Expect one, adjust to the other

Gary McAdams Asked 9 years ago

Do players at the top level expect a short serve and then adjust when the serve goes long, or vise-versa? They always seem to be able to receive short serves off the bounce.

I've found that the only way I'm able to receive a short serve off the bounce is if I'm looking for the serve to be short. If I don't do this, I'm unable to get to the ball until the top of the bounce, making it much harder to control a short receive. But this makes it hard to adjust to a long fast serve.

Additionally, most players at my level don't serve short, so I really won't have a lot of use for the skill of receiving short serve off the bounce until a few more level increases. How to approach this?

Alois Rosario Answered 9 years ago

Hi Gary,

I think the key is not expecting but watching that will give you the best chance to cover any serve that comes.

Try to focus carefully on the ball when it is in the servers hand. From there you will get the best information as to whether they are going to serve short or long or anything in between.

Also make sure you practice your footwork for these movements. The faster you can move to the different positions the quicker you will get to the bounce of the short ball or to the long serve as well.

Recommended Video

Returning Short Topspin Serves: Two Options

Returning a short topspin serve can be tricky because the spin wants to lift the ball up. In this video, we look at two effective options: developing an attacking flick and learning how to push the ball safely.

For the flick, the key is to be positive. Take a few risks, hit through the ball a little harder, and aim for a fast, flat contact. In practice, don’t worry too much about making mistakes as this is how you learn to control the shot under pressure.

The second option is the push. You can push a short topspin serve, but you need to adjust your contact. Instead of getting under the ball, come down the back of it more, almost feeling like your bat is moving slightly backwards. This helps counter the topspin and keeps the return lower and more controlled.

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Thoughts on this question (1)

Jean Balthazar Posted 9 years ago

I think in general it's better to prepare for a longer serve and then go forward if the serve is short, because the quality of your shot will generally be better when you execute it going forwards. If you're glued to the table, the serve goes long and you execute your return shot going backards, that usually results in a poor quality shot.