Attacking a Long Serve with Topspin

Hi,

I noticed that I have issues with attacking long serves with a topspin. Quite often I hit the ball with the edge of my racket and sometimes I miss it entirely. If I hit it, it too often goes into the net. This could be on attacking just a plain topspin serve with my forehand. Just counterhitting it back with a forehand drive (flatter hit) usually works fine. In addition, for some reason I am a bit more successful if it is a long backspin serve, but the same applies :( The serves I receive vary in placement, but this is hard even when playing doubles and the serve is near the midline.

Any advice on how to get more successful topspin returns?

Hi Martin,

This can be tricky especially if the ball comes fast. I think just to get some confidence you can do what is working which is to counterhit the ball back. When doing this try to place the ball well to make it harder for your opponent. As you gain confidence try to gradually increase the length of your stroke. By doing this you can start to build up to a faster topspin.

Take a look at this video on attacking plain topspin serves for more inspiration! :)