The Pro Return of Serve

The pro return: more complex than we may assume. What happens when pro players hit the return of serve? It’s a simple question, without a simple answer As Administrator of Coaching Education for USTA Player Development, I have been filming and studying the top players for the last few years, including their returns. What our filming to date shows may surprise you. So let’s have a look at some important and sometimes debated issues. These include: The Split Step Positioning Types of Returns Grips in the Ready Position The film shows that the split step begins before the server hits and that pro players are in the air at contact. The Split Step Conventional wisdom says that the returner should split step as the server makes contact with the ball. The film shows this isn’t quite how it happens. What we actually see is that most players are already in the air at the time of the contact. The split step actually begins a few fractions of a second before the server hits. At this point the server’s racket is still on it’s way up to the ball. The second thing the film shows is that pro players don’t actually…