How do you return serve?

[Fuji]

I was practicing with my friend the other night, and he wouldn't attack any of my serves, even if they were short, or didn't have much on them. His reasoning? "Serves are serves, they really can't be attacked". The question came to me, how do you return serve? I personally go for almost ever serve I can. I take a full cut at the ball, and first serves I at least try to knock back with some good redirection. A lot of local rec players that I were watching, were just bunting the ball with a lob or just barely getting it back, when the serves were slow with no pace at all.

So the question TT! How do you return serve? I've always tried to attack weak serves, but I'm curious as to how everyone else fairs!

-Fuji

[Larrysümmers]

on hard serves i block it back and try to direct it CC short. for softer serves, but still hard, i try to add TS and go DTL. if i get a shot that i can attack, i will, i dont want to give them a free point on their serve. the best result for me, other than a full out winner, is to get it back in a hurry, deep and at their feet. because i know when i am serving, that is the hardest shot to counter.

[LeeD]

I use all your choices except the lob.
The lob, I use only when netman is atop the net and server is changing forewards.

[sunof tennis]

Originally Posted by LeeD

I use all your choices except the lob.
The lob, I use only when netman is atop the net and server is changing forewards.

Agree with this. Obviously depends on the type of serve I am facing as well.

[Fuji]

Interesting!

So far no lobbers! It's actually quite a common thing here to do. A lot of 3.0-3.5 players lob whatever serve comes there way, in a moonball fashion!

-Fuji

[FedExpress 333]

LOL i would smash those to death.

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by FedExpress 333

LOL i would smash those to death.

LOL, and that's how you advance in the score, and in your level of play! Most people I play against know, that if they return anything less then perfect with placement or pace, I'm going to be attacking it with pretty high percentages to boot!

-Fuji

[HiroProtagonist]

Really depends on the serve. I play against a wide variety of style and skill level being mainly a public court pick-up player nowadays.

If I'm facing a competent server with some decent pace and placement I go with the abbreviated take back and redirect using their pace to fuel my own, usually aiming DTL or at their feet, but will go CC if their sere takes me that way.

If I'm playing a dinker or a spin it in type I usually step up and rip it going for the winner DTL or CC and accept the increased number of errors, it's just more fun.

I do play a 1HBH so against top notch servers I do block or slice the ball back off that wing, but I have actually developed a very consistent and effective FH serve return, very simple and compact.

So I guess I choose redirect since I have to pick one.

[Cindysphinx]

Ironically, I struggle to lob off of serves. I hardly ever attempt it.

One reason is that if the server is coming in, lobbing is not a good idea. Better is to just put it at their feet.

The other problem with lobbing is that it is rare for the serve to push me back behind the baseline. For most decent 3.5 ladies serves, I start inside the baseline. It's hard to get off enough topspin to get the ball up and down. For men's 3.5 serves, the pace and lack of backswing on my return makes hitting a topspin lob tricky.

I rarely try to win the point off of the return. I just seem to dork it up. Unless the serve is absolutely miserable, I just return it deep and crosscourt or to the server's feet and take it from there. If the server has a bad BH, I might get brave and return deep to the BH corner and come to net. Only when I feel brave, though.

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Ironically, I struggle to lob off of serves. I hardly ever attempt it.

One reason is that if the server is coming in, lobbing is not a good idea. Better is to just put it at their feet.

The other problem with lobbing is that it is rare for the serve to push me back behind the baseline. For most decent 3.5 ladies serves, I start inside the baseline. It's hard to get off enough topspin to get the ball up and down. For men's 3.5 serves, the pace and lack of backswing on my return makes hitting a topspin lob tricky.

I rarely try to win the point off of the return. I just seem to dork it up. Unless the serve is absolutely miserable, I just return it deep and crosscourt or to the server's feet and take it from there. If the server has a bad BH, I might get brave and return deep to the BH corner and come to net. Only when I feel brave, though.

Interesting! Thanks for replying everyone!

Cindy, here a lot of people "lob" by just getting under the serve and popping it up into a lob.

We stand near the same position when returning serve it sounds like! I stand about 6 inches in, since I love to take the serve early and try to out right win the point. I'm okay with making errors, because I know once I get the timing down for any particular server, I can learn how to start teeing off on them. I play such attacking tennis, there is rarely any easy points for my opponents!

