Tennis is without a doubt one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports. It requires not only cardiovascular fitness, coordination, mobility, and skill, but also the ability to adapt your game and use a variety of shots. You must be able to disrupt your opponent’s rhythm and surprise them with shots they are not used to facing. This is where slice comes into play.
Unlike topspin, slice, also known as underspin or backspin, is created when the racket moves downward across the ball at contact. In simple terms, you brush the ball from high to low, creating backspin.
Embed from Getty ImagesForehand Slice and Backhand Slice in Tennis
Both the forehand slice and the backhand slice are often underrated shots. When executed correctly, they can seriously trouble your opponent, forcing awkward positioning and breaking their timing.
Slice technique
For both forehand and backhand slice, the ideal grip is the continental grip, often called the hammer grip. As soon as you read the incoming ball, take the racket back and aim to make relatively flat contact. At the moment of contact, begin brushing the ball downward to create backspin. This motion helps prevent framing the ball due to an overly vertical swing path.
The follow-through for the forehand slice finishes in front of the body. For the backhand slice, the follow-through finishes to the right side of the body for right-handed players, with the non-dominant hand extending backward for balance.
Learn more about tennis technique.