Returning serve against a lefty
- Thread starter Heroesque
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Geezer Guy
Hall of Fame
I stand further to the left to return serve against a lefty vs a righty. Also, pay attention to their toss and their racquet motion. A lefty with a good slice can really hit the ball out wide. When you see that coming, take a step in and try to intercept the ball before it gets past the doubles sideline.
Geezer Guy
Hall of Fame
Depends on the quality of the lefty serve. On the ad side against a righty, my default position is with my left foot on the singles sideline. Against a lefty I'll stradle the singles sideline. If I recognize the wide slice coming, I'll move forward and angle to the doubles sideline more.
SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
I love playing against players that do this.
For people that have a lot of difficulty returning my serves on the ad side, I'll sometimes advise them to stand with 1 foot in the alley and the other inside the singles sideline (or on the singles side line). If serve receivers start to back off to much into the red, I'll slow the serve down a bit & employ a massive amount of spin -- I find it amusing to watch them try to run down these serves that break a lot (if they've taken a very deep position).
Bottle Rocket
Hall of Fame
Not the same spot, and there is more to consider than just if they are right or left-handed. Your reutn position should not remain constant between different opponents, or even between different circumstances with the same opponent during a match.
I agree with all of the above, but have a few things to add.
If you're playing a lefty who is "typical", he's going to swing you out wide on the ad-court (or down the middle on the duece court). He's going to hit slice serves wide to your backhand and he's probably going to do this repeatedly. He's probably found great success doing this with a nice feeling of comfort. There is more to it than making a position adjustment to help you return his serves.
You need to take the serve away from him. It's about taking action, as opposed to simply reacting.
Cheat over, cheat waaaay over. Take his favorite serve away. Force him out of his comfort zone and make him think about it. If he continues to try for better serives out-wide, you're in position to handle them, and he's going to start missing. If he tries to go down the middle, a much less comfortable serve for him, he's going to hit much less effective serves and hit them less consistently. If he makes them, you've still got a forehand to hit.
Both cases give you the advantage and over the course of a match the pressure adds up.
This doesn't just apply to lefty's and their serves. This applies to anyone with a favorite stroke which is fairly predictable. Take it away!
SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
Bottle Rocket
Hall of Fame
Normally I think you're slightly crazy, but there is something to be said for that.
I enjoy them as well when they are slices... However, kick serves up high to my one-hander have been known to dominate me. That's when I start getting stupid and avoid hitting them at all costs, then sacrifice court position, then start seeing the winners fly by...
I do enjoy watching guys with solid two-handers deal with those serves... Some of the more impressive shots I've seen have been righty's with good two-handers returning lefty kick serves.
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Slazenger07
Banned
You'll get aced if you dont stand out wide on the ad side to return my lefty slice serve.
Hey Fed Ace tell me how easy it is to rip a backhand winner off of a serve coming around 85-90mph with crazy sidespin that barely gets off the court. Thats what youre looking at consistently against me.
I seriously doubt it would be as easy as you claim it is for you to handle that serve.
Hey Fed Ace tell me how easy it is to rip a backhand winner off of a serve coming around 85-90mph with crazy sidespin that barely gets off the court. Thats what youre looking at consistently against me.
I seriously doubt it would be as easy as you claim it is for you to handle that serve.
Where you stand always depends how good that serve is coming, and where it's most often placed by the server.
I have just as good a lefty wide slice as anyone short of 5.5, and believe me, against 6.0 players, it just gets eaten up. So it depends on level in the end.
If they (the lefty), can consistently slice wide of the doubles alley, AND they can consistently hit up the T, then you're in trouble.
I can't do both consistently, and the 6.0's just eat me up.
I've played against lefties who can slice wide, and also against lefties who specialize in twisting out to my forehand. Few can do both with depth and consistency. If they can, once again, walk to net and shake their hands asking for an autograph. They would be the 6.0+ players.
I have just as good a lefty wide slice as anyone short of 5.5, and believe me, against 6.0 players, it just gets eaten up. So it depends on level in the end.
If they (the lefty), can consistently slice wide of the doubles alley, AND they can consistently hit up the T, then you're in trouble.
I can't do both consistently, and the 6.0's just eat me up.
I've played against lefties who can slice wide, and also against lefties who specialize in twisting out to my forehand. Few can do both with depth and consistency. If they can, once again, walk to net and shake their hands asking for an autograph. They would be the 6.0+ players.
VamosRafa10
Rookie
I was playing a lefty and for the first few serves he sliced them so i decided to stand further over but then he whacked a flat one straight down the middle. I got the last laugh however and found out his little pattern and started hitting winners off it for fun.
