How to Serve in Tennis: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

You toss the ball, swing, and it flies into the net. Then again. By the third attempt you are serving underarm and apologising. The serve is the one stroke in tennis that nobody can feed you, and it is the first thing every point depends on, so it feels unfair that it is also the hardest to learn. The good news is that a reliable beginner serve is not about power. It is about a few repeatable positions, and you can learn them in a handful of practice sessions.

This guide takes you through the serve in the order you actually do it: the rules that decide whether a serve counts, the grip, the stance, the toss, the swing, contact and the follow-through. After that come the mistakes that cause most double faults, a practice plan you can run alone with a basket of balls, and how to bring your serve into real games. If you are brand new to the sport, start with our beginner’s guide to tennis and come back here once you can rally.

What a legal serve is

Before technique, know what you are trying to produce. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) publishes the Rules of Tennis, and the key points of a serve are consistent across them:

• You stand behind the baseline, between the imaginary extensions of the centre mark and the sideline, and you hit the ball before it bounces.
• You serve diagonally: the ball has to clear the net and land in the service box on the opposite diagonal. On the first point of a game you serve from the right side of the centre mark into the receiver’s service box on the other side of the net, and you alternate sides after each point.
• You get two attempts at each point. If the first serve is a fault, you serve again from the same side. If the second is also a fault, that is a double fault and the receiver wins the point.
• A let is a serve that touches the top of the net and still lands in the correct box. It is replayed and does not count as a fault.

You can see the exact dimensions of the service boxes, in our guide to tennis court dimensions.

What counts as a fault

The ITF rulebook has a separate rule for foot faults (Rule 18) and for service faults (Rule 19). In plain language, a serve is a fault if:

• The ball lands outside the correct service box, or does not clear the net.
• The ball touches a permanent fixture, the net post or the singles stick before it bounces.
• You swing and miss the ball. (If you decide not to hit your toss and catch it, that is not a fault; you can start again.)
• You commit a foot fault: you walk or run during the service motion, or you touch the baseline or the court with either foot before you hit the ball. Slight movements of the feet are allowed, and so is jumping.

For social tennis, there is no line judge, so the server usually calls their own foot faults and the receiver calls the serve in or out on their side. Be generous: a serve that is “maybe in” is in. For how the points and games add up after the serve, see our guide to tennis scoring.

Step 1: The grip

Almost every coaching source says the same thing about the serve grip: use the continental grip. One way to find it is to hold the racquet as if you were gripping a hammer or an axe, with the racquet head perpendicular to the ground. Another is to shake hands with the racquet, with the edge of the frame pointing toward the ground. Head’s guide to the serve calls it the “hammer grip”, and it suggests placing the base knuckle of your index finger on the second bevel of the handle.

Why this grip matters:

• It lets the racquet face turn naturally through the swing, which gives you spin and a higher margin over the net.
• It works for a flat serve, a slice serve and a kick serve, so you will not have to relearn it as you improve.
• It encourages a full extension at contact, which is where the power comes from.

Some beginners find the continental grip awkward and start with an Eastern forehand grip, which is how most people naturally hold a racquet. Singapore’s ActiveSG learning guide describes the Eastern forehand as more comfortable for beginners but flatter, with less clearance over the net. It is a reasonable starting point while you build the motion, but plan to move to continental. You only need the new grip for serving; your forehands and backhands can stay as they are.

If you are not sure your racquet fits your hand, the grip size is worth checking, because an ill-fitting handle makes any grip feel clumsy. We cover that in how to measure and pick your tennis grip size.

Step 2: The stance

Stand behind the baseline, on the correct side of the centre mark, and aim at the diagonal box. Do not stand on the line, because that is where foot faults begin.

A reliable beginner stance, as described by the Head coaching guide:

1. Stand sideways to the net, with your shoulders pointing roughly at the side fence.
2. Put your front foot at about 45 degrees to the baseline and your back foot parallel to the baseline.
3. Bend your knees slightly and keep your weight balanced.
4. Hold the ball in your non-racquet hand and rest the racquet pointing toward your target.

ActiveSG describes a similar set-up with both feet behind the baseline and the body aligned toward your intended target. The details vary between coaches; the principle does not. Pick a stance that is balanced, behind the line and repeatable, and use it every time. A consistent starting position is half of a consistent serve.

Step 3: The toss

The toss is where most beginner serves are decided. If the ball goes to the same place every time, the swing becomes much simpler.

• Use your fingertips, not your palm. Tossing from the palm makes the ball roll off your hand unpredictably. Hold the ball lightly with your fingers and release it cleanly.
• Keep the tossing arm straight. Head notes that a straight-arm toss is more consistent, and it improves your rhythm and accuracy. Lift from the shoulder rather than flicking the wrist.
• Toss slightly in front of you. Coaches generally want the ball a bit ahead of your body and a little toward your racquet side, so you reach up and forward rather than back.
• Do not toss too high. Beginners often toss too high, which makes the ball drop faster and is harder to time. Aim for a height where the ball peaks at about the point you can just reach with a fully stretched arm.

Practise the toss on its own

Spend two minutes at the start of every session tossing without hitting. Place a racquet on the ground in front of you and see whether the ball lands on the strings. If you can land five tosses in a row on the racquet, your toss is consistent enough to add the swing. If not, the problem is the toss, not the swing, and no amount of racquet work will fix it.

Step 4: The swing

Once the toss is dependable, add the swing. It helps to think of it as one smooth motion with a few stages rather than a list of checkpoints.

