Any tips on returning big serves?

[ILoveChokers]

A guy I know has this problem

"I have started playing this guy who has a monster serve. I consider myself a decent returner of slow and medium-paced serves, but this guy is just at a whole other level. We are pretty well-matched in other areas of our games, but his serve is too much to handle. He's the type of guy who has two first serves; he doesn't take pace off it. The only times I broke him were when he served 3 double faults. .

Although he's comfortable at the net, he doesn't really serve and volley, so it's not like that is pressuring me...

90% of his serves go down the tee, but I still can't handle them. If I stand on or just behind the baseline, I am late getting my racket on the ball and can't control it. If I back up a few feet, the ball kicks up unpredictably and I can't find it either, even though I have more time.

As for my normal return game against more ordinary opponents: I use a very short backswing when returning, and I have a two-handed backhand. I like to be aggressive when possible, but I am comfortable just blocking the ball back if I'm not in good position (even with one-handed backhand if necessary). I am not used to slicing the return back, however, but that's something I could work on.

I'm sure it will all get easier the more I play him, but if anyone has any tips that would be great."

I told him to try returning serve 4 mts behind the baseline,

do you guys have any tips on other things he could try?

 

[jun]

got to make him play one more shot.

It sounds so cliche, but you've got to figure out a way to get the ball back one more time. Sometimes, big servers get frustrated when they have to start hitting one more shots to finish the point off. Try to change your return position up, maybe you will get into his head.

Also, see if you can make him move a little bit more. This goes hand in hand with making him play a little more. Some of guys will start missing serve...

Another thing, you've got to take care of your own serve. If you can hold onto your own serve, then good things might happen in his service game.

finally, if he has one serve that's very dominating (slice out wide or whatever), then try to take that serve away.

 

[Thanatos]

Here's what I do:
Stand somewhere behind the baseline so it will give you enough reaction time to block the ball back.

Bend your knees and be ready on your toes.

Your elbows should be pressed against your side.

Step into the return to cut off the ball angle.

Your backswing should be short and abbreviated.
Keeping you elbows to your side will help with this.

Keep your eyes on the ball even if it's a blur.

 

[Thanatos]

Also read BB post on Keeping Head on Ball During Contact.

 

[kevhen]

Either move farther back to where the ball isn't rising anymore or move inside the baseline and try to block it. You know it's coming up the T, so just trying moving forward or backward until you find the point at which you can get the ball back. Short backswing is very good. Myself, I would move farther back since he doesn't serve and volley, then you have plenty of time for the ball to slow down and come down and just need to learn how to return deep from that deeper position.

 

[joe sch]

90% of his serves go down the tee, but I still can't handle them.

You should be standing near the "T" to receive that straight cannon ball with your racket ready to block or drive it straight back at him. If you know where its going 90% of the time then you should be atleast able to block it back. Once you are consistent blocking it back, start trying to drive it or angle it for a more aggressive return which will pressure his response. Also by adusting your service return stance to the "T" for his expected serves, you will pressure him to serve wide to the open court. I see the same kind of tactics often with players that have weaker backhands, the server will 3 out of 4 or more times hit to the weaker returners side. Tennis often results in alot of patterns like this and will continue to until they are solved by winning replies.

 

[Aoya]

Actually..the farther you move back, the wider you have to go for a serve. So it's not best to stand so far back..I'd advise 3 ft at MOST.

I had trouble with big serves, and after you get used to seeing them and preparing ASAP, you won't have problems. Get a big basket of balls, a hitting partner, and have him serve at the service line as fast as you need. It's great.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Actually..the farther you move back, the wider you have to go for a serve. So it's not best to stand so far back..I'd advise 3 ft at MOST.

I had trouble with big serves, and after you get used to seeing them and preparing ASAP, you won't have problems. Get a big basket of balls, a hitting partner, and have him serve at the service line as fast as you need. It's great.

That is true that you have more court to cover, but that is if the fast server can hit more angle with his fast serve and keep it in, if he can, then you right it becomes a tougher serve to return and easy aces for the server.

