The Most (Neglected) Important Stroke in Tennis

It is the return of serve.

 

And as luck would have it, it is also one of the most neglected strokes in tennis.

Firstly let me get to the main reason for the serve return (along with the serve) being the most important stroke in tennis.

The serve and the service return are the strokes with which you start the point.

Miss any of them and the point ends right there.

So no matter how world-class your forehands and backhands might be, but you will not be able to use them if you can’t get the serve or the service return in.

Here’s one more case in point: This one is from Brad Gilbert’s Winning Ugly.

The 1992 Wimbledon final: Goran Ivanisevic vs Andre Agassi.

Goran: One of the best servers of all times.He had close to 200 aces in that tournament

Agassi: Easily one of the best returners of all time.

Who won?

Answer: The best returner

 

Here’s more: Agassi got aced 37 times in that match. That’s nine games worth of aces.

If you add the service winners that Goran made, one wonders how did Agassi manage to stay in the match, let alone win it.

Agassi won because his service return is an awesome weapon.

Yet isn’t it surprising that players spend hours hitting the forehand and backhand and hardly practise the service returns.

Hmmm….

What could be the reason?

One intuitive reason that comes to the mind is: Service return is not too different from a groundstroke. It is more or less a similar stroke.

This is partly, but not completely true.

Next time you watch a match, notice the amount of mistakes that occur on the service return. Generally, players ‘donate’ (heard this word before, right!) a lot of points on the service return.

And this is because service return is different to a groundstroke in some respects.

Here are my reasons for believing that the service return is not completely similar to the groundstroke:

 

· Trajectory (Height)

The Serve has a different trajectory, as compared to the opponent’s groundstroke.
The Server serves from a good height, hence the trajectory of the ball will be up to down and then up again.

The groundstroke that the opponent hits will be closer the ground, hence the trajectory of the ball will be low to high.This translates into the height and speed with which the ball comes to you. The (good) serve will come to you faster and will bounce more than a groundstroke.

· Spins:

The spins applied on the serve are more pronounced than on a groundstroke. Hence it becomes difficult to handle the spin of the serve. This is due to the fact that the spins are generated at a different contact point (high in case of a serve and low in case of a groundstroke).
Case in point: What stroke do you find tough to handle: a topspin serve to your backhand or a topspin forehand to your backhand?
It will almost always be the topspin serve to the backhand that causes the most problems since the ball jumps up higher and spins more than a groundstroke

· Speed:

At a higher level and age-group for aspiring professional tennis players, the serve starts coming to you faster. Since the serve is hit overhead, a lot more power can be generated than a normal groundstroke.
Hence to counter speed, a technical change (difference) is normally incorporated in the service return. This is to use a short backswing.

A short backswing is helpful for two main reasons:
- Since the ball already has power (energy), a bigger backswing would serve no purpose. All that is required is to use the power that is already in the ball and block it back. A shorter backswing accomplishes this purpose
- Since the ball is travelling at a faster speed, a shorter backswing will allow you to hit the ball in time. There are more chances of hitting the ball late with a bigger backswing.

· Footwork:

This to my mind is the biggest reason for the large amount of mistakes on the return of serve. Generally for a groundstroke, players use some footwork or stance to hit the ball.
But for the return of serve, especially since majority of the serves are hit straight towards the player, the players end up skipping the footwork altogether. It is just hands and some shoulder/waist turn (if any). Wrong choice!
If you want to improve your service return, move your feet; get into a good position using your feet and then hit the ball.

 

· Angles:

Again, most players and coaches who think that the return of serve is similar to the groundstrokes miss out on one key aspect: the Angles.
Let us look at the deuce court – return of serve. (Assuming the returner is a right-hander).
If the serve comes to the forehand side, it is similar to the forehand cross-court or forehand down-the-line.
What if the serve comes to the backhand side on the deuce court?
Got caught, right?
Essentially, you would be hitting a backhand inside-out or a backhand inside-in stroke.
And these strokes are not practiced regularly as groundstrokes, let alone as return of serves.

So now you have a host of reasons why you should practice the return of serves and not neglect it!
Happy practicing!

cr: Devinder Singh Bhusari