To put in a first service

A first serve in tennis occurs to begin every point within the match. An athlete has two chances to serve the ball into play, and their first attempt is called their first serve.

The player who is serving stands on one end of their side of the court and their serve must land inside the service box on the other side diagonal from where they are standing. The player can hit their serve any way they want to, but the vast majority of tennis players prefer to serve with an overhand shot. They do this because the overhand shot creates more power and speed on the ball, making it harder for the other player to return the serve. If the serve is returned, play continues as normal, but if the other player fails to return the serve, that is known as an ace.