Returning a long slow spiny topspin serve

Hi Alois and Jeff,

Sometimes I tend to have difficulty in returning serves which are long but slow and have lots of top spin on them. If I go and try to play forehand top spin on them, they hit the top edge of my bat and fly away, I think it is because of the bounce caused by the top spin on the ball. What do you suggest?

Hi Abhinav,

The topspin will cause the ball to bounce a little higher.  On these serves it is better to open the angle of your bat and hit through the ball more rather than lifting it.  The more open face of the racket will mean that you are less likely to hit the edge of the bat.