Whether you’re sticking up for yourself on the playground or looking for respect on the tennis court, nobody likes to get pushed around. And few shots can intimidate players quite like a booming first serve. Run into an opponent that blitzes you with aces and lots of service winners leading to easy holds can make you feel like a bit of a chump. This also lets your opponent relax and be aggressive returning your serve because you can’t put any pressure on him when it’s your turn. Yet if you can put a good amount of returns in play, not only will you challenge the big server, but by nullifying his primary weapon, you’ll shake his confidence. Here are a couple of ways to send a big serve back where it came from.
Stand well behind the baseline on the return: Generally, most players like to stand just behind or even on the baseline when waiting to receive serve. But if you find yourself constantly on your heels and making contact late on the return, then give yourself more time. Take another few steps back behind the baseline to start. Unless your opponent is hurting you with sharp angled serves out wide, then there’s really no harm in giving yourself more room.
Move forward into contact: When a fast serve is barreling down on you, there’s a tendency to stand flatfooted and just try to block the ball back. This basically lets the serve push you around. When a football player is about to get tackled he doesn’t stand up straight and allow his opponent to crush him–he leans into the tackle to lessen the blow. Getting some forward momentum into the shot will give you a better of chance of making the return, as well as sending it back with pace and depth.
Shorten your stroke: Since your opponent is giving you a lot pace, you don’t need to take a big swing. Use an abbreviated backswing and try to make good contact with a square racquet face out in front of your body. That along with your body weight moving into the shot will give your return plenty of pop.