Return of Serve, part 2
by Scott Murphy
 
Lead the racquet head to
contact with the butt of the racquet on both the forehand and backhand
sides.
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Coming out of the split step, you should step out with the outside leg, as
opposed to stepping across. At that point you may also have to step across
if the serve is well wide.
The size of the outside step will vary
according to the pace of the serve and it’s distance from you.
There will be times when there will be no time to step out, but that will
depend in great part on when the split step is made.
If you make it before
the ball is struck there’s usually time. If you wait until the moment the
ball is struck you’ll likely hit with your outside foot in more or less
the position it lands. If the serve is right at you and you want to hit a
forehand, you’ll need to immediately push off the outside foot towards the
inside to make room.
The outside leg is also considered the back leg and if you’re driving the
return it’s the one you want to explode up and into the shot with. If
everything prior to striking the ball is on the money, the back leg will
propel you off the ground, transferring your weight forward into the court.
If you chip the forehand return, whether or not you move into the net,
you’ll want to stay on the ground as you push off the back foot and step
forward.
Ideally, the contact point is comfortably in front of your center of
gravity. This is instrumental in allowing the body to uncoil in a
controlled, balanced fashion. It also paves the way for tremendous racquet
acceleration.
In today’s game you most often see the follow through on the
forehand drive return wrapped around the side of the body. That’s fine,
again, as long as the wrist and forearm don’t roll over until after
contact is made.
The two handed backhand return is a virtual transposition of the forehand,
with the obvious difference being there are now two hands on the racquet
and the top hand is now dominant.
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I find that with most two handers, the non-dominant arm acts as a
governor in terms of length of backswing and, of course, that’s a good
thing.
For both arms to work together, it is paramount that the ball is struck
well out in front of the body. If both arms don’t get extended, the
non-dominant arm will force the hitting arm “off line.” Also, as a part of
that necessary extension, the follow through is more up and over the
shoulder than on the forehand.
The Slice Return
As mentioned earlier, one handed backhanders, even at the pro level, tend
to slice as many returns as they drive.
The backhand slice return is a lot
like a half volley and very effective when returning faster serves and
serves that stretch you out wide. It’s also good for keeping the ball
down, which is especially effective when playing a serve and volleyer or
when chipping and charging, making it harder to pass you.
The slice return with the
finish toward the target and the non-racquet arm moving back.
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I recommend the continental grip, but a slight eastern is also “doable.”
The backswing is at most a quarter turn and is assisted by the non-racquet
hand. The racquet should not be much above the ball to facilitate a fairly
level swing. The wrist should be cocked at a 45-degree angle to the
forearm. This sets the edges of the racquet head relatively even, making
for a cleaner forward swing.
The forward swing is lead by the handle, not the racquet head, and should
be on a line to the intended target. To keep the hips, trunk, and shoulders
from over-rotating, the non-racquet arm should move back, equal to the
hitting arm. The follow through should be long and towards the target.
When driving the one handed backhand return economize on the backswing and, once again, a quick turn is the key.
The
non-racquet hand assists in the takeback and provides support of the
racquet while the grip change to an eastern backhand is made (unless you
were already there). To help get the hitting arm extended as soon as
possible, keep your hands in the plane of your hips.
The completion of the backhand
quick turn with the racquet hand in the plane of the hips.
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The position of the non-racquet arm finishes lower for topspin.
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The weight is transferred off the back foot onto the front foot as you
pull the racquet forward to meet the ball—again comfortably out in front.
You want to keep the arm locked and moving in the direction the return is
heading.
As it’s very important you don’t open up after contact, make sure
your non-racquet arm stays back and in a straight line with your hitting
arm (back hand lower than the hitting hand).
Note this opposite arm position is different for topspin than for slice
(i.e., lower).
I am particularly proud of my topspin backhand return, or rather the work
I did to develop it as a weapon. It wasn’t always that way.
I started part
one recounting a match I lost with 36 breakpoints and numerous squandered
chances on weak serves to my backhand in the third set. That experience
was extremely disappointing, but it turned out to be a big positive in the
long run, because of the motivation it provided to really improve.
For months I worked maniacally on my backhand topspin return. It was very
sweet when I saw that work paying off in my tournament results. There is
no doubt my topspin return was the key in getting revenge for that match I
lost.
Over the years, in other tournaments, I played this same opponent a number
of times with great success because I was now able to “make him pay” for
those soft second serves to my backhand. He wasn’t the most pleasant guy
to play, and was known for his flamboyant (and even bizarre) gamesmanship.
Certainly that was no excuse for losing to him in the first place (or my
weak returns), but I will admit added to the pleasure of seeing him absorb
the pain of another loss, instead of the other way around.
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