Mixed 6.0 doubles - return patterns for lady receiver?

[eah123]

What are the best return patterns for lower level mixed doubles when the woman is receiving from the other woman?

I was playing a match vs. team with very active, tall male player at the net. Even though the other woman had a normal slow, flat serve, my partner had trouble preventing her returns from getting poached.

The only pattern we had any success with was lobbing cross court. The opposing female player would have trouble with hitting the lob back, and then I would hit a smash overhead no matter where she hit it.

My partner also tried hitting the return hard and flat, but this resulted in too many out balls.

 

[Dragy]

Lob CC or over his BH is also an option. Everything else far behind in terms of efficiency.

If you actually want to “try something else” on this level and don’t care about winning too much, make her return from inside the court and hit hard into the male player’s chest. Out balls will be mostly irrelevant, fun will be great, much bigger than from lobbing. Results - well, it may work crazy good or not work at all if she hesitates.

Practice this in warmups, make her hit at you and volley sitters back at her.

Are you 3.0 or is she 2.5?

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

The lobbing response is what I would suggest, especially if the opposing male is somewhat close to the net. If that male player is further off the net, the returner should move in, especially on 2nd serves and attempt to hit more of an angled return that the opposing male could not easily poach. Is your partner moving in for 2nd serve returns?

 

[eah123]

The lobbing response is what I would suggest, especially if the opposing male is somewhat close to the net. If that male player is further off the net, the returner should move in, especially on 2nd serves and attempt to hit more of an angled return that the opposing male could not easily poach. Is your partner moving in for 2nd serve returns?

No, my partner does not usually move in for second serves. I did want her to try to start closer to the service box for both first and second serves to take away reaction time of the net player, but she does not feel comfortable in that position, even when both the first and second serves are regularly short. Her normal return in doubles is to hit it deep from behind the baseline and she's often late to the ball when it is served short.

So far everyone has suggested that the lob is the best response.

I was just thinking that we should try 2 back with me starting close to the center hash to cover more of the court. That way, even if the return gets poached, I have a good chance at a passing shot to the open court or at the female player, depending on where the male player moves to. Of course this reduces my ability to poach if she succeeds in returning the ball cross court with a drive. But if she lobs while I'm back on the baseline, I have time to move up into the service box. What do you coaches think of that idea?

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

No, my partner does not usually move in for second serves. I did want her to try to start closer to the service box for both first and second serves to take away reaction time of the net player, but she does not feel comfortable in that position, even when both the first and second serves are regularly short. Her normal return in doubles is to hit it deep from behind the baseline and she's often late to the ball when it is served short.

This would seem to be the very reason that the opposing net player is so successful at attacking / poaching her returns.

Have her practice her CC returns while you practice an easy 2nd serve. For these, she should start inside the BL. Or she could start right on the BL and then take a large step forward (either leg) during your ball toss. .

Take a look at Andy Murray's returns. That step is what he does during the ball toss. Subsequently, he initiates a split step (SS) during the server's upward swing so that he is at the top of his hop at the server's contact.

If your partner does not SS for her returns, the next best thing is to suddenly sink (lower the body by bending the knees) as soon as she hears the server's contact. This should help to prevent her from being late on her return