Returning sliding away serves

Aneesh Joshi Asked 12 years ago

Hello! I am a right handed player. I am having a lot of trouble receiving services which have heavy sidespin and go skidding AWAY from my forehand (regular cross court sidespin serve by lefty or backhand straight court sidespin serve by a righty). Although I am able to return ball on such serves I am not in control of my  return so opponent gets an easy ball for attack and puts me on defensive. Can you please suggest me how to return such serves effectively?

Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago

Hi Aneesh,

The serve that swings away from your forehand can be difficult.

I find it helps when I think about getting my nose close to the ball to hit it.  This forces me to move my feet closer to the ball.  The problem is when you are too far away from the ball.  If the ball swings a little more it goes out of your comfortable hitting area.  By being close to the ball you can still adjust.