In sports terms, ‘flat’ usually means flat. In golf, a ‘flat course’ refers to a flat course with no curves. ‘Flat swing’ refers to a swing swinging horizontally close to the ground. It is the opposite concept of the ‘upright swing’ that steepens vertically. In baseball, a fastball without cheating that is easy for batters to hit is called a flat. In tennis, a shot that hits the ball without any spin.
According to the English glossary, ‘flat’ is derived from the Old Norman word ‘flatr’, and was used as a flat word in Middle English through Old English ‘flett’ in the 1300s. It was used to mean a level or flat tire, or a prone position.
In tennis, the flat shot is often done when serving. This is because you can hit the ball at high speed based on strong power without backspin or topspin. Usually, spin is used to control the ball flight distance and direction. Hit the ball by cutting it up and down behind the ball. (Refer to this corner #951, ‘Why do we say ‘backspin’ in tennis?’)
But a flat shot just pushes the ball forward. You can put power on the ball and hit it quickly. The reason why I use it a lot for the first serve is because it flies straight into the air and bounces relatively low compared to other balls with spin. The downside of the flat shot is that there is very little spin and there is a high chance of mistakes.
World-class players make powerful serves with flat shots. Serena Williams, who dominated women’s tennis around the world from the 1990s to the mid-2010s, served with her devastating flat shot, earning her some of the best ratings of any female tennis player of all time. Chris Evert, Monica Seles, and Maria Sharapova were also good at flat shots. ‘Tennis Emperor’ Roger Federer swept major tournaments with his highly accurate flat shot serve. World-class male players such as Jimmy Connors, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, Fernando Gonzalez, and Novak Djokovic also used flat shots a lot as subs. 메이저사이트
Since the 1970s, when the tennis boom took place in earnest, Korean media has published articles introducing flats and flat serve. The Chosun Ilbo, November 5, 1972, article ‘Sports tennis class that anyone can enjoy (教室) ④’ says ‘Flat Ser-ve’ refers to hitting the ball at right angles to the surface of the racket. He has speed and is the best offensive serve.”