Singles Tactics Drill: Wide Serve - 2
This drill teaches players to use the wide serve to pull their opponent off the court, then hit the next groundstroke behind them as they recover to the center.
How the Drill Works

Setup
Player A is positioned at the baseline, deuce side, ready to serve; a basket of balls is behind him.
The coach is ready to return serve from behind the deuce baseline.
A line of cones divides each service box into two halves: wide and center (see graphic above).
Drill
Player A will practice serving wide (between the line of cones and the singles sideline); if successful, the coach will return, and then recover to the baseline center.
The player will step into the ball and hit it to the court left behind by the coach, on the same side where the serve landed.
Do this until 3-5 successful combinations are achieved, then switch to the ad court.
Notes
- To place the serve wide, the player should use slice serves to the deuce side and kick or flat for the ad side.
- Through this drill, the player learns to use the wide serve to get the opponents off the court and control the groundstroke placement to hit behind the recovering player.
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Equipment for this lesson
Tennis ball machine
Feeds the same ball every time, so players can groove a stroke like this one without a partner.
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