When a server loses a game in tennis, it is considered that her opponent has “broken” her serve, in tennis terms. In other words, you have a breakpoint whenever you are one point away from winning a game while your opponent is serving. In a game of deuce, a breakpoint occurs when the score is 0-40, 15-40, 30-40, or when the returner has the advantage over the shooter.
How Do You Break Serve in Tennis
There are two terms that are related to serving in tennis, namely breaking serve and holding serve.
In order to hold serve, you have to be the one who serves your opponent to win the game.
As a result, breaking serve means the opposite of what it means to serve. In spite of the fact that your opponent is serving, you still win the game.
There is one goal in every match, the goal of holding serve and breaking the opponent’s serve as many times as possible in order to win.
The first to reach 6 games leading by 2 wins in the set.
- Example 6–0, 6–1, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4, 7–5 or go to a tie break
It is determined that the winner of a set will be determined by a tie-break in cases where there are no breaks of serve in the set, meaning 6 games each.
The first to reach 7 points and leading by 2 wins the tie-break
- example 7–0, 7–1, 7–2, 7–3, 7–4, 7–5, 8–6, and so on. This results in the final set score of 7–6.
This brings us to another term that is related to the mini-break, which is also referred to as a brief break. You win the point when you serve the ball, while you win the point when your opponent serves the ball (mini-break) under the same principle.
There is no doubt that serving is one of the most important strokes in tennis. Therefore, a lot of emphases is put on the service games of the players, as it is generally considered to be easier for a player to win a service game, as compared with a game when his opponent is serving.
It is known as a break of serve when you are able to win a game during the serving phase of your opponent’s game. In most cases, it proves fatal, and that is why we see a lot of tennis matches that conclude in a score of 6–4 because it is usually that one break of serve that proves to be enough to decide the winner or loser of the match.
It is important to understand, however, that service is not always the deciding factor. The quality of the returns is also a key factor for many players who rely on it to make money. One of those players is Novak Djokovic, the current world number one, who is well known for his outstanding results on the court.
What Is a Break of Serve in Tennis
It is important to understand that in tennis, a break is actually a break of serve. The reason you lose a game when you are serving indicates that your opponent broke your serve when you were serving. In your service game, you are able to gain an edge because you are the one to throw the ball onto the court first. You can win points either via aces, unreturned serves, or serve and volleys by throwing the ball onto the court first.
Thus, it is you who is the initiator of the rally (exchange of shots) and you are the one who dictates the play first. When you are playing a service game, you are supposed to hold your serve and win the game, and that is why when you lose your serve, you get broken and somehow you are literally broken since if you lose a service game against you, you lose the match.
Advantages of Break Serve in Tennis:
The first shot is an essential element of professional tennis racket serving, as it allows the server to control points. The most talented returners, like Andre Agassi, can only react to the serve.
Getting broken has at least two effects if a server does not capitalize on it: the server becomes demoralized, and it puts pressure on it to break back.
This results in the server having difficulty handling a breakpoint. When you are broken, you are in a great deal of difficulty. Without a doubt, though servers produce good results. Break points may be helpful to returners here.
- Tennis matches are tedious to watch, particularly men’s matches.
- To win, the opponent needs three points. He must first save the breakpoint. That’s a deuce. The next point must be won for him to gain an advantage for himself. That will be “added in.” He must then win the last point.
- It’s stressful to have to win by three points. When under pressure, one is more likely to cave in (lose confidence) than if one had an advantage.
Do Break Points Really Matter?
To begin, I believe that the breakpoint in serving is a game-changer that most players enjoy and want to play. It’s just a point, but seeing a break serve in tennis is very simple.
Winning about players covers a wide range of topics, including singles grand slams. However, break-serve in tennis is a unique topic that changes the game in a modern way and assists many people in doing so.