1. Load. Bend your knees as you toss. Both arms go up together, the toss arm lifting the ball and the racquet arm bringing the racquet back and up.
2. Racquet drop. The racquet falls behind your back or head, with the elbow bent. Some coaches call this the “back scratch” position. A full wind-up is optional; ActiveSG notes it can add power but is not required.
3. Drive up. Push through your legs and reach for the ball. The racquet accelerates up and forward.
4. Contact. Hit the ball at the top of your reach, with your arm fully extended and your forearm near vertical, in the middle of the strings. The rotation of the forearm that turns the racquet face flat usually happens naturally if you are using a continental grip.
5. Follow through. Let the racquet brush up and finish across your body near your opposite hip. A relaxed finish eases the strain on the elbow and shoulder.

The most important instruction is the least exciting one: swing smoothly, not hard. Beginners who swing at full speed lose their timing and hit the net. Hit at about 70 per cent effort until you can place the ball in the box most of the time, then add speed gradually.

Step 5: Make it a second serve you trust

Your first serve gets the glamour; your second serve wins or loses most social matches, because a double fault gives away the point. For beginners, the aim of the second serve is simple: get it in, with a margin.

• Aim for the middle of the service box, not the lines.
• Use a smooth, repeatable swing that gives the ball some spin and a higher arc over the net. This is the idea behind the slice and kick serves, which are usually taught after the basic flat serve. The Wikipedia entry on the serve describes the kick (topspin) serve as the usual second-serve choice because it arcs high and drops into the box.
• If the overhead motion is not reliable yet, an underarm serve is legal in tennis. In friendly play nobody minds, and it is better than donating points. Just be aware that some players consider it a bit cheeky in competitive adult play.

The mistakes that cause most double faults

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Serves hit the net	Contact point too low or too far back	Toss slightly in front; reach up at contact
Serves fly long	Swinging too hard or contact too far in front	Slow the swing; check your toss height
Ball spins off the side	Toss from the palm or a bent toss arm	Use fingertips; keep the arm straight
Missing the ball entirely	Toss is inconsistent	Practise tossing onto a racquet on the ground
Foot faults	Starting too close to the baseline	Move back a few centimetres; keep both feet still until contact
Sore shoulder or elbow	Tension and a jerky finish	Warm up first; let the racquet follow through

On that last point, the serve is an overhead motion, so a proper warm-up matters. Our tennis warm-up routine includes shoulder and arm mobility that suit it well. If you feel pain beyond ordinary muscle soreness, stop and see a physiotherapist or doctor.

A practice plan you can run alone

You do not need a partner or a coach to improve your serve, only a basket of balls (around 20 to 30) and a court or a service line. Here is a simple session of about 30 minutes.

1. Toss only (3 minutes). Toss and catch, or land the ball on a racquet placed on the ground. Repeat until the toss goes to the same place.
2. Shadow swing (3 minutes). Do the full motion with no ball, slowly, focusing on the drop, the reach and the follow-through.
3. Serve to the middle of the box (10 minutes). Use a smooth, controlled swing. Count how many of ten land in. Your target is six or more before you add speed.
4. Add a target (7 minutes). Place a towel or cone near the T or the wide corner of the service box and aim for it. Do not chase accuracy before the middle-of-the-box serve is consistent.
5. Second-serve rounds (5 minutes). Serve ten “second serves” only: you must get all ten in play. Repeat if you miss.
6. Cool down (2 minutes). Light stretching for the shoulders and arms.

Do this two or three times a week and your numbers will move. Write down your in-box count for step 3. It is easy to feel like nothing is changing; the tally shows that it is.

Serving in real games

The practice basket has no consequences. A real game does, and the pressure shows up in your toss first. A few habits help:

• Use a routine. Bounce the ball a set number of times, take a breath, then serve. A routine keeps your tempo the same on every point.
• Call the score. Before each serve, say the score with your score first. It avoids disputes about whether it is 30-15 or 15-30. We explain the numbering in the scoring guide.
• Prefer a serve that goes in. In casual play, a smooth first serve that lands most of the time usually beats a big one that misses half the time.
• Remember doubles. In doubles the server still starts behind the baseline, but the partner may stand in a different spot, and the serve rotates among all four players. Whichever format you play, the same technique applies.

Where to practise and find people to play with

The best way to improve your serve is to use it, against someone at your level. Many clubs let you book a court by the hour and practise on your own. In Bangkok, the Bangkok court directory lists clubs with their surfaces and booking notes, and the wider club directory covers more cities across Southeast Asia and beyond.

If your problem is finding someone to play with, Breakers Open Play runs level-matched, drop-in social tennis sessions. You book a seat for your level and play without arranging a partner, which is also a low-pressure place to try your serve in real points. Open Play is live in Bangkok only for now.

Sources

• ITF, “2026 Rules of Tennis” (Rule 18 Foot Fault, Rule 19 Service Fault; table of contents and amendments reviewed) — https://www.itftennis.com/media/7221/2026-rules-of-tennis-english.pdf
• ITF, “2026 amendments to the rules of tennis and beach tennis” — https://www.itftennis.com/media/7224/2026-amendments-to-the-rules-of-tennis-and-beach-tennis.pdf
• ActiveSG Circle (Sport Singapore), “How do I serve in tennis?” — https://www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/learn/tennis/how-do-i-serve-in-tennis
• Head, “How to serve in tennis” — https://www.head.com/en_EE/rs/stories/how-to-serve-in-tennis
• Wikipedia, “Serve (tennis)” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serve_(tennis)