Why do tennis players normally always bounce the ball several times before serving?

Question

How, exactly, can the bouncing of the tennis ball aid the serve?

Answer 1

for me, it gives me time to calm down and settle on the position of serving. while bouncing i feel the ball and it feels better when i throw it up in the air.

Answer 2

Well for me (and just about every other tennis player I think), bouncing a tennis ball a couple of times right before hitting a serve give you a better 'feel' of the ball, let's you give time to decide what to do in the point, and also to give you a tiny break/rest period.

Answer 3

well bouncing the ball gives a kind of feel to the player on how the ball bounces, it also gives a balance before they serve to see and feel how the ball will go.

Answer 4

It really doesn't but its a bad habit that girls learned while they were little girls.

Oh hahahahaha Novak bounces so he is a girl or maybe just plays like one. Hahahaha!

Answer 5

It helps get the feel of the ball.

Answer 6

Basically by bouncing the ball you take some time to calm down and relax before continuing the match. It helps a ton btw.

Answer 7

Normally, tennis players bounce the ball before serving to get focused.  You've just played a point, and now all your concentration has to be on the serve.  Bouncing the ball helps them become concentrated.  Also, it allows them to get a good feel on the ball before they have to make a perfect toss and serve.

Answer 8

just part of their routine...just like nba players before a free throw.

Answer 9

Its called "ritual".......helps to calm and focus....or so I'm told

Answer 10

It doesn't aid the serve. It distracts the opponent and makes them unsure of when you'll serve, possibly throwing off their concentration or timing. Djokovic does this a LOT in early rounds of tournaments. He's been penalized before for bouncing the ball too many times and taking too long to get his serve off, but other than that it's rare to see. Most good sports don't do this at all.

Answer 11

Its actually most likely a very simple reason.  Bouncing the ball a few times(or 20 times if you are Djokovic) is a way to mentally "reset yourself" for the upcoming point.  It helps to get the previous point out of your head and refocus on what you need to do for this upcoming point. Players will think of what plan they want to try for the next point, where to serve the ball, or even make an effort to calm down if they lost a tough point previously.  It certainly helps maintain focus on the immediate task.