I wish I knew. The last match I played was against a guy whose only weapon really is his lefty serve. Luckily I won the racquet flip, served first, won the match 6-3,3-6, 6-3..one service break in each set, each one happened when the first server was up 4-3. The only reason I broke his serve is because in those pivotal games, he served about 20% on his first. When he nailed that slice to my backhand, I seemed to hit the ball anywhere but in the court. Frames all over the place, I realized another use for the crossbar stabilizer on my NXG. 
Pathetic, really. And yes I was cheating over.
Pathetic, really. And yes I was cheating over.
Fedace
Banned
I take shorter backswing and i make sure i follow thru on my backhand topspin returns. I use the eastern backhand grip and just rip it. It comes really naturally to me. like my forehand, that is a shot nobody had to teach me. there are some shots that just comes to you and it feels good to you..
yemenmocha
Professional
I stand about the same because I'd rather have backhands than deal with that lefty spin that curves into my body on the forehand.
That's my issue too, hence the crossbar on my racquet being used for what it wasn't intended for.
Fedace
Banned
Well, that is why you have to move your feet.....right ?? if you see the spin curve into your body, you have to take it with the backhand not forehand
KenC
Hall of Fame
You need to hit against a lefty to prepare for a lefty. The best advice is to find a lefty at the level of your opponents and buy him lots of expensive gifts, pay for his gear and lessons, take care of his pets while he is on the many vacations you paid for, etc. just so that he keeps hitting with you on a semi-regular basis, and especially before a key match against a lefty.
(Legal Disclosure: I'm a lefty.)
(Legal Disclosure: I'm a lefty.)
SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
Very good point. However, I'd still shift over toward the alley on the ad side to try to cover the extreme wide serves that some lefties can hit.
I'm liking this idea. I'm available as well -- got no pets right now but I could always do with more expensive gifts.
brownbearfalling
Hall of Fame
I just realized how a problematic a lefty serve is. The first time in a very long time, possibly ever, I played against a guy that had a decent left handed slice serve. I got to return the serve a few times and had lots of trouble. It took about 3 games to even get the return back. And when i got it back the guy at the net had an easy put away volley.
---What I found from returning the serve was that you really have to guage the ball. I judged the ball way too early. So when I went to swing at it, it would it the frame.
The next time I played the lefty was my partner. I saw how a lefty slice can dismantle a player. Even with slow pace serve, the slice throws off timing. they shanked every ball.
I am wondering if left handed players have the same problem with left handed serves. I think that the only reasons that lefty serves are difficult are that people don't get to hit them enough. Same goes for every shot such as different pace, different spins, or different levels of play that a player is used to.
I don't remember Federer or any of the other players shifting their return position against Nadal. But maybe I am wrong
---What I found from returning the serve was that you really have to guage the ball. I judged the ball way too early. So when I went to swing at it, it would it the frame.
The next time I played the lefty was my partner. I saw how a lefty slice can dismantle a player. Even with slow pace serve, the slice throws off timing. they shanked every ball.
I am wondering if left handed players have the same problem with left handed serves. I think that the only reasons that lefty serves are difficult are that people don't get to hit them enough. Same goes for every shot such as different pace, different spins, or different levels of play that a player is used to.
I don't remember Federer or any of the other players shifting their return position against Nadal. But maybe I am wrong
DustinW
Professional
You guys only hate the lefty serve because you're a righty, and the slice is going out wide to your backhand on the ad court. Its the same for a lefty (like me) returning a righty slice serve on the deuce court. It's just generally harder to reach with your backhand than your forehand.
Just like Bottle Rocket said, it all depends on your opponent. If they like to hit that nasty slice out wide, scoot over and take it away from them... make them hit something else that they aren't as comfortable with.
Just like Bottle Rocket said, it all depends on your opponent. If they like to hit that nasty slice out wide, scoot over and take it away from them... make them hit something else that they aren't as comfortable with.
I do two things against a lefty with a wide slice serve. First, I stand far to the left initially, but take a quick split step a foot or so to the right when they hit the serve. I think since my momentum is going to the right, it becomes easier for me to adjust to the ball hit right at me that I will have to take on the backhand instead of the forehand. Second, I try to take the ball earlier, usually a couple feet inside the baseline, before it has a chance bounce too far in the direction that I am not accustomed to. This is obviously more difficult for people who are hitting faster serves, but at my level (4.0), the lefties hitting the bigger serves are also hitting flatter and the adjustments are less necessary since there is less lefty spin to adjust for. If someone can hit with both high pace and severe slice or can change consistently between the bomber and the slice, they're either not at my level or have some other major flaw that can be exploited.
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