How do you neutralize a strong first serve? One way is by gaining better court positioning with a return pattern I like to call The Big X.
The first step is to set up for your return a few feet behind the baseline, so you have time to react to your opponent’s powerful serve. You want to hit a high, deep return that travels eight to 10 feet above the net and lands within a few feet of the baseline (1). This will force the server to take five or six steps backward (2) and hit the ball from behind the doubles alley (3). Once you see the server move backward, you should move three to four steps forward and toward the center of the court (4). Now, you have the superior court position. Be ready for a deep return and take it on the rise to the opposite corner (5).
Your two shots create an X pattern—and put the server on the run while you control the center of the court and dictate the rally.