New tennis fans and players always find tennis terminologies quite confusing. There are many rules, definitions, terms and shots that if you know nothing about, it can be a little overwhelming.
Realizing that everyone can know the basics of how to hit a tennis ball, let’s have a look at the basic strokes, terms and definitions.
Types of Tennis Strokes
All tennis games involve basic strokes: the groundstroke, volley, overhead smash and the serve. These basic strokes determine the movements of the players as they hit the tennis ball on the court. Also, a ‘shot’ is what happens as a result of a stroke.
Groundstroke
A groundstroke is a forehand or a backhand stroke that is hit after the tennis ball bounces only once on the court. It can be played from anywhere on the court as long as the ball has bounced.
A forehand groundstroke is considered the biggest weapon a player has during a tennis rally from the baseline because of the capability to generate most power. On the other hand, the backhand groundstroke is less powerful but the most consistent shot you can make on a court.
As you come across different tennis games on the betwayapp, go for players with dominant forehand groundstrokes that are playing against a defensive opponent. Such players have a suitable chance to control the play especially on faster surfaces. You can easily identify a weak backhand if the player hits the ball with heavy topspin and struggles to control high-bouncing balls.
Volley
A volley stroke is when the ball is hit out of the air before it bounces on the court. It encompasses both the forehand and backhand volley strokes.
Volleying is commonly an offensive style of play as it provides a chance to reduce the time your opponent has to react to the strokes. The Betway app allows you to identify players who can finish points at volleying because they do better against defensive baseliners who rely on rallying.
Overhead Smash
An overhead smash involves the player hitting the ball with the racquet above his or her head in a serve-like motion.
The overhead smash is common when the player is close to the net or around the middle part of the court before the ball bounces. Letting the ball bounce after a high defensive lob makes timing your smash correctly much easier.
Serve
A serve is the stroke that starts every point in a match. It is the only stroke in tennis that the player has total control, and is considered the most important shot in the game.
A good serve gives the player serving the power to assert some control over how the points unfold. The power, spin and shot placement can limit how the returning player plays. A good serve can win tie-break heavy matches or cover sets even if the player loses.
Final Thoughts
Understanding strokes can help you know more about tennis players, however, you need to consider other factors such as form and fitness of the players, head-to-head history and the psychological strength under pressure.
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