A smash in
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
is a shot that is hit above the hitter's head with a serve-like motion. It is also referred to as an overhead. A smash can usually be hit with a high amount of force and is often a shot that ends the
point. Most smashes are hit fairly near the net or in mid-court before the ball bounces, generally against
lobs that have not been hit high enough or deep enough by the opponent. A player can also smash a very high ball from the ''baseline'', generally on the bounce, although this is often a less forceful smash.
''Smash'' commonly refers to the
forehand
The forehand is a shot used in most racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis and pickleball, where the palm of the hand precedes the back of the hand when swinging the racket. In tennis, except in the context of the phrase ''forehand volley ...
smash;
backhand
The backhand is a shot used in most racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis and pickleball, where the back of the hand precedes the palm when swinging the racket. Except in the phrase ''backhand volley'', the term refers to a groundstr ...
smashes are rarer and more difficult to execute, especially for beginners, since they are basically high backhand
volleys generally hit at an exact angle causing the ball to spin.
Rod Laver
Rodney George Laver (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former professional tennis player. Laver was ranked as the World number 1 ranked male tennis players, world number 1 professional player indisputably for five years from 1965 to 1969, ...
and
Jimmy Connors
James Scott Connors (born September 2, 1952) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 2 ...
, both left-handers, were known for their very powerful backhand smashes. The forehand smash was first used in Tennis by
Helena Rice on championship point in the
1890 Wimbledon Championships final.
In his 1979 autobiography
Jack Kramer
John Albert Kramer (August 1, 1921 – September 12, 2009) was an American tennis player of the 1940s and 1950s, and a pioneer promoter who helped drive the sport towards professionalism at the elite level. Kramer also ushered in the serve-an ...
, who had a fine overhead himself, devotes a page to the best tennis strokes he had ever seen. He writes: "OVERHEAD—
Schroeder just tops here, ahead of
Rosewall and
Newcombe.
Grip and action
The grip used for a tennis smash is usually a continental grip although some players use an Eastern grip. The swing is an upward throwing motion, making the execution of the shot almost identical to a serve. The main difference from a serve is position and footwork. The positioning and footwork are more similar to a
volley which is usually hit with a strong forward weight transfer from inside the court. The smash can be executed with one or both feet on the ground.
Jimmy Connors invented and popularized the ''skyhook'', a version of the overhead smash in which the Eastern grip used to hit the ball further behind the body than is possible with a traditional overhead smash.
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras (born August 12, 1971) is an American former professional tennis player. One of the most successful tennis players of all time, he was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the A ...
(and before him
Yannick Noah
Yannick Noah (; born 18 May 1960) is a French former professional tennis player and singer, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. Noah won the French Open in 1983 French Open – Men's singles, 1983, and is a forme ...
) popularized the ''jump smash'', where the player jumps and then hits the smash in mid-air. The shot is often also called a slam dunk, as in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
.
See also
*
Glossary of tennis terms
This page is a glossary of tennis terminology.
A
* Ace: Serve where the tennis ball lands inside the '' service box'' and is not touched by the receiver; thus, a shot that is both a serve and a winner is an ace. Aces are usually powerful and ge ...
*
Tennis shots
In tennis, there are a variety of types of shots (ways of hitting the ball) which can be categorized in various ways. The serve is the opening shot of a point, and it's typically struck using an overhead throwing motion. Shots struck during the po ...
*
Smash Tennis - The video game
References
External links
Video: Tips for a good smash
Smash Tennis as a brand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smash (Tennis)
Tennis shots