The System:
Return of Serve

At the club level the return may be more important than the serve.

The return of serve is one of the most misunderstood shots in doubles, technically as well as tactically. Conventional wisdom says that the serve is the most important shot. At the club level, however, the return is as important or possibly more important.

What are the keys to a good return, both technically and also tactically?

If you've ever taken a tennis lesson or clinic on the return of serve you've definitely heard this advice, “take a short backswing." The concept of a short backswing is often correct. But as a rigid guideline it is counterproductive.

It assumes that every serve is coming at the same speed at the same height with the same spin. I can usually tell when a player is mechanically trying to take a short backswing because they look very stiff and the returns are usually terrible.

The single most important thing you can do on a return of serve is to have a consistent contact point. You must meet the ball in the same place in front of you every time in order to be successful.

This is the role of the backswing—to produce that contact point. No matter what kind of return you're hitting--drive, chip, or lob--you have to make consistent contact. The size of the backswing should be adapted to the serve to produce that contact.

If you focus on the contact you will take an appropriate backswing.

First you need to stand in the correct spot to have time to read the serve--usually right on or inside the baseline for club players. You can’t return effectively in doubles by standing 10 feet behind the baseline and trying to take huge swings.

Now focus on the spot where you want to meet the ball as soon as you read the serve off their racket. If you focus on where you want to meet the ball, your brain will calculate how much time you have to swing and will take an appropriate swing for the specific serve you are returning.

The second most important aspect of the return in doubles is moving in to hit the ball. If you stand too far back you give the opponent too much time to read your shot, then you're vulnerable to the net man picking off your shots.

One of the first rules of doubles is to keep the ball low. Being closer to the net you are able to take the ball on the rise and aim lower. This neutralizes the net man and forces the server to hit up on their first shot which will set your partner up at the net.

If you have a consistent contact point not only will you be consistent, you will also be efficient. An efficient swing gives you more time to read not only the serve but the players on the other side of the court.

My college coach had a saying when it came to returns; "wait, then decide." What he meant was that you can choose your shot to some extent by what you see in front of you. But that depends on having control of the timing and contact.

In order to be an effective doubles player on returns you need to master a variety of shots which I will detail in this section. You also need to have what I like to call "complementary shots", meaning shots from the same technique that can be disguised and hit to different areas of the court. Here are the basic returns in doubles:

Drive return. Can be hit flat against a hard, flat serve or with heavy topspin You need to be able to hit it crosscourt, down the line and inside in.
Chip return and chip lob return.

These are an example of complementary returns. The crosscourt chip is a great shot to set up your partner at the net and it allows both of you to close in and attack the next ball. The chip lob goes down the line over the net players head and can be used defensively when the serve pulls you way out of position or offensively on a second serve or against an aggressive net player.

Standing in and moving forward are critical for returning in doubles.

The chip lob works great against players who stand on top of the net whether they're being aggressive or not. The reason I call them complementary shots is that they are hit with the same technique( e.g., underspin). Also, the same player on the other team ( the server) is going to have to cover both of these shots. It forces them to cover a lot of court and hit shots outside of their comfort zone.

When these shots are properly executed the opponent is always hitting defensive shots on the next ball and they create space for you and your partner to attack on subsequent shots.

Another advantage of the chips is that they're slower. You and your partner have more time to get into position for the next shot, your opponent is not in a position to hit the ball hard on the next shot and when you do hit a hard return it's going to look a lot harder to them relative to what they've just had to deal with.

It's always a good idea to develop complementary shots to all of your returns. For example, if you're a right-handed player in the Ad court and you like to run around your backhand and go inside out, it is a good idea to develop a good inside in forehand as well.

It will keep the net player honest and can be devastating on second serves because even if the net player anticipates the shot, there's little they can do against a ball hit hard at that angle. Once you've gone inside-in ( down the line) once, you will notice that the net player is much less aggressive at the net and less likely to bother you on your other returns. You can hit the ball hard down the middle and they will just watch it go by.

The chip lob goes down the line over the net players head and can be used defensively when the serve pulls you way out of position or offensively on a second serve or against an aggressive net player. The chip lob works great against players who stand on top of the net whether they're being aggressive or not.