Your last suggestion to practice is right on!

 

[kevhen]

If he can serve for aces outwide, once the T has been taken away by moving back, then you have to move in again to take away the angle. But I would still try just backing up like 6 feet or more behind the baseline if the guy hits most everything up the T and force him to chance his serving style.

 

[heninfan99]

 

[ubercat]

I think standing back is also about having time to see the ball and if it's FH BH or body. Then you can move fwd on diagonal

 

[ubercat]

Also lot of milage in learning to block slice lob returns. Then if you do meet a serve and volley guy they have to deal with a deep OH.

 

[Friedman Whip]

Here's some things that work for me:
1) Most important - Get my feet moving a lot before the serve is hit so that I'm actually bouncing up and down and really ready to be quick to get in position to hit. You have to be in good athletic shape to do this throughout a match - it takes a good bit of energy
2) Use a continental grip on my dominant hand so that I can hit a bit of a slice on FH or BH without having to change my grip
3) Take a very short backswing and hit like a volley - with a hard short punch that stops at contact with no follow through

 

[Vanhalen]

Wow you resurrected a 17 year old thread! The op signed off in 2005. He must have figured out his answer.

 

[Steady Eddy]

Think of the serve return as being more like a volley than a groundstroke.

Keep the racquet in front of you, you don't have enough time for a backswing. The good news is that you don't need a backswing. The ball already has pace, you just need to block it back.

 

[vex]

Lotsa good advice in this thread. As someone with a big serve I can’t second Jun’s advice more.
Do whatever it takes to get the ball back in play as often as you can. I HATE when my best serves come back and I have to hit another shot I feel I shouldn’t. It’s stupid but it’s real. The most effective returner I faced literally neutered my first serve which is usually a free point machine and just blocked EVERY SINGLE BALL back deep.
Straight up got to a point where I just started points with my second

 

[LeeD]

Return them, not going for forcing shots or winners.

 

[Mountain Ghost]

I always teach racquet head vertical and dead center at Ready.Position ... (means equal distance to both sides on the backswing) ... then I'd go for focusing on your balance and your lateral movement ... with no leaning forward ... simple and early shoulder turn ... and making sure the shoulders are the proper distance away from the.line of the incoming ball ... to avoid getting jammed.

Also ... lots of players "rush" things against hard serves ... when if you just keep it centered, balanced and simple ... you'll find you have more time than you think or feel you do.

~ MG

 

[Steady Eddy]

I'd recommend doing this.

 

[zaskar1]

A guy I know has this problem

"I have started playing this guy who has a monster serve. I consider myself a decent returner of slow and medium-paced serves, but this guy is just at a whole other level. We are pretty well-matched in other areas of our games, but his serve is too much to handle. He's the type of guy who has two first serves; he doesn't take pace off it. The only times I broke him were when he served 3 double faults. .

Although he's comfortable at the net, he doesn't really serve and volley, so it's not like that is pressuring me...

90% of his serves go down the tee, but I still can't handle them. If I stand on or just behind the baseline, I am late getting my racket on the ball and can't control it. If I back up a few feet, the ball kicks up unpredictably and I can't find it either, even though I have more time.

As for my normal return game against more ordinary opponents: I use a very short backswing when returning, and I have a two-handed backhand. I like to be aggressive when possible, but I am comfortable just blocking the ball back if I'm not in good position (even with one-handed backhand if necessary). I am not used to slicing the return back, however, but that's something I could work on.

I'm sure it will all get easier the more I play him, but if anyone has any tips that would be great."

I told him to try returning serve 4 mts behind the baseline,

do you guys have any tips on other things he could try?

try to stand back a bit more and block it back. if he serves 90% up the T, you know where its going.
i use to play this big guy, Eddie, he could double fault 5 times and still hold serve, Eddie did have a second serve, but he usually didnt use it
the only thing i could do when returning is guess where it was going, and try to block it back. when i did
i was amazed that i got it back.
obviously his serve is his strong point, but he must have some weaknesses that you can exploit
z