Practicing the return of serve is a crucial foundational element in every player’s game. For every game you’re not serving, you’re returning.
There are three things to learn about returns:
- Position
- Strategy
- Technique
Of the three, position is the most fluid. There are several factors that go into deciding where to receive: where the opponent likes to serve (an important pattern to observe during the match), along with the pace and spin of the ball. The sooner you can detect which kind of serve can be expected, and where it will go, the sooner you’ll be able to identify how close to the baseline to stand and which side to inch toward.
Strategy also comes into play here, as your return position can force the opponent to serve to a less-favored side, change the type of serve or, better yet, stick to their guns and be fearful of the return to come.
