"If you can't get the ball back in play, you cannot break serve!" Arthur Ashe, Wimbledon Champion and legend speaking on the importance of returning serve. And if you can't break serve, then you cannot hope to win! Much is made of a player's need for a powerful, accurate, and dependable serve, but it is not the biggest servers who dominate the top of the rankings. At the time of writing Djokovic is number 1 in the world, and yet he does not have the fastest serve, nor the most number of aces. He is, however, widely regarded as being the best returner the game has ever seen, and is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest players of all time!
Although the serve is very easy to practise on one's own, the return is very difficult to groove. It is difficult to find players willing to serve to you over and over again until you get into a good rhythm! But what are the elements that go to make a successful return? And how can we practise these elements?
It is very natural to feel intimidated facing a competent, and confident server. The odds are with that player to win the game. But you only have to break once in a set to win it, providing of course you hold your own service games.
We are programmed as humans to counter-attack. If someone shouts at us, our natural instinct is to shout back. It takes enormous self control to stay calm. Likewise when facing an aggressive server. Our initial urge is to send that fast serve back with the same if not more speed than it arrives at us! But trying to hit an outright winner or at least a forcing shot off a tough serve requires great timing and maybe a big helping of luck! These are the riskiest and most difficult. So what are our best options,our best choices when returning serve?
Well we could simply aim to just put the ball back into play. That is level 1. If it doesn't go over and in we have no chance to win the point! Just putting the ball back into play, however weakly, means we have some chance, however small of winning the point! How many so-called easy ones have you missed! But we should try to do more than that!
Level 2 is to hit the return back with enough authority to prevent the server from immediately taking control of the point. This should be your primary aim. To neutralize the server's advantage, to start playing the point out from an equal footing.
If we are feeling confident or pressured into a more aggressive but still relatively safe return, then we should hit aggressively into a big target area with a view to taking control of the point, to dominating the rally. That is Level 3.
The next level of difficulty, level 4, is to try to force an error with a more penetrating, more risky, better placed shot. Great when you are on form, have great timing, but usually less reliable than the previous level. Attempting to hit a clean winner, level 5, is the ultimate thrill, but the least likely!
At the top of the risk list is a return you would not normally attempt on a vital point. You attempt to do something totally unexpected or difficult just to break a pattern, just to appear unpredictable!
The very best returners in the pro ranks, Djokovic and Nadal, favour the Level 2 approach. It is their default setting if you like. Hit a low risk high percentage return well enough to neutralize the server's advantage, and rely on their ability to control the point during the ensuing rally.
What do you try to do with the majority of your returns? Do you try for too many winners? Do you overpress, try to do too much and make too many errors? Or do you do the reverse, and just hope that just putting it back in will be enough? Let's look at the different types of return you could do.
A Bunt Return is usually done in reaction to a serve that comes over faster than you can handle, or predicted. You just move your racket fast in the hope that the ball might hit a part of your racket and just bounce back over. Not much you can do in this case when your opponent is sending down thunderbolts! Maybe just back up to give yourself more time, and hope for a fault! Hope for a change of momentum, a time-out for rain, a broken racket! This is not a type of return you would plan to make.
A Block or Chip Return is a more deliberate attempt to put the ball into play usually off a fast first serve that you can reach. Hit more like a volley, with a more compact stroke, just using the existing ball speed. A Chip Return is usually hit with more backspin. A Block return is usually flatter. Federer uses this to neutralize the power of a first serve, or to control the spin of a second serve before it gets above his ideal strike zone on his one-handed backhand. Even 2 handed backhand players use the one-handed backhand block off a fast or particularly well placed serve.
A Swing Return is where you take a big cut at the ball to try to hit a more aggressive shot, or to hit a forcing shot or outright winner. A good option when you can read the serve, and are not intimidated by it's speed or placement. Especially useful when facing a slower second serve. Two handed backhand players are better able to control returns to their backhands, and use the extra strength the 2 handed grip gives them to handle strong serves in this way.
A Chip n' Charge Return is quite rare these days. The idea is to move forwards towards the bounce, take it on the rise, using a volley-like compact stroke to approach the net. It is used to rush the server, and force a passing shot. Roger Federer uses this sometimes to surprise opponents. Beware the SABR! That stands for Sneak Attack By Roger!
A Moonball Return is most often seen off a slower higher bouncing serve that takes the receiver wide into the sidelines or more, and the server is not likely to volley the second shot.
A Lob Return is usually only attempted in doubles, over the net player who is close to the net, threatening to poach. Not a viable option in singles play!
A Drop Shot Return is one of those surprise shots that is only usually tried off a slow serve. Very definitely not a reliable percentage play! But maybe the best reply to a sneaky underhand serve!