Furthermore, according to the most recent statistics on break serves in tennis, the most desired states are listed below.
| Player | Percentage | Points Won | Total Points | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guillermo Coria | 45.73% | 1,355 | 2,963 | 323 |
| Rafael Nadal | 44.97% | 4,976 | 11,065 | 1,250 |
| Sergi Bruguera | 44.85% | 2,062 | 4,598 | 567 |
| Sergi Bruguera | 44.64% | 2,251 | 5,042 | 595 |
| Felix Mantilla | 44.55% | 1,815 | 4,074 | 526 |
As you can see, many big players are included in the break-serve stat, which surely achieved big successes. It’s not easy to get break points against a good opponent who already knows how to play break serve. You will undoubtedly succeed if you do this.
When a server is one point from losing the game but rallies in time to stop the receiver from getting a breakpoint, then this occurs.
- John Isner
- Ivo Karlovic
- Milos Raonic
- Pete Sampras
What is the matter with John Isner? Always finding a way to go to a tie break in tennis?
I think that’s pretty straightforward. One of the best serves on the tour belongs to John Isner. In fact, he’s one of the greatest servers in the history of tennis, in my opinion. The record he holds for the most aces of all time (13,748) can even be said to be his (13,748).
Obviously, Isner’s incredible height is the main factor that contributes to the success of his serve: with a height of 6’10”, he has the distinction of being the third tallest ATP player in history (behind Ivo Karlovic and Reilly Opelka).
The fact that Isner has a powerful forehand in addition to his ridiculously powerful and consistent serve speaks volumes about his ability. As a result of those strengths, his playing style is reliable: big serves coupled with winning forehands on the return. It is because of this that Isner is seldom ever broken on the court.
In addition to that, Isner is also not able to move very well because of his height. Despite the fact that he has improved his fitness over the years, he still has a hard time moving around the court quickly due to the fact that he is 6′10′′ tall, putting him at a disadvantage in his return games as a result. So Isner doesn’t often break his opponents’ will either, which is why he rarely ever breaks his own. It won’t take them long to move him around the court enough so that he will not be able to come up with enough return points.
Is there anything worse than winning all your service games, but losing all your return games? During the tiebreaker, you will proceed to the next round. There is no doubt that Isner is experiencing the same problem over and over again. As a result, he has been in an amazing number of tiebreakers, knowing that his pure serving ability can often get him out of trouble.
This habit of winning service games and losing return games is also the reason Isner was able to win both of the longest matches on record at Wimbledon, first in 2010 (which is the longest match in tennis history) and then in 2018 (which is the third-longest match in tennis history). There is no doubt that he is responsible for the reason Wimbledon finally introduced tiebreakers for games at 12–12 before the current policy of a 10-point tiebreaker in the 5th set was implemented.
Isner keeps going to tiebreakers for the same reason, so that’s why he continues to win. However, despite the fact that he is extremely hard to break, the large frame he has significantly hampered his return game in a significant way. As a result of that kind of height, there is a tradeoff you have to make.
What are some tips for good tennis serve?
There are eight steps to serving, which can be summarized as follows:
- Step 1: Hold your racket and ball as far ahead of you as you can as you start your service motion.
- Step 2: Lean towards the opponent so that you are starting your momentum forwards. With your non-dominant arm, throw the ball in the air while dropping your racket arm straight back as you do so. During the backswing, the ball is tossed and the backswing occurs simultaneously.
- Step3: At this point, your body should be fully coiled and you should be ready to unload what you have accumulated.
- Step 4: Now that the ball has moved into striking position above your head, you will start uncoiling by pulling your non-dominant arm down to the ground and driving up through your legs.
- Step 5: As you extend and uncoil the racket arm, you will see the rest of your body follow the racket arm up and around as well.
- Step 6: As you pull down the tennis ball and make contact with it, you should make sure that your body and head are facing the net or approaching the net as you pull down and make contact with it.
- Step 7: When you begin to follow through with the ball, your body should be falling forward, to the left, and slightly to the right as you continue to follow through with the ball as your racket arm whips through it.
- Step 8: Lastly, as you complete the serve motion, you will land on your left leg on the court while your dominant arm will finish its movement on the left side of your body (if you are right-handed).