In the latest feature of our coaching tips series, expert tennis coach Matt Smith runs you through everything you need to know on how to master your return of serve and improve your game. 

Ready, Read, React - The three key points to returning

If you remember anything when it comes to the return of serve, it should be – ready, read, react. 

These are the three fundamentals to every part of the return of sere, but what do they mean? 

• Ready: making sure you’re ready and in a good position to receive the ball 
• Read: read the opponent’s serve and the ball  
• React: adjusting your body and racket position to be able to reach and hit the ball back  

Let’s start with getting ready. Get yourself in a good position, racket out in-front, legs nice and wide in an athletic position, knees bent, chest up and on the balls of your feet ready to pounce. Although you also want to make sure you’re stood in the right place. 

You want to make sure you’re stood roughly in the middle of the space that they can serve to width wise so you can cover forehand and backhand.  

If they've got a fast serve, you might want to be standing further back to give yourself a bit more time. If it's a slow serve, you might be standing a bit further in, in front of the baseline. 

For read – Watch your opponent closely and from their body shape and where they contact the ball, you can read the ball characteristics (hight, depth, direction, spin, speed) to make a quick judgement on how and where it’s likely to land. 

Then it’s all about reacting to the ball to play your shot. Before the ball bounces, you’re looking to get your racket back behind the ball and hit out in front of your body, at about waist height (if possible). You want to get your full body weight behind the shot to help you guide it back over the net to your opponent, this is true whether you’re a beginner or pro. 

Block vs swing

Ok, so you’ve got those three key steps down, now you might want to think a bit more tactically about what you want to do with your return and how your shots can be most effective.  

This is largely dictated to you by the type of serve you’re receiving from your opponent and how much time you have to prepare. 

On a first serve when the ball is perhaps coming at your faster and you have less time to react – focus more on blocking the ball back over the net and use the power to direct the ball back.  

Remember the most important thing is to get the ball back in play and shortening your swing due to the lack of time will give you the best chance to get into the point. 

Then on a second serve, where the ball often comes at you a bit slower, you can take the time to increase the length of your swing to generate some of your own pace to take time away from them. 

Play the percentages

When you have the time to do so, you also want to consider where you want to hit the ball as well.  

While the main aim is getting it back, where you hit it can help you get on the front foot in points. 

Generally speaking, you want to go with the highest percentage shot that gives you’re the best chance of getting into the point. As a rough guide, this is: 

• Serve goes down the T: return down the middle, or you can go down the line (slightly lower percentage) 
• Serve goes to the centre of the box: return to the middle, to their feet 
• Serve goes out wide: return cross-court over the middle of the net  

This is just guidance – if it’s a slower second serve you have more time and options on where you can hit it (i.e. a good idea is to hit to their weaker side), but this should act as a starting point to give you the best chance to be in the rally. 

Putting it into practice

There are two quick drills you can do to practice your reactions and your return of serve.

Reaction tree

Ask a partner to stand in front of you with a ball in each hand – arms stretched out like a tree.

You then stand a couple of feet away, directly opposite them in a ready position like you’re about to hit a return.

Your partner will then drop a ball on one side, and you have to react quickly to catch it in one hand after one bounce, with one hand and out in-front of you. Get your partner to mix it up so you don’t know which side it’s coming.

Serve and return

Starting in the service boxes – have your partner stand on the other side of the net in the opposite diagonal box. They are the server; you are the returner.

Ask them to throw the ball into the box like a serve, it is then your job to catch the ball with two hands and throw it back side-on like a rugby ball. The server could also use a racket to test your reactions and catching.

When you’re happy with that, grab a racket and move back to the baseline. Now your partner can hit the ball with a bit more power, replicating a serve and you have to react to it and hit your return back into court. Focus on playing those percentage shots that will help you get into the rally.

As a bonus drill, your partner could serve from their service line, cutting the time even more and testing your reaction even further when returning.