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Strokes & Strategy | Teach Me
Strokes & Strategy return serve
Return Serve

 

Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic have great footwork, hands and timing, and have the ability to see the ball extremely well. Consequently, their return of serve is extremely good, too. At the recreational level, players generally ignore this stroke in practice and focus exclusively on the serve. If this sounds like you, it’s time to give one of the most critical strokes the attention it deserves. Here’s how and why.

Plan of Attack
Great returners have a plan of attack before the serve is hit and they execute it without fail. Their options may include: hitting to their opponent’s weak side, keeping them out of their comfort zone; hitting deep down the middle to prevent their opponents from having angles, or simply putting the ball back into play without making an unforced error.

Where to Stand
When returning the first serve, stand behind the baseline with your right foot even with the singles sideline in the deuce court and your left foot even with the singles sideline in the ad court. When playing against a lefty or with players who use a lot of spin or pace, adjust your position accordingly and change your stance throughout the match as you recognize your opponent’s patterns. Return more aggressively against a second serve. Move forward into the court a few feet and positioning yourself to hit with your strong side. To avoid being predictable, continue to adjust your position throughout the match. An effective time to change your position is during your opponent’s service motion.

Two-Beat Rhythm
The best returners have short, compact strokes. The error most recreational players make is using a groundstroke motion for a return of serve. When hitting a return, apply a two-beat rhythm: (1) Turn the upper body with both arms together for a short backswing, torquing the upper body at the waist; and (2) strike the ball with a quick, explosive rotation. The return in the modern game is often hit open-stance, which requires a quicker rotation of the upper body.

Footwork
As your opponent tosses the ball to serve, take a step forward and perform a split step landing on the balls of your feet. Move towards the ball and prepare to strike. Depending on the serve, you may decide to step with a square-stance or closed-stance, but in other instances you may use the open-stance or even be leaning backwards. They are all acceptable as your adapt your footwork to respond to a variety of serves.

Singles: Effective Placement
Returning serve in singles should be aggressive, yet controlled, while keeping the ball in play. Effective options include hitting the ball deep in the middle of the court to neutralize the server’s angles; attacking with a cross court return that’s either deep or a short angle; hitting down the line where, if you’re in the deuce court, you’re attacking a player’s (generally) weak backhand side; or driving to the feet of a serve-volley player.

Doubles: Effective Placement
Returning serve in doubles has the added pressure of the net player looking to attack, making shot placement crucial. One of the best options is hitting a deep ball cross court. Effective options include hitting short or deep cross court balls towards the alley, driving the return down the middle of the court, lobbing over the net players head, a drop shot against a baseliner, or a chip shot against a serve-volley player.

Practice Time
Spend extra time this fall adding this important shot to your practices. If you have a decent return already, work on different types of returns because you never know what you might need in a match.   Carla Suarez Navarro - Scott Mitchell
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