5 Steps to Winning More Matches – Return of Serve

If the serve is the most important shot in tennis, getting it back should be your next priority. Practice your return by following these five steps and you’ll win more matches.

1. GET ORGANIZED
Just as with the serve, you should have a ritual before every return. This will help you relax, which will improve your shot-making and anticipation. Take your time, walk around the back of the court, consider the score, and determine what you want to do with the next return before positioning yourself. It really doesn’t matter what you do as long as you develop a consistent routine.

When setting your stance, give yourself a wide, balanced base and keep your upper body fairly upright. Start a step or two behind the baseline so that when you split-step forward you’ll be in an aggressive position to hit the ball. Depending on how quick or slow your reactions on the return are, or the pace of your opponent’s serve, you can adjust this starting position.

Keep your arms and hands loose and in front of your body. Before the point starts, decide which grip you’re going to hold the racquet with. In my opinion, that should be the forehand grip. I believe it’s much easier to change to a backhand during the take-back than the other way around. The exception would be if your opponent is serving exclusively to your backhand. In that case, you may choose to start out with that grip.

2. READ THE SERVE
 Once you’re set and the server is beginning his delivery, you’ve got an opportunity to anticipate what kind of serve it will be and potentially predict where it’s headed. This ability is derived from two sources. The first comes from cues in the server’s motion. Look for things like the location of the toss, stance, possible grip change, and even your opponent’s eyes to give you an indication of the direction of the serve. If the toss is out in front and in line with the hitting shoulder, expect a flat, aggressive serve. If the toss is out to the server’s right (left for lefties), it’s probably going to have some slice. A toss behind the head and a slight change to a backhand grip are cues for a kick serve.

The second indicator is a server’s past pattern. Over the course of a match, particularly on pressure points, keep track of the serves your opponent likes to hit. Perhaps when it’s deuce he serves the ball out wide to open the court on the next shot. Knowing these tendencies will help you get a good jump on the ball and hit better returns.

3. USE EFFICIENT TECHNIQUE
Just as the server hits the ball, you should perform your splitstep. In the brief time you’re in the air you’ll pick up the direction of the incoming serve. Once you land on the court, your first movement should be with your back leg. Pivot with that foot, use a level shoulder turn (with your wrists bringing the racquet back so the motion is compact), and take a short step toward the ball with your lead foot. So if you’re right-handed and returning serve in the deuce court, and your opponent serves down the T, you’re going to step out with your left foot and lean into the shot with your right leg as you hit a backhand.

On most first serves, there will probably only be time to hit the ball with an open stance. Use a quick shoulder turn while keeping your weight on the back foot and simply meet the ball with your racquet. When returning a serve that stretches you in either direction, you may have to step across your body with your front foot. Take a little side-step with your back foot toward the ball and cross over with your front foot to extend your reach. These are examples of a server robbing you of time; on the second serve, you may be able to step into the shot, take a bigger stroke, and add more spin.

4. KEEP YOUR TACTICS SIMPLE
Start your matches by aiming your returns down the middle. Hit the ball deep if the server stays back, and at his feet if he attacks the net (as in doubles). A reliable return down the center will put pressure on your opponent to play out each point. You should build your return game from this solid base. Start with consistency and depth, and as you start to read where the serves are going you can hit closer to the sidelines.
But you don’t want to add too much to your returns if it’s going to take away from your consistency. A smart time to go for your shots is on a second serve, particularly when the score is in your favor. You’ll have more time to return the ball and your opponent will feel pressure playing from behind.

This is also a chance to alter your return position, which can make your opponent uncomfortable and result in a fault. Either move inside the baseline to take the ball early or back up to allow for more time to take a bigger cut. Another smart move is to find a location that takes away your opponent’s favorite serve. If you move before the toss so your opponent sees it, you can get in the server’s head.

5. PRACTICE YOUR PREPARATION
Beginners and low intermediates can be aggressive on both first and second serves. But as you improve, the speed of your opponents’ deliveries will force you to be more conservative with your shots and efficient with your technique. To improve your preparation and reaction time, practice your returns while standing a few feet behind the service line. Or you can stay on the baseline and have your practice partner move up to the service line. Either way, you’re dramatically cutting down the time you have to react to the serve.

It’s also important to practice being aggressive with your returns. You want to be consistent with your shots, but you also need to apply pressure to the server by taking advantage of weak offerings. I like to play a game in which the server gets only one serve and players are rewarded with two points for a winner. This encourages the receiver to be forceful with the return and either finish the point outright or set up a winning shot on the next ball. A good way to build confidence with this tactic is to have your practice partner serve underhand. That will be a serve you can take advantage of.

Article by Lynne Rolley, Photos by Chris Trotman/Getty Images – Tennis.com