The Relevance of the Return By Chris Lewit he return of serve is arguably the second most important shot in tennis, after the serve, yet it is probably the most under practiced, underappreciated, and undervalued shot in the game. In my annual program at my academy, players can train 25 hours per week with me, and I’ve structured the day so that we can work on serve and return for a significant amount of time. Lately, as I have worked with different players individually on the return, I am seeing common themes
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and issues that all players, parents and coaches can learn from: Eyes and Mind I have noticed that many players are not alert with their eyes. They are not targeting the server’s toss and technique with their eyes, reading and anticipation the incoming shot. There are many cues to look for in terms of toss location, technique, body language, head and eyes position of the rival server that can give information to help the returner know where the ball is going before it is struck. The best returners are also good at reading the psychological tendencies and the tactical intention of the server and then making educated guesses as to the
New York Tennis Magazine • September/October 2020 • NYTennisMag.com
direction and selection of the incoming serve. I’ve read that Novak Djokovic practices eye exercises to improve his reactions and alertness. Training the eyes in this fashion using technology is a new trend in the game and there are experts in the field of vision training starting to focus in this area. Check that these cool new technologies! Hands The swing must be modulated or adjusted to the speed of the incoming ball. This is an important principle that I teach all my students. If the ball is coming faster, the shape of the backswing should be flatter and more compact. Players with significant loops need to learn to keep
