Im japanese and a recreation level player. your videos help me to understand how to play tennis. and playing tennis is getting more enjoyable. Thank you！ Im looking forward to your next videos.
Best grip for return: Djokovic. Best stance for return: Djokovic. Best approach to split step: Djokovic. Best timing for split step: Djokovic. Why am I not surprised.
Your explanations are so good, not overly complicated and yet you talk about all the important details in your videos in just enough detail so you talk about all the important things.
I've picked up a few bad habits this past summer and while I have viewed many videos on this subject to help me get back on track, this video has been probably one of the best in breaking down the many aspects of returning serves. thanks. Well done!
That was a great presentation. I like your take on the return. As I'm playing in national senior father son events, I've found the serves of the sons to be be extremely challenging, especially on grass. Some of my better returns were when I punched sliced them, early, low and away from the net player. I like the Djokovic wide base, neutral position, and touching down at or even before contact (if the ball is a bomb). Thanks for doing this video! --Kevin Pease USTA High Performance Coach USPTA/PTR
Catalin, thank you. The return of serve can be quite simple, since the player is often forced to rely on instincts. The complexity lies in trying to fix someone’s return without seeing what that person is doing wrong.
Excellent stuff. I do wish you had spoken a little more about grip pressure during the prep and at contact. I remember struggling against a fast server and somebody told me to "think volley, not groundstroke". It got me to block/punch the return a bit and use the server's pace against him.
I am watching all the videos of this excellent channel! And I always hit that like button before even I watch the video because I am sure that I'm gonna learn cool stuff and plenty of great tips! Thanks a lot Nikola!👍
Hi Nik. quick question: all good about blocking and shortening the swing? but when do we do chipping and when we just use normal grip but with shortened swing? in what situations we use chipping? what do you think? the harder the serve is? or on certain type of serves? your response is much appreciated.
Hi Maz, great question. I always say the chip, dropshot and the backhand volley are in the same family. They are siblings. Depending on the incoming serve there might be an across the body finish or a freezing of the racquet. There will always be a slight take back just like the volley. When do you use it? Hard to answer bc every player is different. Some plan ahead of time to chip, others just play instinctively. In my case you always try to hit my 2-hander and the chip is an emergency reaction. There are some players who chip everything. Wawrinka and Federer will often play that way. Nole on the other hand looks to use his two-hander on every serve.
I personally find that the forehand slice takes more time to execute than a top spin forehand, so I use the forehead chip return on medium speed serves where I can direct the ball to a corner. For faster serves and really slow serves, the usual forehand return helps me more: for fast serves, I need the quick swing, and for slow serves I can take huge swings.
I think the main reason why Federer chips his backhand return is primarely to offer different balls to his opponent. In the last few years he started returning with regular backhand more often then in the past, but without bringing up the sacred monsters, alternating top spin and chip return would probably create more uncertainties on the server, who's not going to know what the return will look like. What do you think? Thank you.
Nothing like a discussion of what grip to use on the return of serve to start a religious war. One option I think worth consideration is, if you use a semi-Western grip on the forehand, you can easily switch to the Eastern backhand grip by just moving about 1/2 of a bevel IF you also move the racquet head over to the backhand side by keeping the same side of the string bed facing forward. This requires a semi-circular motion akin to the windshield wiper movement rather than keeping the racquet head rather static, the latter technique presenting the opposite side of the string bed forward. The windshield wiper motion used here is quite natural although describing what happens sounds like a quantum mechanics dissertation. lol While this motion is quite simple it may take some time to make it automatic as it's likely the more traditional motion has been used many thousands of times. Of course if you use a full Western forehand grip, absolutely no grip change is necessary to use the Eastern backhand grip. Simply use the windshield wiper motion to bring the racquet head over to the backhand side and your grip will automatically be in the exact Eastern backhand grip position.
George, yes the semi western is a good return grip for players who like hitting forehands. Rafa being one of them, he has no issues ripping backhand returns for winners!! Vamos 💪💪💪💪
Hey one more question coach. The lesson is great, although I find a bit unconfortable staying on the balls of my feet before the split step. Doesn' it have the same effect if I start with the heels on the ground in the sprinter position and I land on my toes ready to react just after the split step? I'm quite sure Djokovic and Murray do this way. Am I wrong? Cheers 🙂👌
Just out of curiosity, what return of serve starting grip would you recommend for players with a one-handed backhand? Many coaches advocate starting out in the Eastern or Full-Eastern backhand grip.
