There are a number of different serving techniques in tennis and one of the most common is the topspin serve. This serve is a forward spinning serve and is accomplished by hitting the back of the ball at an upward angle with the racquet and therefore makes the serve slower than the flat serve. The topspin allows for the ball to be aimed very high over the net but the downward motion allows for i...

The flat serve is usually used as the first serve and is the fastest serve in the game. Male professional players can serve the ball on a flat serve as fast as 125 miles per hour. This serve was known prior as a cannonball serve and this is performed by swinging directly through the ball without any spin on the ball. The flat serve must be hit close to the net since there is no spin to help it d...