Guccione’s three tips for a powerful serve
One of the most effective and dominant servers on the ATP Tour, Chris Guccione gives you his three most valuable tips for maximising power on your serve.
Melbourne, Australia, 7 August 2013 | tennis.com.au
Chris Guccione is famous for his crushing serve.
The left-handed Victorian is one of the biggest servers in the professional game. In 2007, he hit 45 aces in the first round of the Australian Open, a season-high tally on the ATP World Tour.
Guccione thinks about several things when stepping up to the baseline in preparation for a serve; here he gives you his three most valuable tips for maximising power on your serve.
1) Shoulder rotation
“When I think about a serve, I think about throwing a ball,” Guccione says. “So [I focus on] shoulder rotation and getting some really good tilt in the shoulders as well.”
2) Leg drive
“You want to be jumping up and into the court,” he explains.
3) Racquet head speed
“This is how fast you can swing the racquet really,” Guccione says.
“It’s all kind of interlinked; you [should] have the ball toss in the right spot and you want to hit the ball in the middle of the racquet – it helps if you hit it clean. Sometimes you can swing at a million miles an hour, but if it’s a little bit off-centre, it won’t be a huge serve.”