A key point is that the server on the other team is going to have to cover both of these shots. Having this variety makes him uncertain, forces him to cover a lot of court, and often forces him to hit shots outside of his comfort zone. The result creates space for you and your partner to attack.

Another advantage of chip returns is that they're slower. You and your partner have more time to get into position for the next shot. Because they are also lower than drives, your opponent is not in a position to hit the ball as hard on the next shot, and when you do hit a hard return it's going to look a lot harder to them relative to what they've just had to deal with.

If you're a right-handed player in the ad court and you like to run around your backhand and go inside out, develop a good inside in forehand as well. It works just as well or better for a lefty returning in the deuce court.

The compliments to the drive return are the chip return and the chip lob.

The inside in keeps the net player honest. It can be devastating on second serves because even if the net player anticipates the shot, there's little they can do against a ball hit hard down the line off your forehand.

If you can go inside in effectively, you will notice that the net player is much less aggressive at the net and less likely to bother you on your other returns. You can hit the ball hard down the middle and they will just watch it go by.

Conventional wisdom says that you put your stronger player in the ad court because that player should return on the ad points. This is an oversimplification.

What if your "stronger player" is consistent but not aggressive? Don't you want a more aggressive player playing your ad points?

The reality is the deuce court player is more important. You want to put your most consistent and confident returner on the deuce side. The deuce court player needs to put pressure on the serving team by making all of his returns and by getting his partner the lead.

The ability to go inside in neutralizes the opponent at the net.

If you're playing the ad court and the score is in your opponents favor every time you're returning, it limits your ability to be aggressive and take chances on your returns. You can't play your best or be relaxed if you're always behind on the ad court returns.

The ad points are not the only big points. The deuce player also plays a ton of big points. He plays the first point of every game and every deuce point. He plays the points at 15-40 and 40-15.

All that being said, never make someone play a side they have a mental block against it. We've all played with players who say "I can't play the backhand side. I hate it."

You're going to lose if you put them on their weak side with that attitude.

In this case, you need to suck it up and play whatever side they don't want and go there with a great attitude even if it's out of your comfort zone. This will help improve your versatility. But you also might also consider starting looking for another partner.

Here is another point that goes against conventional wisdom. If you are a lefty/righty combo, put your forehands in the middle.

A lefty forehand return in the middle and a righty forehand volley—the advantage of the lefty playing deuce.

This means the lefty plays deuce and the righty plays ad. In today's game, with all the changes in shot selection, formations and tactics, this is the best of all worlds.

You will both get tons of opportunities to run around backhands. If the net player is being aggressive you can hammer the forehand inside in down the alley.

If you get pulled out wide you simply float a backhand lob over the net player's head. If the net player hangs back for the lob, take the wide ball and chip it short and wide. This configuration also allows both players to hit forehand volleys in the middle.

But I've seen teams that defy all the conventions on who plays which side. If it really works consistently over time, don't change it because someone says there is a right way or a wrong way.

A final point: switching sides in the middle of a match is not the answer if you are losing. I can honestly say that in my over 40 years of playing doubles I've never seen a good team switch sides for receiving during a match.

I do see it all the time at the 2.5 to 4.5 levels, I just rarely see it work. Some players seem to think that switching sides will somehow make them better all of a sudden—the "grass is greener" mentality.

I also see players who start thinking about the switch during the set which means they are not focused on the present and are just giving themselves an alibi when they lose.You have to be committed to the side you're playing and do your best to return well.

If it doesn't work after a set, don’t think about switching, evaluate what actually happened and commit to doing better the next set. This is how you become a better player. You don't alibi, you don't give up or give in, and you certainly don't let your opponents know that you are in mental disarray.

When you struggle don’t switch sides, try playing 2 back.

Here are some productive things to think about when you struggle on return games. Make your top priority to make all of your returns. Go back to basics, focus on the contact point, and try to get into a groove.

Try a different formation. If you are having trouble against an aggressive team, bring your partner back to the baseline with you.

This will make it much more difficult for your opponents to put the ball away and allows you to focus on hitting the ball in rather than trying to be too accurate.

Play both back and lob. This will slow down the game and might frustrate your opponents. I've seen it happen a thousand times. These changes can help you win more points and turn the match around. Then you have to option of going back to a more aggressive return game style.

The System:Return of Serve

Bill Previdi

The System:
Return of Serve