Flat

A flat shot in tennis is made by striking the ball at a neutral level. Unlike the backspin and topspin the ball is hit with a swipe at neutral level. This effect is created by driving through the ball to push it forward rather than brushing up or down the back creating spin. The shot is commonly used for power and helps quicken the pace on the ball during play.

Flat shots have many applications in tennis, particularly on the serve. The flat serve is most often used for a first serve, due to its speed and little room for error. Most flat serves fly straight through the air and bounce relatively medium-low in comparison to other types of serves. They are characterized by their speed and placement. A good flat serve should be aimed along the center of the court, where the net is lowest, in order to maximize chances of landing the serve. Although the placement of this serve is generally the same, its speed at arrival is often used to generate aces or service winners. Many professional players utilize strong flat serves, such as Robin Söderling and Andy Roddick.

Advantages of the Flat Shot

• Power
• Good for tricking opponents that expect other shots

Disadvantages of the Flat Shot

• Smaller margin for error
• Little to no spin
• Gives little time for player to get set-up
• Requires skill
• Requires adequate ability to hit with power

• Outline
  

  SPORTS WORLD

  Tennis

  Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court. The object of the game is to play the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. The player who is unable to return the ball will not gain a point, while the opposite player will.

  History: Historians believe that the game's ancient origin lay in 12th century northern France, where a ball was struck with the palm of the hand.

  Equipment: Part of the appeal of tennis stems from the simplicity of equipment required for play. Beginners need only a racket and balls.

  Court: A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center.

  Manner of Play: The players (or teams) start on opposite sides of the net. One player is designated the server, and the opposing player is the receiver.

  Point: A point in tennis is the smallest subdivision of the match, the completion of which changes the score.

  Official: In tennis, an official is a person who ensures that a match or tournament is conducted according to the International Tennis Federation Rules of Tennis and other competition regulations.

  Shots: A competent tennis player has eight basic shots in his or her repertoire: the serve, forehand, backhand, volley, half-volley, overhead smash, drop shot, and lob.

  Grips of Racket: A grip is a way of holding the racquet in order to hit shots during a match. Most players change grips during a match depending on what shot they are hitting.

  Strategy: Players use different tennis strategies to enhance their own strengths and exploit their opponent's weaknesses in order to gain the advantage and win more points.

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Tennis" and "Flat", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.