Types of Tennis Shots Explained

Tennis shots fall into four categories.

Groundstrokes are hit after the ball bounces, first shots start the point, shots at the net are taken out of the air, and specialty shots solve tactical problems.

Every shot in the game sits in one of these four, from the forehand you hit a hundred times a match to the tweener you might attempt once a season.

Learning them is less about collecting techniques and more about knowing which tool fits the moment in front of you.

In this article you will find all fourteen shots named and defined, when to use each one, and how different strings suit each part of your game.

Every Type of Tennis Shot

Shot	Category	What It Is
Forehand	Groundstroke	A groundstroke hit on your dominant side
Backhand	Groundstroke	A groundstroke hit on your non-dominant side
Topspin	Groundstroke	A groundstroke with topspin on the ball
Slice	Groundstroke	A groundstroke with backspin on the ball
Serve	First Shot	The shot that starts every point
Return	First Shot	The shot you hit off your opponent's serve
Volley	At the Net	A shot hit out of the air before the ball bounces
Half Volley	At the Net	A shot hit immediately after the bounce near the ground
Overhead Smash	At the Net	A powerful serve-like swing on a ball above your head
Lob	Specialty Shot	A high, arcing shot sent over an opponent at the net
Drop Shot	Specialty Shot	A soft, light shot with backspin that falls just over the net
Approach Shot	Specialty Shot	A groundstroke hit while moving forward toward the net
Passing Shot	Specialty Shot	A groundstroke hit past an opponent standing at the net
Tweener	Specialty Shot	A shot struck between the legs with your back to the net

Groundstrokes

Forehand

The forehand is the groundstroke you hit on your dominant side with one hand, played after the ball bounces and usually from the baseline.

If you are right-handed, it is everything struck to the right of your body, and everything to the left if you play left-handed.

For most players it is the biggest weapon in the bag and the foundation of the modern game. It is probably the shot you hit more than any other.

The forehand is where you make the play. It is where you inject pace, change the shape of the ball from flat and low to heavy and looping, and force your opponent into a decision.

That is why good players cover as much of the court with it as they can.

You can drive it crosscourt, take it down the line, or shuffle across to your backhand side and hit an inside-out forehand into the open court.

Rafael Nadal is a prime example of an elite forehand, running around his backhand to strike forehands from near the singles line and punish opponents from there.

Carlos Alcaraz does the same thing today at a top level, using his forehand to set up the point rather than end it outright.

Backhand

The backhand is the groundstroke you hit on your non-dominant side, also played after the bounce from the baseline. You can hit it with one hand or two.

Two hands give you stability and make heavy topspin easier to produce. Novak Djokovic is a top example of this, absorbing pace and redirecting it with almost no loss of balance.

One hand gives you more reach and more variety, and it pairs naturally with the slice. Roger Federer showed how much range that version has.

Historically the backhand has been the stabilizer. You keep the ball deep, make life awkward for your opponent, and wait for the chance to run around it and hit a forehand.

However, modern pros can now play backhands that are just as powerful as their forehands.

For example, Jannik Sinner treats his backhand as a second forehand, generating the same spin and pace on that wing as on his forehand side, which remains rare at any level.

Topspin

Topspin is a groundstroke hit with forward rotation on the ball. You produce it by brushing up the back of the ball, taking the racket from low to high through contact.

The ball leaves your strings on a higher arc, dips down inside the baseline, and kicks up off the court. That combination gives you margin over the net and lets you swing hard without sending the ball long.

Heavy topspin asks a lot of your stringbed, because the strings need to slide across each other at contact and snap back into place before the next shot.

That is why choosing a string like reString Slap, which features our Signature Snapback technology, is key to delivering high-RPM topspin.

Slice

Slice is a groundstroke hit with backspin, the ball rotating backwards instead of forwards. You create it by brushing from high to low through the back of the ball.

The ball floats through the air and stays low after it bounces, which forces your opponent to bend and lift.

Use it to change pace when a rally has settled into a rhythm, to defend when you are stretched, or to set up an approach shot, explained below in the specialty shots.

Most players slice on the backhand side, where it breaks the rhythm of a point and gives your opponent a different kind of spin to solve.

First Shots

Serve

The serve is the shot that starts every point, and the only one in tennis where you are not responding to something your opponent has hit.

There are three main types of serve.

A flat serve is hit through the back of the ball for pace.

A slice serve curves away from the returner and drags them off the court.

A kick serve, also called a topspin serve, clears the net high and jumps up after the bounce.

Before serving, pick a target and commit to it. There are three places that you can aim at with the serve: out wide, down the T, or into the body.

If you serve well enough and your opponent does not get a racket on your serve, it is called an ace.

Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are modern examples of great service players who are worth studying for their technique.

Height helps with serving, though it is not essential to serve well.

For example, Alcaraz is not among the tallest men on tour and still holds serve against anyone, because placement and disguise count for more than raw speed.

If you want your serve to jump and kick after the bounce, reString Zero is our pick, designed for explosiveness and aggressive bite on the ball.

Return

The return is the shot you hit off your opponent's serve, and you have less time to play it than any rally ball. That shortens everything about your swing.

You have two ways to buy yourself room. Stand further back and give yourself time to read the ball, or step in and take the serve early to rob your opponent of theirs.

On a first serve, block or chip the ball deep and accept a neutral start to the point.

On a second serve, drive it with a compact swing and take the initiative. Aiming deep through the middle takes away angles, while a heavy crosscourt return starts the rally on level terms.

The return is the part of the game that has improved most over the years. It used to be about survival, chipping the ball back into play and hoping to neutralize a big delivery.

However, players like Djokovic helped raise the standard by attacking anything short of a perfect serve, forcing the server to defend from the very first ball of the point.

