The return of serve
Tennis's most under-coached shot — where to stand against a first and second serve, why blocking beats swinging, and what the Rules allow a returner to do.
Overview
The return is the second most frequent shot in tennis after the serve, and it is the one most players practise least. Its difficulty is not technical: it is that the returner has almost no time and must decide before the ball arrives.
The Rules are permissive about where a returner stands. A decided case in Rule 8 settles it explicitly: the receiver is allowed to stand outside the lines of the court, and may take any position they like on their own side of the net.
Position is the main decision
Against a big first serve, standing further back buys time — the ball has further to travel and has slowed more by the time it arrives. The cost is that the returner is further from the court and has more ground to recover.
Against a second serve, standing closer takes time away from the server and lets the returner hit the ball before a kick serve has climbed out of the strike zone. Moving in on a second serve is the single most common way good returners create pressure.
Block, chip or swing
A block return uses a short backswing and the incoming pace, redirecting the ball rather than adding to it. Against a fast first serve there is rarely time for anything else, and a block is not a concession — a deep block puts the server into a neutral rally.
A chip return adds slice and keeps the ball low, which is particularly useful against a serve-and-volleyer because a low ball must be volleyed upwards. A full swing is available only on a slower serve, where the returner has time to take a proper cut at it.
The split step is the technique
The returner makes a small hop as the server strikes the ball, landing just as contact is made. This unweights the feet so the first movement can go in either direction, and it is the reason good returners appear to start moving before they could possibly have read the serve.
Timing it to the server's contact rather than to the ball's arrival is what makes it work. A split step made too early leaves the returner flat-footed again by the time the ball comes.
How to do it
- 1Choose your depth by serve: deeper against a first serve, closer against a second.
- 2Start with a wide, balanced stance and the racket out in front.
- 3Split step as the server strikes the ball, not as it crosses the net.
- 4Shorten the backswing — take the racket back with the shoulders, not the arms.
- 5Block or chip a fast serve deep down the middle rather than trying to hit a winner.
- 6Recover to the middle of the two best angles rather than to the centre mark.
Key points
- The Rules let the receiver stand anywhere on their own side, including outside the lines.
- Depth of return position is a trade between time gained and ground to recover.
- Moving in on the second serve is the main way returners create pressure.
- A deep block return is a good outcome, not a concession.
- The split step is timed to the server's contact, which is what makes it work.
Where it’s used
Sports that use the return of serve:
Related techniques
Topspin Forehand
A forehand groundstroke hit with a low-to-high swing that puts forward spin on the ball so it dips and kicks up on landing.
One-Handed Backhand
A backhand groundstroke struck with a single hand on the grip, driving through the ball with a full extension of the hitting arm.
Tennis Serve
The overhead stroke that starts every point, hit from behind the baseline into the diagonally opposite service box.
Sources
The rules, dimensions and specifications on this page were read from these documents.
- ITF Rules of Tennis — International Tennis Federation, 2026, Rule 8 — Server and receiver; Rule 21 — When to serve and receive (read 2026-09-12)
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Alternative to
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Frequently learned together
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- Topspin ForehandBoth are taught in the “Build your technique” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- One-Handed BackhandBoth are taught in the “Build your technique” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- Tennis ServeBoth are taught in the “Build your technique” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- VolleyBoth are taught in the “Build your technique” stage of the Tennis learning path.
- Flat, slice and kick servesBoth are taught in the “Build your technique” stage of the Tennis learning path.
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Tactics
- Serve +1 and return +1The two-shot patterns that decide short points — how a serve's direction determines where the reply comes from, and how a returner uses the same idea against the server.
- Negative splitA pacing tactic where an athlete covers the second half of a race faster than the first.
- Serve and third ballTable tennis's most-rehearsed tactical pattern — using a serve to force a predictable return so the third ball of the rally can be attacked from a known position.
- Tennis doubles formationsHow doubles teams position and why — the standard one-up-one-back start, poaching, the Australian formation and the I-formation, and what each one takes away from the returner.
- Placement and tempo in table tennisWhy where and when you hit the ball beats how hard — the playing elbow, the wide angles, and how taking the ball earlier removes an opponent's time without adding any power.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Technique
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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