1. Know Where You Stand
A key element of the successful return of serve is court positioning. Generally, you should place your body in line with the outer half of the service box. This gives you the best chance to reach your opponent's serve. You can also use your positioning to compensate for a weaker stroke. For example, right-handed players often move themselves further to the left for using their backhands. Also, take a look at how close you're standing to the baseline. Players with great hand-eye coordination and quick reflexes often stand inside the baseline, but you'll have more time to get your racquet on the ball if you stand behind it.
2. Pick Your Poison
Although there are many different styles of returning serves, they're all just as deadly with the right execution. For example, many players like to rip their returns as hard as they can. This immediately puts them on the offensive, but it's also risky. Mess up your aim or your angle just a bit and you've already lost the point. More conservative players control the return's risk by simply blocking the ball back to their opponents. It may seem unglamorous, but many of the sport's greatest players have relied on this style to beat big servers.
3. Get a Grip
One of the most important aspects of returning a serve is choosing the right grip for your shot. Semi-western and western grips offer the advantage of topspin and power on your returns, but they're also further away from your hand's neutral position on the racquet. This means you'll have less time to prepare for the shot once you know where it's going. One solution to this problem is to hold the racquet with a continental grip and block the ball back. You won't get power on your return, but you'll have more time to place the shot than if you were using a more extreme grip.
4. Prep With the Split-Step
Your best weapon against the serve's unpredictability is the split-step. Right before your opponent hits the ball, take a short hop into the air. Make sure both your feet leave the ground at the same time and keep them at least shoulder-width apart. By the time you touch down, the ball will be on its way and you'll know where it's headed. Use the energy stored in your legs by the landing to explode toward the ball and produce a well-timed return.
5. It's All in the Backswing
The best returners in tennis all have one thing in common--short backswings. Since serves generally travel at incredibly high speeds, you don't need to do much to return them deep into your opponent's court. Shortening your backswing gives you the time and control you need to produce a powerful, accurate return that keeps your opponent behind the baseline. Just remember to follow through on your stroke and put enough spin on the ball so that it dips back into the court.
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