Desmond, same as the two hander and I should have mentioned that. Dimitrov, Gasquet, Wawrinka, Tsitsipas and Thiem all wait slightly over to the forehand side just like Novak. Only player who waits in a backhand grip with a one hander is Kohlschreiber. The Djokovic waiting position allows quicker grip changes even for the one hander.
Hey Nik, I was wondering about the split step issue on the return. There are so many types of split step. Sometimes people land with the two feet together, sometimes they land with the inside foot first as they already read where the ball is going while in the air and they try to push from that foot ecc. Is it really worth to train all the various split steps, or the process should be intuitive and whatever comes naturally that would be the right split step to use?
tennis92, yeah what you are describing depends on the incoming ball and it’ll have to be performed intuitively. However, the spit-step when the server is about make contact can be practiced. Try different kinds and see what gives you the quickest first step. PS: I can’t do the Murray or Nishikori.
Great video! Could you please give me some advice on how to be aggressive on the 2nd serve return? I try to take time away by standing closer but am rarely on offence from the 1st point. Is it more about hitting to riskier targets or trying to hit it harder? For context, I usually return from behind the baseline and take fuller cuts of the ball like Nadal. I return quite consistently but mostly aim deep down the middle for both 1st and 2nd serves. Thank you in advance for your help.
Kevin, down the middle is the Djokovic return and we can all learn from him. I have a video coming out next Friday about return positioning and hopefully it can clear up some of these questions.
Great video , great job. definitely worth watch couple of times , one question: if you going to hit a forehand on your opponent serv do you change your grip to a forehead grip or you hit the ball with an neutral grip? Thanks a lot
Jovan, thank you. That’s a good question, I think you should always try to change your grip to a forehand grip, which you’ll do right after the split step. 99% of the time there will be sufficient time at the recreational level to accomplish this. If you happen to hit a forehand with a neutral grip (continental), you are left with a chip return as the only option.
Bro, that is fantastic explanation. I have one query, I am a rock hard server, I sometimes fail to control my shots when I receive a weak return of my serves in my service box, try to punish the return and that mentality flies the ball over the baseline. Can you please guide me. Thank you
BT, thank you! The problem you are facing is very common. The reason why this is happening can stem for a multitude of problems. I can’t give appropriate advice without seeing your put-away shots misfiring.
Very nice video sir with stance and how to use body to hit returns Can you please also share how to judge whether the serve is coming towards backhand or forehand
Domenico, absolutely the serve is the fastest stroke in tennis. Having the elbows forward helps. Sometimes at the net we would be in this position as well.
Great lesson! Loved the stand position part . About Novak Djokovic actually uses a forehand grip when he waits for the return, he changes his grip just before the toss off the oponent
Hello if I send you a video of my tennis return or other groundstrokes would you be able to tell me any mistakes you see? I have tried other coaches, which they charged me a lot and didn't tell me anything I didn't know
The thing that makes the most sense to me is to start with my left hand in a backhand position and my right hand in a forehand position. If I get a backhand I have a very minor grip change on my right hand. If it’s a forehand there is no grip change.
Nice. Thank you for taking the time to make this. My question is how to track and time the ball. In regular ground strokes following a pattern of "hit, bounce, hit" works nicely but I have trouble doing that with the serve. Is there another technique to track and time the ball better for more consistency on the return? Also, is there a way to practice the return of serve without a partner? This is the shot I get to practice the least because I don't always have a partner to practice with.
Dorian, practicing returns without an incoming serve takes everything away from what makes the return challenging, which is reacting to the fastest ball in the game of tennis, the serve. If you watch Djokovic return it looks like his eyeballs are popping out of his skull. He is so desperately trying to see the ball, and it works, he sees the ball better than anyone else.
@@IntuitiveTennis Thank you for your reply. I understand and agree but surely there's a way to practice tracking and timing the ball. In regular ground strokes following a pattern of "hit, bounce, hit" works nicely but I have trouble doing that with the serve. Is there technique to track and time the ball better for more consistency on the return?
@@IntuitiveTennis Sure... tracking the ball you watch your opponent "hit" the ball to determine it's direction and type of stroke - You move to meet the ball and time it by watching the "bounce" then you "hit" the ball. In practice, it actually helps to say these things out loud because it forces concentration. It doesn't seem to work as well for the return of serve but it's very nice for groundstrokes. This is why I asked how to track the ball on the return of serve. No talks about this and it's frustrating.