Shots at the Net

Volley

A volley is any shot hit out of the air before the ball bounces.

Make contact in front of you with a compact punch. Keep the wrist firm, split step as your opponent strikes the ball, hold your head still through contact, and take no backswing.

Then place it into the open space if your opponent is out of position, or behind them if they have started to run.

Net play went out of fashion for a while.

Through the late 1980s and 1990s players attacked constantly and won most of their points forward. But the generation of Federer and Nadal pulled the game back toward the baseline.

Alcaraz and Sinner have pushed the game forward again, hitting aggressively off both sides so that almost no ball in a rally is neutral.

Touch at the net depends on feeling exactly where the ball sits on your stringbed. reString Sync is our recommendation for that, built for deep pocketing and feel on partial swings.

Half Volley

A half volley is hit immediately after the ball bounces, with the racket down close to the ground.

A shot taken before the bounce is a volley, and the half volley is the one you play the instant the ball comes back up off the court.

It is a recovery shot more than a chosen one. You often play it from the middle of the court when you have moved forward and the ball lands at your feet before you can get into position.

Bend your knees to get down to the ball, hold the racket face steady, and let the ball come off the strings rather than swinging at it.

Alcaraz plays these on the move as well as anyone, picking balls up off the rise as he travels forward.

Overhead Smash

The overhead smash is the shot you hit above your head, using a serve-like motion.

The technique to hit a smash is to turn your shoulders side on as soon as you read the ball going up. Point your non-hitting arm at it to track its flight. Use small adjusting steps to get underneath it. Then finish into the biggest part of the court.

Placement wins more overheads than raw power.

A smash hit at three-quarter pace into an open corner is far harder to chase down than a flat out swing through the middle, and it leaves you balanced and ready if the ball somehow comes back.

Specialty Shots

Lob

A high, arcing shot sent over an opponent at the net is called a lob. If you have heard a shot described as arcing, lofted or high, this is the one.

There are two kinds of lobs.

A defensive lob goes high and deep to buy you time when you are stretched and out of position.

An offensive lob is hit with topspin so it dips down inside the baseline and jumps away once it lands, which makes it almost impossible to chase down.

Andy Murray built a reputation as the finest lobber of his generation, especially off the backhand.

Opponents would come forward expecting to cover a passing shot, and he would lift the ball over them and land it a couple of meters inside the baseline with room to spare.

Drop Shot

A soft shot in tennis is called a drop shot. It is played light, with backspin, so the ball barely bounces after it crosses the net and falls just over the other side.

Play it when your opponent is standing deep behind the baseline and has no chance of covering the distance.

The moment they recognize what you are doing, the shot loses most of its value, so disguise counts for as much as touch.

Alcaraz has made the drop shot a central part of how he plays, so much so that Sinner has built specific movement work into his preparation to deal with it.

Alcaraz can hit it from anywhere on the court and he hides it until the last possible moment, setting up as though he is about to drive a big forehand before changing at the last instant.

The drop shot used to be treated as a joker shot, something you threw in occasionally to surprise someone. However, it has now become a strategic weapon.

Approach Shot

An approach shot is a groundstroke you hit while moving forward, used to pressure your opponent and give yourself time to reach the net behind it.

A deep slice stays low and stops your opponent from lifting the ball, and a heavy drive rushes them into a hurried answer. Either way, depth counts for more than pace.

Hit it down the line rather than crosscourt. That takes away the easiest passing angle and cuts the amount of court you have to defend once you arrive.

Judging an approach comes down to reading exactly what the stringbed gives you back. reString Vivo suits that, with a crisp response and clear feedback at contact.

Passing Shot

A passing shot is a groundstroke hit past an opponent standing at the net. It is the answer to the approach shot.

You have three options. Drive it low crosscourt where the net sits at its lowest, drive it down the line if they have left that side open, or lift a topspin lob over them.

Aim for their feet or for the open court. A ball hit at the body is the easiest one for a net player to block back, because they barely have to move to reach it.

Tweener

A tweener is struck between your legs, played when you are chasing down a lob with your back to the net and have no time to turn around.

Practice the movement in a hitting session before you attempt it in a match. Getting the timing wrong usually means the ball hits you.

Federer, Nick Kyrgios and Gaël Monfils have all pulled it off in big moments, which is why it has earned a permanent place in the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Soft Shot in Tennis Called?

A soft shot in tennis is called a drop shot. It is a light shot that falls just over the net to catch your opponent out or force them to the net.

How Many Shots Are There in Tennis?

There are fourteen shots in tennis across four categories. Four groundstrokes, two first shots, three shots at the net, and five specialty shots.

The number matters less than the four categories behind it.

In a rally you are not running through a list of fourteen options, you are reading whether the ball in front of you calls for a groundstroke, something at the net, or a specialty shot to change the direction of the point.

What Is the Hardest Shot in Tennis?

The hardest shot in tennis is the backhand overhead.

You are taking a high ball over your non-dominant shoulder while moving backward, with almost no margin for error and no easy way to generate power.

It is rarely practiced because it comes up rarely, which is part of why it stays difficult.

Close behind it are returning a first serve above 130 mph and hitting a high one-handed backhand against a heavy kick serve.

Summary

Groundstrokes are the core of your game and the shots you hit most often. First shots set the tone for every point. Net play is where points get finished, and specialty shots solve the problems the other three categories cannot.

If you want a string that matches the shots you rely on most, our String Finder will point you toward the right setup in under a minute.

About the Author: Juan is the co-founder of reString. He was born in Argentina, raised in Japan, and moved to the US to pursue college tennis. He now plays as an ATP & WTA hitting partner.