All too often in tennis, people go out and hit back and forth for hours without ever hitting a serve. They’ll drop the ball, knock it over with a forehand, and even play points and keep score this way. But is there anything wrong with this? Surely they’re getting better. Unfortunately, this form of practice doesn’t translate well into match play. 
 
During a tennis match, 40% of the time we swing a racket, it’s a serve. Yet, during the course of a practice, often we serve less than 2% of our swings. Equally, 20% of the swings in a match are returns of serve, yet in practice, return of serve is something people do less than 1% of the time. Often players and coaches are equally to blame for sometimes going hours without hitting a real serve; real being a serve where someone is on the other side of the net, ready to return and looking to expose a weak serve. 
 
So, my top tip is to try and start every point with a serve. Whether you’re warming up in the service boxes, or hitting forehands cross-court, whether you’re a lady practicing for your team league, or a young kid wanting to play like Federer, start with a serve. Obviously, you’ll want to make sure you begin slowly, warming up the shoulder in a manner for optimal performance as the practice continues. Once the serve is fully warmed up (should be within 10 minutes of the start of any practice) all points, drills, games, and exercises should begin with a full-speed serve, with someone returning the serve in a competitive manner. Over time, players will feel more comfortable with their serve, more comfortable returning, and much more at ease in a pressure match situation.