Tennis is a sport of talent, focus, control, strength, and power. Each player has a different style of playing the game. Some players love to play up front at the net and bombard their opponent with a wave of volleys while others like to stay back at the baseline and deliver powerful shots which intimidate the opponent. There is a distinct variety of shots used in tennis. Some shots are used when you have control over the point and others are when you don’t have control over the point. Although there are many tennis shots only a few can get one to their peak ability in the game. These shots are called the “key shots of  tennis.” Virtually every player uses these shots.

Slice:
         Slice, or backspin, causes the tennis ball to spin back towards the place of impact. When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch and run to get to the ball. Slice always gives control over a point after a player is completely unbalanced. You should only use slices when they are necessary and not all the time because the opponent could possibly take advantage of your defensive game and win the point. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. Just before you start your forward swing, raise the racquet head to shoulder height, open the face so that the hitting surface faces up, and produce slice by cutting under the ball with a long, smooth stroke. When you're running to retrieve a ball shot far away from you by your opponent (this is called a get) and can't set up to hit a regular forehand — you can slice the ball so the opponent has to come to the net and buy yourself a little time to gain balance. If you have trouble hitting the flat backhand, you can use a slightly different stroke—the pure slice backhand. Many pros, including the Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. The slice backhand matched his game, which was based on control rather than power. Control is one of the most important factors leading to success and the slice provides you with that.

Swing volley:
             “The swinging volley allows a player to hit aggressively and with disguise. The ball has more speed than a flat volley and can also produce enough spin to make the ball challenging to return once it bounces,” explains Ken DeHart, USPTA master professional. The swinging volley has the potential to finish the point before the opponent recovers. This shot is best when hit down the line; it works great as a winner. Try not to loop the back swing too much or make it too close to the ground. The backhand is the same, but is obviously, on the non-dominant side. The swing volley is great for strong baseliners having trouble volleying and players that don’t have a very strong net game. For hitting a swing volley you need to decide early. You need to recognize a slow-moving ball right away and then prepare for a swinging volley. Set up in an open stance (a footwork stance)with your shoulders fully turned and level, and your off arm pointing out toward the ball. Good posture and balance are essential.

Dropshot:
            The drop shot is a softly hit shot with backspin that falls onto the court just after clearing the net. It can be hit as an outright winner or to force an opponent to the net. This tactic is effective if the opponent is vulnerable at the net, or slow or out of condition. The best tennis grip for drop shots is the continental grip. Professional tennis players learn to quickly change their forehand grip to the continental grip to hit the tennis drop shot. This is the same grip used to hit a volley. Normally, if you want to hit a tennis drop shot, you do not take a backswing. A backswing is only used as a disguise because the opponent will think you are hitting a regular forehand or backhand.  The disguise backswing is very important if you want to surprise your opponent. If you do not initially begin with a backswing, your opponent will be able to read your plan and be ready for your drop shot. Then your dropshot won’t be as effective. The only thing you need to remember to execute your drop shot is that the racket should be about one foot above the point of contact. This is for you to create the brushing effect of the ball which creates the backspin. Backspin slows down the ball as well as results in a shorter bounce once it lands in the court. The shorter the bounce of the ball, the better it is because it means less chance for your opponent to return the ball. The dropshot can also be used when hitting a volley. If the ball is coming slow you can tilt your racket head horizontally. Then cut the ball creating backspin. The more you tilt the racket head the more spin you put on the ball. The ball will drop short but it will stay in the air longer so you could still be vulnerable if your opponent gets to the ball.

Kick serve:
             The kick serve is looked at as the “ultimate” second serve. It bounces up high and twists away from your opponents, confusing them and taking the ball out of their strike zone. This disrupts their timing and positioning and can cause them to be conservative or even defensive on the return. Being able to hit a good kick serve adds a degree of difficulty to your game that opens up other options. If the kick serve is disguised it will surprise the opponents and they won’t know what to do. It's a great serve to follow to net because it gives you time to move in and the height of the ball makes it difficult to return at your feet. Most of all, if you have a reliable kick serve, you'll take more chances on your first serve, making it more dangerous. No doubt, the kick serve is a tricky and difficult shot to learn. But with the proper technique and practice, anybody can own this valuable weapon.
 

Topspin:
             The topspin forehand is one of the most primary shots in the modern game of tennis. It is being utilized at the professional level to dominate points off the baseline and is responsible for the major increase of tennis being a power game. Virtually every pro tennis player on tour uses a topspin forehand to control shots off the baseline. One example of this professional player is Roger Federer. Federer’s remarkable topspin forehand gave him his first ever French open title (among the rest of his titles) as he won his matches point by point with his dominating topspin forehand. Other professional players who are also using the topspin forehand as their main shot are Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal. These players have also won several titles in their professional tennis career. Topspin shots vary from looping in an elliptical form to cutting the air in a straight speed with tons of topspin. The Semi-Western forehand grip is probably the best tennis grip that enables players to produce a topspin forehand. The amount of topspin with this grip is greater than other tennis grips like the eastern forehand grip. This forehand grip is used in many professional players such as Andy Roddick, Marat Safin, and Venus Williams. This versatile tennis grip is ideal if you choose to drive a flatter ball and at the same time want to be able to produce topspin. In modern tennis, the tennis topspin forehand is normally executed during a baseline rally and approach shots. It can also be used when a player tries to finish a point up at net. A simple law of physics applies to the topspin forehand. The greater the amount of rotation applied to the tennis ball, the more the ball will be spinning in a forward direction. Hence, the forces of the rotation pulling against the air combined with gravity will increase the chances of the ball dropping sooner. This translates to a higher margin of error, as the ball will drop quicker and then bounce higher and away from the opponent. That being said, it’s an obvious choice why the tennis topspin forehand is the shot of choice of top professional players on tour. Give this shot a try in your own tennis game.