By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Andy Murray estimates he hits thousands of practice serves throughout the season.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
The serve is the most important shot in tennis.
It's also the toughest shot to master.
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Former British Davis Cup teammates Andy Murray and Tim Henman provide some valuable serving insight in a pair of new instructional videos.
The second-ranked Scot is known for his return game, but Murray's slice first serve can be a weapon.
This Catching the Moment video uses the latest camera technology to capture the two-time Grand Slam champion's serve.
Murray teaches three key tips to a sound serve:
1. Use the continental grip and spread your fingers a bit for better racquet control.
2. Before serving, analyze where the returner is standing and assess what serve has been working best for you.
3. Practice serving to targets to master hitting different locations in the service box.
Devoted serve-and-volleyer Henman stresses leg thrust is the launching pad for an explosive serve.
"About 65 percent of your power comes from your legs," Henman says in this new video produced by Wimbledon. "So you want to make sure when you're serving you're really using your legs to drive up to the ball. And the more you drive up, the greater elevation, the more power you'll get on your serve."
Henman transforms practice into a target session drill to sharpen his directional serving.