High contact makes the difference. Here’s why.

In tennis, the serve is the only shot you control 100%. It starts from you, follows your rhythm, and can decide the outcome of an entire match. But mastering it isn’t just about strength or spin. One of the most underrated — yet essential — aspects is the height of contact with the ball.

We’re not talking about your physical height, but about how high you play.

The technical advice “Serve higher!” holds a key concept: don’t collapse forward, don’t compress the kinetic chain, and don’t sabotage power and accuracy by dropping the upper body too soon.

When this aspect is right, the serve becomes fluid, powerful, and consistent. Let’s break down why.

📈 Why is high contact so important?
Hitting the ball at the highest point while maintaining balance allows you to:

✅ Generate more power through leg and core activation
✅ Gain more clearance over the net
✅ Create more spin (especially topspin and slice)
✅ Improve angle of entry into the opponent’s court

But if you collapse forward before contact — with your chest dropping or head lowering — here’s what happens:

❌ Contact point drops and gets delayed
❌ The shot loses speed and effectiveness
❌ The serve becomes less accurate or more predictable

🧠 What does “serve higher” really mean?
During the loading and contact phases, “serving higher” means:

✅ Chest lifted upward
✅ Elbow high and relaxed
✅ Head up and eyes locked on contact point
✅ Arm fully extending upward

A perfect example is Carlos Alcaraz. At 183 cm he’s not one of the tallest players on tour, but thanks to flawless mechanics, his serve is extremely effective. The secret? In the contact phase, he reaches up with energy and fluidity, using every millimeter of his body.

🦵 It all starts from the legs
“Playing high” doesn’t mean being stiff — quite the opposite. You need a well-coordinated kinetic chain:

Loading phase: knees bend to store energy
Push-off: energy releases upward
Trophy position: spine neutral, chest open
Contact: racquet pointing to the sky with full extension
Landing: into the court, after completing the stretch

This boosts racquet speed, spin, and shot reliability.

⚠️ Common mistake: collapsing too soon
Many players — especially juniors or amateurs — lean forward too early, bending and losing height. As a result:

  • The serve loses power and consistency

  • It becomes harder to find the right contact point

  • Injury risk increases

🔧 The fix? Visualize this:
You’re trying to grab a basketball high in the air. You need to reach up, not bend down.
Your energy goes up to the sky, not down to the ground.

🧪 How to train it
✅ Do shadow swings focusing only on extension
✅ Practice in front of a mirror or film your serve
✅ Work on vertical jumping and leg drive
✅ Remember: don’t compress too soon!

💡 Conclusion
You don’t need to be as tall as Zverev to serve well. You need to use what you have to its fullest — and high contact is one of the game-changers.
Next time you go to serve, just think:

Rise. Extend. Hit high. And own the point.

by Federico Coppini
https://coppinitennisacademy.com/