What is serve plus one in tennis, and how to use it

Serve wide. Hit to the open court.

Key facts

1
In 2023 Djokovic hit a serve +1 forehand on about half of his second-serve points and won 57 % of them.
ATP Beyond the Numbers, Nov 2023
2
Djokovic led the tour in 2023 with 57.9 % of second-serve points won.
ATP Beyond the Numbers, Nov 2023
3
The Match Charting Project's "≤3 W%" counts points the server wins on an unreturnable serve or the third shot.
Heavy Topspin, MCP serve stats glossary (2019)
4
Players are directing more second serves to the forehand to set up the serve +1.
ATP, "players find success serving to forehand"

Why it works

A wide serve isn't trying to ace anyone. It moves the returner past the sideline and makes the reply come back short and cross-court, because from out there a hard, deep, straight reply is the low-percentage shot.

Your next ball goes where the returner isn't, which is now most of the court. The serve buys the space and the forehand spends it. That's why you decide the plus one before the toss. If you're choosing after the return, you're a step late and you'll hit it from the middle.

The counter is an early, deep return. A returner who takes the ball inside the baseline saves time, recovers sooner and closes the open court. When they start cheating wide, the T is open. The pattern is a set of serves, not one shot.

The line to say on court
“The serve buys space. The next ball spends it.”

Drill: The serve +1 ladder

15 min · with a partner

Serve wide to a cone on the deuce side. Hit ten serves and count the ones that hit the cone.
Have your partner feed the short cross-court reply. Hit ball three into the open court. Do ten reps.
Play it live, serve +1 only, first to seven points. Then switch roles.

Number to beat6 of 10 wide serves on the cone

More drills like this: serve, point play

Faults and fixes

Serving wide and waiting to see the return

You're a step late to the plus one and hit it from the middle.

FixMove to the forehand side of the middle as the serve lands.

Going for the line on ball three

The open court is huge, so the line isn't needed.

FixAim two metres inside the line. The space wins the point, not the placement.

Running the pattern every point

Returners adapt within a game.

FixMix it: wide, wide, T, body. The set beats the shot.

Questions players ask

What does serve +1 mean in tennis?

It's the serve plus the first shot after it, planned together as one play. The serve sets up a predictable reply and the next ball goes into the space it created.

What if the returner stands wider to cover the wide serve?

Serve the T on a first serve, or into the body on a second serve. Then go wide again.

Why does a wide serve lead to a short cross-court reply?

From outside the sideline, a hard, deep, straight reply is the low-percentage shot. So the reply tends to come back short and cross.

How do you defend against serve +1?

Take the return early and deep. That saves time and closes the open court the server wants to hit into.

What this doesn't cover

Win rates for serve patterns depend on the player and the surface. There's no universal number. Where returns tend to land is a model of typical returns, not tracking data.

Sources

ATP Beyond the Numbers: Djokovic serve +1 (Nov 2023)
Heavy Topspin: Match Charting Project serve stats glossary (2019)
ATP: players find success serving to forehand
Brain Game Tennis: O'Shannessy on serve +1

Know the gameHow long are tennis rallies, and what to practiseMost tennis points are short: about two points in three end within four shots, and more than 70 % on grass, and the most common rally length is one shot. By surface the share runs from 65% to 77%. That means the serve, the return and the next ball decide most points, so they're worth a bigger share of your practice time.Serve and returnHow to hit flat, slice and kick servesYou hit flat, slice and kick serves from the same motion by changing where the strings brush the ball. Flat goes through it from 6 to 12 on a clock face, slice brushes around the outside, and kick brushes up and across from 7 to 1. The kick is mostly sidespin, and it isn't a slow serve. It's a different bounce.Serve and returnHow to hit a reliable second serve under pressureHit your second serve with the same swing as your first, more brush and one proven target. Slowing the arm to be safe removes the spin that gives you net clearance, so you get a slower ball with less clearance and a returner stepping in. Top-50 men win about 57.5 % of second-serve points, against 73.6 % behind a first.Play the pointHow to build a point in tennisTo build a point, play it in three acts: open with a ball that makes them move, build by keeping them moving while you read the reply, and finish only when the reply is short, high or hit from off the bisector. Most amateurs only play the finish, from everywhere. The reading is the skill. The finish is the easy part.