What is an overhead in tennis?

Q: What is an overhead in tennis?

An overhead, or smash, is a shot hit above the head like a serve, usually to put away a lob.

It uses a shortened version of the serve's motion. The hard part is the footwork: turning sideways and moving under the ball early so it drops in front of you.

TRACED · A TOUR OVERHEAD

A tour overhead: eight instants traced from the footage, frame for frame. Hover or tap to flip.

Questions

Is an overhead the same as a serve?

It uses the same chain with a shorter backswing, and you hit it on the move.