How to Return Serves in Doubles

Returning serve in doubles is a complicated animal. Not only do you have to get the ball in play, but you have to direct it to a spot that will neutralize your opponents and hopefully make your partner at net a factor. That’s why it’s a more pressurized situation than returning serve in singles and is a key to your success as a team. Here are some things to consider that will increase your chances of making an impact on your opponents’ service games.

BEGINNER OBJECTIVE 1
Get into the point. The most important thing on the return is to keep it simple. Try to make solid contact and put the ball in play. One of the biggest booby-traps for beginners is the tendency to worry too much about the opposing net player. This causes your concentration to waver and makes a successful return more difficult. Pick a big target area crosscourt that gives you plenty of margin for error, and don’t concern yourself with whether the net player poaches. If he does, so be it. Hit a good return and he’ll have trouble with the volley anyway. Once you can get the ball back crosscourt consistently, you can start to get a little more creative. Hit down the line to keep the net player honest or toss up a few lob returns for a change of pace. Much of this will revolve around the movement and activity level of the opposing net player. If he’s stationary, you can focus on getting the ball back to the server.

BEGINNER OBJECTIVE 2
Put your net player in the right position. In a perfect doubles world, the returning team’s net player would look to cut off as many balls as possible. But with less skilled players the role is a less intrusive one, as you should focus primarily on protecting your side of the court and preparing for any potential volleys. It’s important to make sure you give your partner the best chance to return. If that means moving back to the baseline so there’s less pressure on him to keep the ball away from the net man, then do it. If you’re going to be up at net, stand on the service line halfway between the singles sideline and the center line. That puts you in a good position to cover your side of the court. It also allows you to move forward if your partner hits a strong return or retreat to the baseline if it’s a weak one.

INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVE 1
The net player should follow the ball and be aggressive when possible. 
One of the simple rules of thumb of good net play is to move in the direction of the ball to cut off your opponents’ best hitting angles. So if you’re playing the ad court and your partner hits a wide-angle return to the server in the deuce court, you should move toward your left to make sure you’ve got the alley covered. That’s why, if your partner keeps the ball low and toward the middle, you as the net player can get more involved in the point. Whenever you see your opponent hitting a volley from below the level of the net, you and your partner should move forward. This will give you more opportunities to pick off poor returns from your opponents.

ADVANCED OBJECTIVE 1
On your returns, be aware of the opposing net player.
Depending on how skilled your opponents are, the net player should be covering anywhere from two-thirds to three-quarters of the court. That makes your return targets quite small. So you have to learn to hit your returns low and sharply crosscourt. When you go down the line, do it only with strong shots that force the net player to protect the alley. Since the net player is so active, hard serves down the middle that force you to stretch can become prob-lematic to return. It’s difficult to create an angle from such a position, and it’s tough to pull the return back down the line. You have to put the ball in a spot—either by keeping it low or lobbing it over the net player—that will allow you to get into the point without being in a defensive position.

ADVANCED OBJECTIVE 2
Be active, and smart, at net. The net player on the return team should be looking to make an impact. You want your opponents to feel that if they hit any passive or weak shots, you’re going to take advantage and put the ball away. That said, you can’t be reckless up there. Make sure you communicate with your partner when you’re going to poach so he can move to your side. And don’t try to cover every inch of the court. If your partner has good passing shots, you should feel confident letting some balls go back to the baseline knowing he can be effective from there. Another thing I strongly suggest is that when your partner is receiving, you look at the opposing net player. Don’t turn around and watch your partner hit the ball. By the time you turn around, if the net player has intercepted the ball, you’ll have little opportunity to return a solid volley hit your way. Instead, watch the net person to see what kind of return it is. If he can’t make a play, you can move forward and look to pick off a volley. If his eyes widen and you see him moving, you can better prepare yourself to defend and potentially get the ball back in play.

Article by Paul Annacone, Illustrations by Craig Zuckerman – Tennis.com