If you’re new here, subscribe to my RSS feed or get free Email Updates

Here’s how to turn the tables on a wicked slice out wide.
ADJUST YOUR POSITIONING
Usually when you return serve, you stand in a neutral position with your outside leg lined up with the singles sideline. But against a lefty, particularly when returning from the ad court, you want to take another step to your left. Straddle [...]

On the return, it’s common to stand where the singles sideline and baseline meet. But if your opponent can’t serve out wide well, move closer to the center.
Have you ever wondered why players stand near the intersection of the singles sideline and the baseline to return serve? Generally, this position places the returner halfway between a [...]

If the serve is the most important shot in tennis, getting it back should be your next priority. Practice your return by following these five steps and you’ll win more matches.
1. GET ORGANIZED
Just as with the serve, you should have a ritual before every return. This will help you relax, which will improve your shot-making [...]

Whether you play singles or doubles, here’s a drill that will improve your return of serve.
Most players spend plenty of time working on their games by doing various drills to develop their strokes or simulate point play. Yet for some reason one of the most crucial shots in the game, the return of serve, is [...]

Returning serve in doubles is a complicated animal. Not only do you have to get the ball in play, but you have to direct it to a spot that will neutralize your opponents and hopefully make your partner at net a factor. That’s why it’s a more pressurized situation than returning serve in singles and [...]

PROBLEM
You’re slow to react when returning first serves. It could be because you’re not moving quickly enough once the ball leaves your opponent’s racquet, or you’re taking too big a swing. The result is late contact and a shaky return, putting you at a disadvantage right from the start.
SOLUTION
The key to speeding up your racquet [...]

Instead of just trying to get it in, create a plan of action.
From beginners all the way to advanced players, the second serve is one of the most undervalued strokes in the game. Most players think of the first serve as a weapon. But many of those same players, once they have to put a second serve into play, change their mentality—their goal becomes simply to put the ball in the box. That’s a fundamental mistake because…