Strategy: Return of Serve and Early-Point Control
A good return wins tournaments. This guide covers return positioning, aggressive tactics, and breaking serve.
The return sets up your point. Stand 1-2 feet inside the baseline, ready position. Track the server's motion and adjust slightly based on serve direction. Aggressive returns: When you see a soft serve, attack it immediately. Step forward and hit a hard forehand or backhand drive. Aim deep into the court or target the server (body). This forces servers to hit harder serves, which creates more errors. Conservative returns: On fast serves, focus on returning the ball in play. Slice or drive depending on serve type. Reset the point—don't try to win on the return every time. Return patterns: If opponent always serves wide, position to defend wide. If they serve T, position closer to T. Vary your return—mix aggressive and conservative. If serving team attacks net after serve-and-volley, your return must be low to avoid an easy volley winner. Slice returns are effective—keep the ball low and force a weak volley. In tiebreaks, return more aggressively. Breaks of serve win tiebreaks.
Progression steps
- 1Practice return positioning: Stand at ready, react to coach tosses
- 2Return 20 serves—focus on consistency (in play), not power
- 3Aggressive returns: Return with a forward step, target depth or width
- 4Match play: Use returning strategy to break serve and control rallies
Drill suggestions
- • Return consistency: Receive 20 serves, count in-play returns
- • Aggressive returns: Return 10 serves by attacking (stepping forward)
FAQs
Should I always be aggressive on returns?
No—be aggressive on weak serves, conservative on strong ones. Mix it up to prevent predictability.
What's the best return position?
1-2 feet inside baseline, ready position. Adjust based on server's pattern (move left for wide serves, right for T).
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