-Fuji

[larry10s]

in singles i try and get it deep
on really fast servers that might mean a block
(i voted full cut)
but in general full swing but get it deep

in doubles if they serve and volley i want it to hit the service line
if i can get a full cut with enough topslin thats great
if i have to chip it to there feet (fh and bh)
thats ok too

all i want is for them to volley up

if the server stays back i like a moony type of ball deep(full cut alot of topspin high over the net)
the high ball is difficult to poach on (especially for the poachers backhand side) and the air time lets me get in to net

if the server is a net rusher and doesnt split step ill lob over the net player

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by Fuji

Interesting! Thanks for replying everyone!

Cindy, here a lot of people "lob" by just getting under the serve and popping it up into a lob.

We stand near the same position when returning serve it sounds like! I stand about 6 inches in, since I love to take the serve early and try to out right win the point. I'm okay with making errors, because I know once I get the timing down for any particular server, I can learn how to start teeing off on them. I play such attacking tennis, there is rarely any easy points for my opponents!

-Fuji

Lob by getting under the serve and popping it up?

The hell, you say!!

Nope, not gonna do it. Too ugly. Style points matter. If I can't get some topspin and make the lob offensive, I'd rather not lob at all.

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Lob by getting under the serve and popping it up?

The hell, you say!!

Nope, not gonna do it. Too ugly. Style points matter. If I can't get some topspin and make the lob offensive, I'd rather not lob at all.

LOL! Cindy, I think this post made you officially graduate to 4.0!

Trust me, this is one of the ugliest returns I've ever seen. I watched a 4.0 male serve to a 3.5 male, and he got under the ball, with a slice type motion, but instead of driving it, he "flicked" up and 30 feet in the air it went with back spin. Truly horrendous.

-Fuji

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by Fuji

LOL! Cindy, I think this post made you officially graduate to 4.0!

Trust me, this is one of the ugliest returns I've ever seen. I watched a 4.0 male serve to a 3.5 male, and he got under the ball, with a slice type motion, but instead of driving it, he "flicked" up and 30 feet in the air it went with back spin. Truly horrendous.

-Fuji

I can't graduate just yet.

I remembered I have a friend who practices singles with me. She loves to S&V. At first, I used to try to pass her. She comes to net like a freight train, so this didn't work often enough. What did work was, um . . . getting under the serve and popping it up. Because of her excessive forward momentum, any decent lob would win the point.

Oh, the shame . . . .

[Headshotterer]

my choice isnt here.

shorten swing and hit a solid return

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by Headshotterer

my choice isnt here.

shorten swing and hit a solid return

I'm pretty sure that's "Block it Back" under the options. I did forget to add your option though! Anyone know how to edit the poll options?

-Fuji

[BurnNotice]

I'll chip it back if it's a really fast serve or gets too high on the backhand side, forehand it's usually a block.

On medium paced serves I redirect the ball with some pace.

On slow spinny serves I go for hard cross court angles or take a real good whack and send it deep with pace.

Why anyone would dink back a dink serve is beyond me.

[5263]

Originally Posted by BurnNotice

Why anyone would dink back a dink serve is beyond me.

While I'm not much of a dinker at all on rtns, I can see why players building confidence in their games would choose this. IMO one of the most important things I can do when the the other guy is serving, is to make him work hard if he is going to hold. The harder I work him, the less chance his good serve will determine those points and the better chance to break him, along with breaking his confidence. I'm fortunate that rtn is one of the better parts of my game, so I can be quite aggressive and stay very consistent as well. When returning I want to make sure I get some rally shots going for keeping a rhythm on strokes for when he is serving, because I don't expect to hit as many strokes when I'm serving. When I'm serving, I will keep the points shorter and push my advantage, but when returning, IMO you should extend rallys and not let him push the advantage of his serve.

[Caesar]

Pretty much always short backswing and solid return. Throw in the occasional skidding slice BH to keep them on their toes.

I can't imagine taking a full cut at a serve that's anything less than a complete dolly. For a serve with any sort of pace it's unnecessary and just takes time away from yourself. Basically, it lowers the percentage of the shot for negligible additional benefit. There's a reason why none of the great returners (Agassi, Djokovic, etc.) are known for a big backswing on their returns.

If I have enough time to take a full cut at the ball and still hit it reliably, that's telling me that I'm standing too far back. I'd rather stand closer, have better angles and take more time away from my opponent.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by BurnNotice

I'll chip it back if it's a really fast serve or gets too high on the backhand side, forehand it's usually a block.

On medium paced serves I redirect the ball with some pace.

On slow spinny serves I go for hard cross court angles or take a real good whack and send it deep with pace.

Why anyone would dink back a dink serve is beyond me.

Watch most recreational players, and when a guy tries to step it up and blast dink serves back, he ends up making more errors than he does hit winners or put away points in one or 2 shots.