How to Return Serve in Tennis: The Most Underrated Shot
Half of every match is played on your return, and almost nobody practises it. The split step, the short backswing, where to stand against big and soft servers, and the simple mindset shift that turns the return from a panic into a weapon.
By Two brothers in Melbourne, co-founder of RallyHub.
Half of every match you ever play, you are returning serve. Think about that. Yet almost nobody practises the return, and almost everybody treats it as a moment to survive rather than a shot to win. Get your return solid and you put pressure on every single service game your opponent plays. Deuce has his game face on for this one, because the return is where matches quietly turn.
The split step is everything
The single most important thing in returning is the split step: a tiny hop that lands you balanced on the balls of both feet just as your opponent strikes the ball. It primes your legs to push off in either direction. Time it to their contact, not their toss. Players who get aced or jammed are almost always flat on their heels at the moment of the serve. Split step on time and you will reach balls you used to wave at.
Short backswing, simple block
A serve is already fast, so you do not need to add power, you need control. Take a much shorter backswing than you would on a groundstroke. Against a big serve, that means almost no backswing at all: just turn your shoulders, get the racket in front, and block the ball back deep with a firm wrist, letting the serve's pace do the work. Against a soft serve, you have time for a fuller swing, so step in and drive it. Reading which is which, and adjusting, is the whole skill.
Where to stand
Position changes with the server. Against a big server, stand further back to buy yourself time to react, and aim simply to get the ball deep and in play. Against a soft server, step in, even inside the baseline, take the ball early, and attack. Against a second serve especially, move up and look to take time away. Standing in the same spot for every serve is leaving free points on the table.
Have a target before the ball is served
Decide where you are returning before your opponent serves. A high-percentage default is deep down the middle: it takes away their angles and is the safest big-target return. Cross-court is the next option, back to where they served from. The point is to have a plan, because the worst returns come from players reacting with no intention. In doubles, a low return at the feet of the incoming net player is gold.
The mindset shift
Stop thinking "do not miss" and start thinking "make them play." Your job on the return is not to hit a winner, it is to start the point on even or better terms by getting a solid, deep ball back. Take the pressure off yourself: a high-percentage return that lands deep wins you far more points over a match than the occasional flashy one. When the head stays calm, the return gets reliable, and our guide to the mental game helps with exactly that.
Practise the half of the game nobody does
Because the return needs a real serve coming at you, you cannot drill it alone. Get a regular hit going and spend ten minutes returning your partner's serves on purpose, both first and second. RallyHub's Friends Ready Live makes those regular hits easy to arrange. And because you can watch your RallyRank and head-to-head record against the people you play, you will see, in black and white, the matches you start winning once your return stops leaking points.
Split step on time, keep the backswing short, adjust your position to the server, and have a target. Do that and you turn the half of the match everyone neglects into the half you quietly dominate. Once you are inside the point, finish it with a confident net game.