The toss is a dead giveaway on this one. Learn to watch it, and move both up and in the direction of the slice before contact. Once there's no surprise or movement component pulling you out of sorts, it's a joke serve -- slow and short, giving you a wealth of options, all of which amount to the server giving up any advantage he was supposed to have by serving. Even if you just chip it at this point, you have all the advantage.
Good tip on the toss, but it can also be sliced from a normal toss. If I am using this serve I want you to step up, makes it easier for me to aim the serve bounce just to the left of your feet spinning into you, so it can help avoid an ace, which I usually get once a match by having the ball bounce twice before the opponent gets to it. This ace only works once, but it's funny because people usually default to returning my serve standing behind the baseline to start matches.
Here is where the giving all the advantage thing doesn't work, I serve and volley on this serve, whatever shot my opponent decides to do it has to be a little bit angled upward, just has to, and at 6'4" I have all the time in the world to take my giant steps toward the net and be in place. Sure, if I get passed over and over I stop, but you would be surprised how many good players become macho men and want to destroy me with a full swing on a slice serve just about at the service line, it goes long often and they just get more mad and try to swing harder next time.
I know some of these slice serves can be jokes, but mine is a little more serious, the second bounce of the serve, if allowed to bounce, is going to be significantly beyond the doubles outside line on ad side and I can slice spin another version that almost bounces twice before the service line (that's for the double bounce in front of the returner ace).
It depends on the quality of player. I've played topspin moonballers that absolutely get roasted if you start giving them low bouncing , short junk on the serve. They dink it back over, giving you a short ball, while they retreat so you can back foot them with anything you want. Now you are back in control.
I play against a guy that only hits low bouncing serves to your BH with little pace. It's really hard to do a lot with those balls. Mostly I just slice em back but in doubles that can get you in trouble if the net man is active.
Yes, as mentioned I am waiting for that dink and I can put away many of these returns near the service line or net. Also, one favorite tactic, and a decent one is if I pull the returner wide on the ad side, they return the ball at an equal angle back cross court. However, I have a great forehand slice return and I can place that 3rd shot straight down the line deep, sends the serve returner scrambling all the way from mid court ad side to baseline deuce side, usually good things happen by then.
What should you do or not do?
You are lefty so that helps, nice room to use a forehand, I would chip slice it but not soft, try deep or back crosscourt. If I was the server you should try to hit down the line, but that's really hard to time perfectly, I've definitely played some righthanders that could to that and that ends that serve and the serve and volley on it. Don't full swing. If you like volleys chip and charge. Drop shot cross court.
You said you missed many into the net, half lob him to the backhand then if you can, anything deep and clearing the net, at least then you can recover and have a shot at winning some points.
