It’s not quite a first serve. It’s a faster, cutting shot, and because of the sharper trajectory, it’s a more attacking — and riskier — serve. Players more often reserve a kick serve for a second serve. A kick serve offers a safe margin over the net, and the heavy topspin sends the ball jumping sharply off the court.

Top 5 Slice Backhands in ATP Open Era

1. John McEnroe.
2. Stefan Edberg.
3. Pat Rafter.
4. Boris Becker. Here’s another player that had an amazing slice.
5. Roger Federer. Roger has routinely used his slice backhand to work himself into a point and set up that massive forehand.

In the game of tennis, there are four commonly used serves: the “flat serve”, the “slice serve”, the “kick serve”, and the “underhand serve”. All of these serves are legal in professional and amateur play.

Flat serve
Flat serve. A flat serve is hard and powerful, making it ideal for a first serve in a tennis game. It is often the fastest serve, hit with a Continental grip (though some professional players like Serena Williams are known to use an Eastern grip).

Like all pro players, Federer uses some version of a backhand grip. You could call it a continental, or a mild eastern backhand. If we look at the position of his hand on the racket bevels, most of the palm of his hand is on the top bevel, or bevel one. His index knuckle appears to be in the center of bevel two.

And remember, you’re not allowed to step on or over the baseline before hitting the ball. If you serve a ball that hits the top of the net before bouncing into the correct service box, it is called a let. You may take that serve again. If the ball hits the net and lands outside the correct service box, it’s a fault.

For a slice serve however we want to hit the ball on the top right hand side of the ball (top left for left handed tennis players). If the ball was a clock face, at impact for the tennis slice serve we would want to hit around 1-2 o’clock. This will give us good levels of spin but also allow the ball to dip down into the service box.

Unlike flat serves that are hit primarily from the back, or kick serves that are hit “up” to add topspin, slice serves brush along the side, effectively changing the spin and bounce of the ball. What Are the Advantages of Slice Serves?

Slice serves are much slower and less powerful than flat serves, so the opposing player has extra time to strategize their return. A good slice serve can be a literal game-changer during a match, saving you from the dreaded double fault.

The serve is one of the most important shots of a tennis game, and there are many different types of serves players can use.