Doubles - deuce side return of serve

[babar]

When returning on the deuce side in doubles, I am having a real hard time hitting the ball back cross-court from my back-hand side. Regardless of the type of serve, I keep hitting the ball right down the middle of the court which becomes easy pickings for the net player. I'm a 4.0 player with a two-handed backhand. Any advice?

 

[Rui]

Have you thought about playing the ad side?

 

[Big_Dangerous]

When returning on the deuce side in doubles, I am having a real hard time hitting the ball back cross-court from my back-hand side. Regardless of the type of serve, I keep hitting the ball right down the middle of the court which becomes easy pickings for the net player. I'm a 4.0 player with a two-handed backhand. Any advice?

Swing through like a beat earlier.

 

[Bagumbawalla]

Practice, obviously.

Take turns practicing serving and returning with your practice partner. Have him serve more often to the backhand. Work on your timing. Don't rush the shot, you may need to hit a bit later, and with more topspin to drive the ball down sooner.

Part of it may be psychological. If you cannot invision the ball dipping down at that greater angle/shorter distance you may instinctively aim for the longer corner shot. Practice until you feel comfortable.

Other possible returns would be a lob over the head of the net man and a "dink/chip" slice return low to the feet of the incoming server.

 

[charliefedererer]

^^^And don't just practice returns with your partner. "Volunteer" to practice returns against anyone you know who practices their serve. If you have access to a ball machine, in an hour you can hit hundreds of simulated returns.

 

[heretoserve]

This is funny because many people believe that the deuce side is easier when in fact the deuce side will take more returns over the course of the match and it is hardly the forehand side if your opponent hasany control with there serve now you have an awkward inside out back hand.

I would get a video camera, film from the back and check the shape of yourswing. Does it come from under the ball and track inside out to the target like a ferris wheel or are you pulling across your body outside in like a merri-go-round.

Hope this helps.

 

[LeeD]

Contact point later. You can also lay your wrists back a little, so the ball goes to CC alley instead of UTMiddle. Just wait longer to hit it.

 

[BU-Tennis]

Swing through like a beat earlier.

You would actually swing a beat later, so the ball is further back when you strike it creating a bigger inside-out angle. Of course, this is assuming the OP plays right handed.

And that is truly the only way to fix the problem. You don't have enough time to change your positions really so the return really relies on moving your body weight into the shot and contacting correctly, not about applying power. Also, check the angle you're standing at, make sure you're directly facing the server so its not harder to find the angle.

 

[Ripper014]

Change your setup a little... I am going to guess that you face parallel to the lines of the court... I would advise squaring up to the server. This will open up your stance a little to make it much easier to return the ball.

 

[vincent_tennis]

try Blocking it back if you have a 1hbh

 

[larry10s]

aim for the side T where the service line meets the singles sideline.
make sure your stance is angled alittle more to the ad side fence

 

[jrod]

Probably the most difficult return of serve in tennis for a righty. Very litle margin for error as a good net man pretty much takes away the alley and middle and the server takes away anything above his knees on the cross-court return. Only viable option is the inside-out BH return low which can be extremely challenging for a righty off a big server. Really need to step into it and try and take it early, preferably chipping it wide. If you find yourself late try aiming for the T. Oh, you could try lobbing it but any decent doubles team will eat this up most of the time.

 

[brad1730]

I stand closer to the left or tee, and encourage them to take me out wide. I also try a return like Andy Murray... stand farther back, take a step in and split step. That allows me to appear like I'm standing too far back or too far to the left. I watch their ball toss very closely and try to guess what they are going to do, and I take my step in in whatever direction I want. By the time I split step, I could be exactly where most people usually stand, but to the server it appeared much differently. My momentum is moving forward, and I've taken a split step. I can sometimes have my backhand 'freeze' a little bit with indecision. The forward movement, and split step help keep my body moving, allow me to hit a backhand like I would during a normal rally.

If that fails, I will try a loopy backhand slice over the net man's head. It would be an awkward overhead for him and the server has to run to get to that side of the court. Not an optimal return, but if my normal return isn't working then it's my 'plan b'.

Good luck!

 

[mntlblok]

I would go even *beyond* some of the good advice about angling the stance further and catching the ball later. Consider practicing actually turning your back to the net in order to make this extreme inside-out shot. Telling myself to turn my shoulders doesn't seem to be enough for me. I find that I also have to make myself actually move my feet so as to have a closed stance, as well. Goes nicely with the "back to the net" thought. Plus, when I do that, I can no longer see the net man. Rationally, I know that if I can slide that return into the server's alley, the net man becomes all but irrelevant, but, if I can see him, I'm still susceptible to his slightest flinch.

