Strategy: Return of Serve and Early-Point Control

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.