Now let's look at where you should aim your return. What are the best places to aim for?
A 120mph serve will take about 700 milliseconds to reach you and demand to be hit. You don't have much time to consider your best target! Your decision has to be based on options you have studied and practised over and over if you want to make your best choice! We will look at choosing a target based on the philosophy of trying to neutralize the server's advantage, and being in the best recovery position for the upcoming rally according to the placement of the return.
1. Deuce Court Deep Wide
This target area is about 3-4 feet inside the court from the baseline, at the same distance from the singles sideline. The Player marked with 'R' represents the best recovery position after hitting that target.
2. Deep Centre
This is the preferred default target for Djokovic. By returning down the centre and deep it takes away any extreme angles for the server's second shot. The 'R' player shows the ideal recovery position that bisects the widest angle of server's reply. How far the receiver has to move is shown by the distance from the receiver's strike point.
3. Ad Court Deep Wide
Again this target area is about 3-4 feet inside the court from the baseline, at the same distance from the singles sideline. Receiving from the Deuce Court this would be a down the line return. From the Ad Court it would be a cross court return.
4. Deuce Court Side 'T'
This target is predominantly chosen when the serve is extremely wide from the Deuce Court. It forces the server to move outside the lines to reach the return. The recovery position reflects the possibility the server's second shot could also come back short and wide!
5. The Centre 'T'
This target area is only to the receiver's advantage when the server has chosen to come in to the net and volley. Aiming here will force the oncoming serve volleyer to hit a low first volley, or a difficult half-volley. Most other times, hitting into this space would simply invite the server who has stayed at the baseline, to move forwards and attack this 'opportunity ball'!
6. Ad Court Side 'T'
As #4, this target is predominantly chosen when the serve is extremely wide, this time from the Ad Court. It forces the server to move outside the lines to reach the return. The recovery position reflects the possibility the server's second shot could also come back short and wide!
7. Deuce Court Short Wide.
A possible but rarely used target area. You might see a Nick Kyrgios, or a Gael Monfils try this to surprise an opponent, or to delight the crowd, with a drop shot return! Not recommended for social games either as it tends to make people a little mad!
8. Ad Court Short Wide.
As above. A possible but rarely used target area. You might see a Nick Kyrgios, or a Gael Monfils try this to surprise an opponent, or to delight the crowd, with a drop shot return! Not recommended for social games either as it tends to make people a little mad!
For every serve landing spot there are several target options. How do you choose which one to go for?
Well it can depend on what the score is, and what your goal for the point is. You may want to use this point to practise a return placement you find difficult to be ready for a more difficult opponent in the next round!
Assuming of course you are winning easily enough, and this is not a really big point! What luxury!
But if you need to hit an effective and reliable return then a target that gives you the best percentage chance of at least staying in the rally is your best option.
It also can depend on the speed, and spin of the serve, your own preferences, and the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent.
But let's look at some common landing spots and discuss percentage targets as they relate to our best recovery positions.
Short Wide Angled Serve to the Deuce Court: Option 1
Here the serve has landed short and wide into the deuce court, and the receiver is attempting to return down the line. Of all the return targets, this is probably the toughest. It has to go over the high part of the net (even without the singles sticks). It is a do-or-die shot that books it's place on the highlight reels if it works! If it is not a clean winner, and the server can get across to it, there is a great big gap across court just begging to be hit! Look how far the receiver has to travel to the bisecting recovery position as the server makes contact with it! A tough ask!
Short Wide Angled Serve to the Deuce Court: Option 2
Here the receiver is aiming for the deep central target. If it is hit solidly enough to force the server to move backwards to hit it, then it is a more viable option than #1 down the line. The receiver still has to move fast to reach the best recovery position, and if a bit too slow, leaves the backhand corner vulnerable to attack!
Short Wide Angled Serve to the Deuce Court: Option 3
If struck well this return deep into the corner may keep the receiver in the point. It goes over the low part of the net, over the longest distance, so it may be the easiest to execute. But the best target option may be #4!
Short Wide Angled Serve to the Deuce Court: Option 4
This is probably the most effective counter to the short wide serve. By returning the ball back to the side 'T', you stretch the server wide, and you are ready in your recovery position very quickly. The pressure is now on the server.
To avoid 'analysis paralysis' let's keep it simple and use a single 'Cue Word' for each basic spot to help us focus on the best target! Now in the case above the 'Cue Word' is 'Wide'. Let's look at the other spots and their 'cue words'.
Let's now look at the Pros and Cons of the different return positions the receiver can take up.
Let's now look at the Pros and Cons of the AD court positions.
