So while Elena Dementieva is battling with her new serve - don't you think that someone by now could have given her a serve that was reliable and did not look awkward?? here is a great drill for you and your "buddy" to try.

This is the zone drill. (see diagram below)

First you have to divide the court up each end into 3 zones - use cones - racket covers or anything that will not prove dangerous to you.

First idea.

One of you decide to call the zone.So you start to rally and the one who is the caller has to call out the zone on his/her side of the net where they think that their partners shot will land - the other player says nothing.

The idea of course is to focus on their opponents shot and decide the zone early enough to call out the number before the ball bounces.

Next you change the caller - always have some means of knowing the time of the drill - eg 5 minutes each use an egg timer or a stop watch with a sound at the 5 minute mark.

Then both of you call out the zones just before the ball bounces.

Encourages focus.

Now one of you try to a) hit 6 balls consecutively into zone 1 - then 6 balls into zone 2 and then zone 3 - your partner can hit it in any zone - the idea to control you groundstrokes and be able to out them into any zone - then change.

Finally decide between you that during a rally any ball that falls into zone 3 the point is lost - play to 11 points.

Then decide any ball falling into zone 2 or 3 the point is lost - play to 11 - working on length of the groundstrokes.

You just have to decide beforehand to alternat the feeding, and the first feed must always be out of the losing zone (second practice the feed cannot land in zone 2or 3, if so feed again)

Final game, decide that during a rally if the ball falls into zone 2 or 3 that player whose side it lands short MUST attack and go in - as long as the ball is in zone 1 that player MUST stay back - idea ...to see the short ball early.