through repeated motion requires adequate strength and conditioning.

Without sufficient preparation, the repetitive stress placed on the body can lead to discomfort and eventually injury. It is common to see tennis players develop issues in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, lats, or lower back, particularly when the muscles responsible for generating and stabilizing the serve are not strong enough to tolerate the load.

In many cases, the limitation in a player’s serve is not technical knowledge but the physical capacity to generate and transfer force efficiently through the kinetic chain.

Strength training therefore plays an essential role in developing a more effective serve. Before maximizing performance on the court, the muscles responsible for producing the serve should be strengthened in an environment where they can be trained safely and progressively.

Many players struggle to generate power on their serve not because they lack technique but because they cannot effectively produce force through their legs, hips, and trunk and transfer that energy to the upper body.

By strengthening these areas first, players create a stronger foundation for the serve motion. Once the muscles involved in the serve become stronger and more coordinated, on-court serve practice becomes significantly more productive.

At that stage, players can combine physical preparation with strategic serve practice by placing targets in important areas such as the T, the wide serve, or the body serve. This combination of gym training and on-court repetition allows the serve to evolve from a simple starting shot into a true weapon.

At high levels of tennis, the serve is rarely viewed as an isolated shot. Instead, it is often part of a sequence commonly referred to as “serve plus one.” The goal of the serve is not only to start the point but to create an advantage that allows the server to dictate the rally immediately with the next shot.

For example, a wide serve may open the court for a forehand into the opposite corner, while a serve down the T can jam the opponent and produce a weaker return. When the serve becomes powerful and precise, it forces opponents into defensive positions, allowing the server to control the rally from the first exchange.

Statistics from professional tennis highlight how important this advantage can be. Studies analyzing Grand Slam matches show that players win roughly seventy to seventy-five percent of points when their first serve lands in, while they win only about fifty to fifty-five percent of points behind their second serve.

This difference of nearly twenty percentage points dramatically changes the probability of holding serve.

At the professional level, players typically hold their service games around eighty to eighty-five percent of the time, and the very best servers can hold serve more than ninety percent of the time. In recent seasons, for example, Jannik Sinner has held serve in over ninety percent of his service games, demonstrating how a strong serve can create a major advantage over the course of a match.

These numbers help explain why the serve is so strategically important. If a player can consistently hold their service games, they often need only one break of serve to control an entire set.

Interestingly, many of the greatest players did not always possess dominant serves early in their careers. Novak Djokovic, for example, was known early in his career for having a serve that was less reliable than other parts of his game. Through technical adjustments, improved physical conditioning, and greater emphasis on serve efficiency, he transformed it into a reliable weapon that allowed him to conserve energy during long matches and maintain constant pressure on opponents.

Roger Federer also significantly improved his serve during his early twenties. While he always possessed excellent technique, his serve became far more effective between 2003 and 2005 as he refined his mechanics and strengthened the physical components that supported the motion. Federer and his team placed increasing emphasis on core stability, shoulder strength, and overall athletic conditioning. This improved physical preparation allowed him to generate more consistent racquet speed while also improving serve placement and disguise.

More recently, players such as Carlos Alcaraz have demonstrated how serve development continues even at the highest levels. Early in his career, Alcaraz relied primarily on his speed and baseline power, but as his career progressed he placed greater emphasis on improving his serve percentage and serve effectiveness. Through physical development, technical refinement, and greater strategic awareness, his serve has become an increasingly important part of his ability to control matches.

These examples illustrate an important point: the serve is not simply a technical skill learned once and maintained forever. It is a physical and strategic weapon that evolves throughout a player's career as strength, coordination, and tactical understanding improve.

When the serve becomes a reliable weapon, it changes the entire dynamic of a match. Stepping up to the baseline with confidence in your serve creates immediate psychological and tactical advantages. Holding serve consistently means you are already halfway to winning a set, and if your opponent struggles to serve as effectively, breaking their serve even once can become the decisive moment.

This is why mastering the serve can dramatically increase a player's chances of success. It allows points to be won quickly, sometimes with a single shot, or with a serve followed by a simple finishing stroke.

Developing this level of effectiveness requires dedicated time and focused training, but the competitive advantage it provides is significant.

Focusing on the serve does not mean neglecting other important strokes such as the forehand or backhand. These remain essential components of the game and will be discussed in future articles. The return of serve, which is equally critical, will also be explored separately.

For players who want to understand these concepts in greater depth—including the biomechanics of tennis strokes, the muscles involved in different playing styles, and examples of strength training routines—the SmartTraining365 Tennis course provides a detailed breakdown of these elements.

Additional information can also be found in my book Beyond Tennis, available on Amazon, where the principles behind effective tennis training and performance are explained in greater detail.

Written By Moe Larbi
 Founder of SmartTraining365 & Ratel Mentality
Sports Performance Coach
 Helping athletes and everyday lifters train smarter, safer, faster, and stronger under real-world conditions.