Dorian, ok thank you. Yes I like this timing. It’s very similar to the sequencing that I teach. I don’t quite like timing the “hit” to the bounce, but it’s overall a good mindset. The return or serve is the same concept. However, it’s very different from returning groundstrokes and we therefore need to make a variety of adjustments.
Claudio, yes the “Australian” grip was used by Rafter and Becker on their first serves. Djokovic doesn’t use this grip on his returns, he simply rests his right hand in this position for quicker grip changes.
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Im japanese and a recreation level player.
your videos help me to understand how to play tennis. and playing tennis is getting more enjoyable.
Thank you！ Im looking forward to your next videos.
🇯🇵 🙌
Best grip for return: Djokovic.
Best stance for return: Djokovic.
Best approach to split step: Djokovic.
Best timing for split step: Djokovic.
Why am I not surprised.
Your explanations are so good, not overly complicated and yet you talk about all the important details in your videos in just enough detail so you talk about all the important things.
Alen, thanks for your support. 🙏
It's great how u link your explanation to the pros and show there are lots of different ways to do it, not one sized fits all. Top videos.
You are the best instructional tennis UA-cam channel BY FAR! I’m a beginner and your videos have helped me so much!
Dynamic footwork while returning is new stuff to me thanks
I've picked up a few bad habits this past summer and while I have viewed many videos on this subject to help me get back on track, this video has been probably one of the best in breaking down the many aspects of returning serves. thanks. Well done!
Excellent step by step teaching of strokes and positioning.
Best breakdown of the return of serve online.. thank you for your insight and post. Excellent!!
Armand, thank u 🙏
That was a great presentation. I like your take on the return. As I'm playing in national senior father son events, I've found the serves of the sons to be be extremely challenging, especially on grass. Some of my better returns were when I punched sliced them, early, low and away from the net player. I like the Djokovic wide base, neutral position, and touching down at or even before contact (if the ball is a bomb). Thanks for doing this video!
--Kevin Pease
USTA High Performance Coach
USPTA/PTR
Thank you Kevin 👍👍
Excellent advice....great video... Thanks for making it so easy to understand.
Steff s, Thank you 🙏
Great presentation and analysis. Thank you!
Great content, excellent teacher. The students in your videos and how you relate to them make this so effective. Thanks, coach!
First time I have comprehended the cross forward step for the short ball!
Great video, your explanations are very clear. Odličan posao, sve je jasno kao dan!
Predrag, puno hvala. 👍👍
Very informative video and well explained. Thank you Nick.
depigxy, 🙏
Great and very clear instructional videos! Thank you!!
Niki, thanks for this video! The most interesting part of it was about splitting and controlling the moment when the other player is making a stroke.
excellent video Nick I will put into practice some of your recommendations Greetings from Guayaquil, Ecuador
Jose, thank you
Ecuador great tennis country!!!!
love the dynamic footwork information. Thank you!
Thanks a lot for these videos. Help me out a lot.
Very good analysis point by point . Very good depth. Only one needs to remember while practicing.
You are wonderful.
Excellent explanation of each and every point.👍👍👍
I do enjoy the video so much, thanks excellent explanation that explore my mind
Henry, my pleasure, glad the video was helpful.
Excellent advice
somevino, thank you
Brilliant totally understood. Move you feet to the pitch of the ball. The legs are slightly bent, as you get into position. Excellent detail.
Excellent video.And reading the comments you will make more..It`s a complex topic this serve return.Thanks again.
Catalin, thank you.
The return of serve can be quite simple, since the player is often forced to rely on instincts.
The complexity lies in trying to fix someone’s return without seeing what that person is doing wrong.
You said it as a coach now...
Good explanation
Thank you cimarron
Very good and precise instruction . I hope you keep putting out great videos in the future
Excellent stuff. I do wish you had spoken a little more about grip pressure during the prep and at contact. I remember struggling against a fast server and somebody told me to "think volley, not groundstroke". It got me to block/punch the return a bit and use the server's pace against him.
suppperrr helpful cant wait to try this out
I implemented the Murray return split step and I feel like my returns are better and more consistent. Thanks for this great video!!!!!
I am watching all the videos of this excellent channel! And I always hit that like button before even I watch the video because I am sure that I'm gonna learn cool stuff and plenty of great tips! Thanks a lot Nikola!👍
That’s what keeps my channel going. Thank you 🙏
Such good advice for the return 👌🏼
4:26 this is so helpful for me to learn😊😊😊😊
💯
Great Nik!
