In the '90s there was one player who served like clockwork. Precise, constant - mercilessly good.

As club players we can still learn from him today. You probably know it from your matches: The odds on the first serve in a media or tournament match are not much higher than the chancellor's poll values. Confidence in a real board on the first serve goes down.

After the first serve lands in the net and the felt ball is still rolling back out of the net, we start with the second serve. We get broken more than we serve. Conversely, a break is not an advantage for you.

One who didn't have these problems was the great Pistol Pete: Pete Sampras. At 4:4 and 30:30 he served the ace on the tape as if at the push of a button. Opponent had breakball? In the style of Lucky Luke, Pete fired a hard-to-return first serve from the hip. We can't learn that constant precision plus tempo. But you can learn how to focus before you serve so that you serve with a much better odds and more precision - at your individual level.

In this article, let's see which steps can help you.

The common thief who steals your serve

Nick Kyrgios is a fantastic player. He has a lot more options in his game than a Novak Djokovic . He serves better and can vary more. Above all, his greatest strength, the serve, is sometimes stolen. Then the rate goes down. He made double mistakes. Effectiveness isn't that on-point anymore.

The thief who steals his serve is the rush.

We mentioned earlier that at some point you don't take any time between serves. After emotional rallies you go straight to the next serve. You march straight through the door without pausing to pat your shoes on the doormat.

That one little moment of stillness is crucial. You need a moment to yourself to be able to gather your thoughts again. The best way to create this moment is through rituals. But be careful: None of the four steps that follow are automatically integrated into your game just because you have read this article. You should pick one of these steps and practice it in your training games for four weeks. Over time, you'll find that you've developed a new habit before you serve. This new habit has given you more peace of mind. Because of the rest, you have "unlocked" a better serve.

All right, let's look at the four steps now.

1) Visualize

After the first three botched service games, are you already imagining what your friends and acquaintances might think about your performance afterwards?

Perfect. Because then you bring everything you need to work with the visualization tool ;-). One effective method is pictorially imagining your next serve in damn detail. Think of it like a movie where you are the director. You determine the exact steps that will happen next.

Here's an example of what a film might look like before you serve:

"The ball lies loosely in my hand for throwing. When throwing the ball, I let go of the ball as late as possible. The arm stays up for a long time so that I can ideally get into the arc tension. The hitting arm goes into the back and hits the ball at the highest point - perfectly centered on the strings, of course. The serve flies precisely onto the opponent's backhand. The ball hits the ball almost five centimeters before the T-line!".

This film is just an example to give you a feel for what's going on. Create your own movies, create your own images that suit your gamer type.

2) Tap ball

It is impossible not to mention Novak Djokovic on this topic. Did he used to tap the ball 30 times because he had to think about where to serve and how? Of course not. The Djoker is a crook who is a sly old man behind the strings. He wanted to slow down the match, demonstrate control and collect his thoughts.

It was his way of focusing before big points on serve. Before you can concentrate, you need rest. This calm gives you the chance to concentrate. You can just steal this method like the djoker does with the tempo of the opponent's shots ;-). A little hint: Alexander Zverev also uses this tip method before the serve by deliberately tapping the ball directly on the baseline.

3) Breathe

Unfortunately, breathing techniques and exercises are still completely underestimated in tennis. It seems too simple, too obvious. Similar to when you just have to push the ball into the open field, but we still want to conjure up a unique short cross from it.

It has been scientifically proven that breathing techniques calm the mind and thoughts. So they're perfect for implementing these before serve, aren't they?! One of the simplest exercises works as follows:

You breathe in through your nose, hold your breath for two seconds, and then slowly breathe out through your mouth for six seconds. Used twice in a row, you've easily developed a moment of calm before your serve. There are numerous other exercises. Try the exercise just introduced. They are easy to remember and their implementation is not a big science either.

4) straighten strings

Do you remember Maria Sharapova? I wasn't their biggest fan, because boom boom tennis was always too stuffy for me. But mentally she was a skilled player, you have to give her that.

She liked to turn her back to the opponent and straighten her strings. She also danced when she was really on-fire. Maria often did this on her return. But if we think a little bit around the corner, then this method also makes sense and is effective before you serve.

You can put both balls in your pocket, turn your back to the opponent and adjust your strings for ten to fifteen seconds. Even if there is nothing to fix. The effect here is again the important moment of rest to be able to collect your thoughts.

Why is it important for your game that you serve with full concentration?

The serve is also extremely important for you as a club player. In some games he can decide the match. You may not be serving at an average of 125 mph, but your first serve is a small measure of your overall confidence in winning the match. The more first serves you hit, the better you'll feel.

A focused serve can lead you to more game wins on your own serve. In the club player area there are many breaks in every match. So if you manage to serve more of your own service games home with a concentrated serve, then your chances of victory increase.

And, let's not kid ourselves: It's a great feeling when you get to the point with a real board through the middle. It saves condition, concentration and nerves.

Conclusion: what have we learned?

We've learned that a moment of stillness before our first and second serves is crucial. The hustle and bustle is our greatest opponent in order to be able to serve consistently and precisely. You've learned that there are four ways to gain that calm before a serve. But, and this is important: Do not implement all four steps, but only one.

You can now pick one of these steps for your game. Implement the step in the training game before each serve. But it is important for real, long-term concentration that you train this one step for weeks. New habits develop over time.

Give yourself this time and your serve rate will reward you.