And, don't underestimate what a good lob does for you from there. Emphasis on "good", which I've found can actually be much improved upon after several decades of floundering. Tennis University's "Shot Maker" actually came in very handy for that when it comes to experimenting with various racket face angles and swing paths. I now often use it as an approach shot, even off good first serves. Even had "some" success with it this weekend against a highly ranked, very intimidating, six foot seven player.

Hope this helps. And, as always, YMMV.

Kevin

 

[babar]

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

I'm a right-handed player and my forehand return is fairly strong. Most of the 4.0 players I play with have good control on their serve direction and can keep it away from my forehand which makes cheating toward the backhand side a little harder to do. I have altered my return stance to square myself to the server, but am still having a hard time getting the ball cross-court with any consistency. Depending on the player up at net, I can hit a fairly good lob return and I dont' mind drilling a few at the net man to keep him alert. My backhand slice is good but not as aggressive as I would want as a return stroke.

I've tried to use the server as a target so I have a reference point to aim at when returning, but I will try using the service box-alley corner as well to see if that helps. I find laying my wrist back a little harder since I wear a rigid sleeve on my left wrist due to tendonitis these days. Of course, my issues have persisted since before the tendonitis flaired up which was mostly due to snow shoveling frequency in the Northeast this winter.

When I step back a few feet thinking that the extra time will help me to get a better bead on the ball and allow for a stronger directional return, my problem seems to just shift to the other extreme where my returns end up wide of the alley much of the time instead of too close to the middle of the court.

Some of you have mentioned the importance of the ball dipping down with the shorter distance going cross-court. What would my swing path look like in that case? Would it be similar to my inside-out forehand swing path off the ad side? Maybe if I can get the hang of that topspin on the inside-out BH return, then that trajectory will help me keep the ball going cross-court and not end up easy pickings for the net man.

 

[Davis937]

When returning on the deuce side in doubles, I am having a real hard time hitting the ball back cross-court from my back-hand side. Regardless of the type of serve, I keep hitting the ball right down the middle of the court which becomes easy pickings for the net player. I'm a 4.0 player with a two-handed backhand. Any advice?

Hey babar ... well, you're definitely not the only player here having difficulty with this shot ... I agree with those posters who comment that this particular shot (for a RH hitter) is one of the most difficult shots in tennis ... but ... this does not mean that this particular shot cannot be mastered ... most of the key points for this shot have already been mentioned ... need to have precise and early preparation ... your footwork and positioning have to be especially good ... be sure and square yourself and your shoulders to the server ... this will allow for you to make the required inside-out shot ... it's a severe angle and your back (on the take back / preparation) will actually be facing the OP net man ... this shot takes a full "commitment" on your part ... you can't baby the shot ... as with all good returns, you need to move forward and aggressively into the shot ... yes,, you do hit the shot a split second later (than the cross court 2HBH shot), but you need to ensure that you use your regular low-to-high swing (do not push the ball) ... hit the ball squarely (... well, as cleanly as you can given the pace and placement of the ball) ... be sure you have a full and complete follow through ... you need to completely finish the stroke (i.e. remember when we learned the 2HBH ... finish is like "throwing a bag of potatoes" over your right shoulder") ... to be aggressive, I always make a concerted effort to try and get to this BH ball as early as I can ... to keep your opponents honest, occasionally you need to use your 2HBH to blast the ball directlhy at the net person ... or try to sharply angle the ball down the alley ... good luck with this shot ... keep us posted on your progress!

 

[babar]

I keep thinking that my follow-thru is part of the problem. I'm not getting any real topspin on the ball. My returns are usually pretty flat, driving strokes. As I mentioned in my previous post, I think that is b/c I'm aiming for the server to give myself a target. Maybe I should aim for the service line-alley corner to help me remember to put more topspin on the ball and adjust my swing to impart that topspin. One of my fellow playing partners said that my wrist brace is preventing me from getting the proper snap on my follow-thru to get more topspin on the ball. I'm not concvinced that is the case though.

 

[larry10s]

aim for the side T where the service line meets the singles sideline.
make sure your stance is angled alittle more to the ad side fence

read this again re aiming target

 

[athiker]

Sometimes making the shot a little loopier can help. I'm not that great at it w/ my 1HBH, but I have a friend that does this effectively. Not a lob over the net guy and not a really a lob to the server, but a loopy topspin ball deep to the server that gets the ball just a little further out of reach as it passes the net for the opposing net guy who may be thinking of poaching. He has to come over and up. Of course if you miss this one too far to the middle, its game over here too.

The drop shot slice to the outside is also an option if you are getting poached a lot. Follow it in. Can be tough to get the touch and placement right on a really good serve though...true about any response to a really good serve though I guess. Good luck.