By Dan Thorp LTA coach

Andre Agassi was renowned for his blistering groundstrokes and his ability to take the ball early.

Unlike his nemesis Pete Sampras, he did not have one of the biggest serves in the game, however he did use it to great effect.

Agassi always looked to use his serve and then his first forehand of the rally as a one-two combination.

His opponents knew it was coming, but even after 21 years at the top of the game they did not find a good defence against it!

Serve down the centre

From the right court Agassi's favourite serve is down the centre.

This serve is a great one to hit. It gets to your opponent quicker, it attacks the backhand and usually creates a return back down the centre of the court.

Make your opponent guess

As soon as he sees the return coming back up the centre of the court Agassi starts to move to his left looking to bring his forehand into play.

His opponent is now stuck in the middle of the court knowing he's in trouble, as Agassi could attack either forehand or backhand next.

Agassi gets into position to make sure that there is no difference in his set up so he can hit down either flank.

This would allow his opponent to anticipate which way to go.

Pick your spot

Agassi now chooses which side to attack.

He will tend to hit to his opponents backhand more often than not, although he will always vary it a little to keep them guessing.

Agassi stays focused on the ball right through the shot, he hits with enormous power but maintains superb balance, this enables him to maintain his level of consistency.