Returning Backhand sidespin serve

Hi, guys 

I have problem with my opponent's serve. He has some sort of backhand side spin topspin serve, which is long, but somehow very low. How to respond to that? What ever I do, the ball goes out and sideways, I cannot slice it, or counter it. And can I return that serve with my rubber, Tibhar Rapid, which has spin 8.4 and speed 8.4, and his Tibhar Genius has more spin and is faster rubber. I have OFF- blade Samsonov Alpha, I know that Alois prefers his serving.

Hi Pedja,

If the serve is long you should try to make a topspin return.  Your rubber will be good enough to make the return.  You need to adjust to the spin on the ball  If the ball is going out to your right then angle your bat more to the left.  You can try using both your forehand and backhand and see which one is more comfortable.  Often players prefer one or the other when the ball as sidespin.

We have a lot of tips in our course on Receiving Secrets.