Pro Patterns: Serve and Return

How can you use your serve to create your preferred return diagonal? In our previous articles, we analyzed the basic crosscourt diagonals, how pro players impose them on their opponents, and the battle for control, including how players switch the diagonal from an unfavorable to a favorable pattern. (Click Here.) But tennis points don't start with crosscourt rallies. They start with serves and returns. So let's take a step back and see how players use the serve and return to try to establish their preferred patterns. Serving well for most players isn't a matter of hitting aces and big unreturnable serves. It's knowing how to use the serve as the first shot in a sequence that leads to winning points and matches. That means using the serve to create the diagonal exchange that gives you the advantage. Unknown Patterns Although it is not widely understood, most players will hit returns that follow predictable patterns. These depend on the location of the serve. So serving to the right spots can give you a huge advantage by starting out most points on your service games in the exchange you want. You need to understand how these patterns really work if you want...