Thanks Nick for this wonderful lesson of returning service in tennis love from india ❤️
Another video on handling the body serve? Thank you. Good video.
awesome well explained !
Thank you!
excellent
Gary, thank you
Loved this. Would like to see more on this topic.
Fantastic, thank
Hi Nik. quick question: all good about blocking and shortening the swing? but when do we do chipping and when we just use normal grip but with shortened swing? in what situations we use chipping? what do you think? the harder the serve is? or on certain type of serves? your response is much appreciated.
Hi Maz, great question. I always say the chip, dropshot and the backhand volley are in the same family. They are siblings. Depending on the incoming serve there might be an across the body finish or a freezing of the racquet. There will always be a slight take back just like the volley.
When do you use it? Hard to answer bc every player is different. Some plan ahead of time to chip, others just play instinctively. In my case you always try to hit my 2-hander and the chip is an emergency reaction.
There are some players who chip everything. Wawrinka and Federer will often play that way. Nole on the other hand looks to use his two-hander on every serve.
I personally find that the forehand slice takes more time to execute than a top spin forehand, so I use the forehead chip return on medium speed serves where I can direct the ball to a corner. For faster serves and really slow serves, the usual forehand return helps me more: for fast serves, I need the quick swing, and for slow serves I can take huge swings.
I think the main reason why Federer chips his backhand return is primarely to offer different balls to his opponent. In the last few years he started returning with regular backhand more often then in the past, but without bringing up the sacred monsters, alternating top spin and chip return would probably create more uncertainties on the server, who's not going to know what the return will look like. What do you think? Thank you.
Nothing like a discussion of what grip to use on the return of serve to start a religious war.
One option I think worth consideration is, if you use a semi-Western grip on the forehand, you can easily switch to the Eastern backhand grip by just moving about 1/2 of a bevel IF you also move the racquet head over to the backhand side by keeping the same side of the string bed facing forward. This requires a semi-circular motion akin to the windshield wiper movement rather than keeping the racquet head rather static, the latter technique presenting the opposite side of the string bed forward. The windshield wiper motion used here is quite natural although describing what happens sounds like a quantum mechanics dissertation. lol
While this motion is quite simple it may take some time to make it automatic as it's likely the more traditional motion has been used many thousands of times.
Of course if you use a full Western forehand grip, absolutely no grip change is necessary to use the Eastern backhand grip. Simply use the windshield wiper motion to bring the racquet head over to the backhand side and your grip will automatically be in the exact Eastern backhand grip position.
George, yes the semi western is a good return grip for players who like hitting forehands. Rafa being one of them, he has no issues ripping backhand returns for winners!! Vamos 💪💪💪💪
Hey one more question coach. The lesson is great, although I find a bit unconfortable staying on the balls of my feet before the split step. Doesn' it have the same effect if I start with the heels on the ground in the sprinter position and I land on my toes ready to react just after the split step? I'm quite sure Djokovic and Murray do this way. Am I wrong? Cheers 🙂👌
Domenico, works perfect. You have to find what feels good.
Hi Nick! Which of the three return styles would you say is the more effective? Thanks :)
I prefer the Djokovic
@@IntuitiveTennis Thanks!!
I tried to hold the racquet predominately by my left hand and use my right hand barely hold the racquet in eastern grip. I find it very useful.
Just out of curiosity, what return of serve starting grip would you recommend for players with a one-handed backhand? Many coaches advocate starting out in the Eastern or Full-Eastern backhand grip.
Desmond, same as the two hander and I should have mentioned that.
Dimitrov, Gasquet, Wawrinka, Tsitsipas and Thiem all wait slightly over to the forehand side just like Novak. Only player who waits in a backhand grip with a one hander is Kohlschreiber. The Djokovic waiting position allows quicker grip changes even for the one hander.
Beautiful!!!
Alex, 🙏
Hey Nik, I was wondering about the split step issue on the return. There are so many types of split step. Sometimes people land with the two feet together, sometimes they land with the inside foot first as they already read where the ball is going while in the air and they try to push from that foot ecc. Is it really worth to train all the various split steps, or the process should be intuitive and whatever comes naturally that would be the right split step to use?
tennis92, yeah what you are describing depends on the incoming ball and it’ll have to be performed intuitively. However, the spit-step when the server is about make contact can be practiced. Try different kinds and see what gives you the quickest first step.
PS: I can’t do the Murray or Nishikori.
Great video! Could you please give me some advice on how to be aggressive on the 2nd serve return? I try to take time away by standing closer but am rarely on offence from the 1st point.
Is it more about hitting to riskier targets or trying to hit it harder? For context, I usually return from behind the baseline and take fuller cuts of the ball like Nadal. I return quite consistently but mostly aim deep down the middle for both 1st and 2nd serves. Thank you in advance for your help.
Kevin, down the middle is the Djokovic return and we can all learn from him. I have a video coming out next Friday about return positioning and hopefully it can clear up some of these questions.
@@IntuitiveTennisThank you for your response. Looking forward to the video!
Kevin, 👍
@@IntuitiveTennis down the middle return is not Djokovic's it belongs to everyone...
Excellent video. A question: Do You initiate the forward when the ball bounce?
While the opponent is in mid service motion
Thank you very much very good lesson профессионал logikal
Great video , great job. definitely worth watch couple of times , one question: if you going to hit a forehand on your opponent serv do you change your grip to a forehead grip or you hit the ball with an neutral grip? Thanks a lot
Jovan, thank you.
That’s a good question, I think you should always try to change your grip to a forehand grip, which you’ll do right after the split step. 99% of the time there will be sufficient time at the recreational level to accomplish this. If you happen to hit a forehand with a neutral grip (continental), you are left with a chip return as the only option.
Excellent great stuff I’m on it straight away... looking forward for the next videos thanks a million
Jovan, thanks for watching🙏
Bro, that is fantastic explanation. I have one query, I am a rock hard server, I sometimes fail to control my shots when I receive a weak return of my serves in my service box, try to punish the return and that mentality flies the ball over the baseline. Can you please guide me. Thank you
BT, thank you!
The problem you are facing is very common. The reason why this is happening can stem for a multitude of problems. I can’t give appropriate advice without seeing your put-away shots misfiring.
@@IntuitiveTennis mostly the ball comes above and around the shoulder height and it flies over the baseline when I hit
BT, could be ball recognition, timing, footwork, balance, the forehand technique itself, nerves and tactical intention.
@@IntuitiveTennis thank you. I shall concentrate on your tips.
BT, thank u
Great videos, Nick. On the Murray step forward return method, does Murray start the split before the back foot lands or after?
Definitely after
Very nice video sir with stance and how to use body to hit returns
Can you please also share how to judge whether the serve is coming towards backhand or forehand
In the return of serve stance, is it important to have elbows in front of the body as well?
Shouldnt the Djoko serve return grip be used for all strokes and not just service return. That way we are open to both always?
Nik, where is Samir? I like the series you did with Samir, very informative.
Would you say that your elbows are more in a forward position compared to the ready position that you have after you hit a groundstroke?
Domenico, absolutely the serve is the fastest stroke in tennis. Having the elbows forward helps. Sometimes at the net we would be in this position as well.
Great lesson!
Loved the stand position part .
About Novak Djokovic actually uses a forehand grip when he waits for the return, he changes his grip just before the toss off the oponent
Hello if I send you a video of my tennis return or other groundstrokes would you be able to tell me any mistakes you see? I have tried other coaches, which they charged me a lot and didn't tell me anything I didn't know
How do you return a hard spinning serve? They tend spin away from me or I’m too close and miss hit it.
I use semi-western for my forehand and continental for my backhand, so should I hold it somewhere in between while waiting to return the serve?
You can try
The thing that makes the most sense to me is to start with my left hand in a backhand position and my right hand in a forehand position. If I get a backhand I have a very minor grip change on my right hand. If it’s a forehand there is no grip change.
Hi
Please explain how to return the serve for one handed backhand players is it a same movement
Nice. Thank you for taking the time to make this. My question is how to track and time the ball. In regular ground strokes following a pattern of "hit, bounce, hit" works nicely but I have trouble doing that with the serve. Is there another technique to track and time the ball better for more consistency on the return? Also, is there a way to practice the return of serve without a partner? This is the shot I get to practice the least because I don't always have a partner to practice with.
Dorian, practicing returns without an incoming serve takes everything away from what makes the return challenging, which is reacting to the fastest ball in the game of tennis, the serve.
If you watch Djokovic return it looks like his eyeballs are popping out of his skull. He is so desperately trying to see the ball, and it works, he sees the ball better than anyone else.
@@IntuitiveTennis Thank you for your reply. I understand and agree but surely there's a way to practice tracking and timing the ball. In regular ground strokes following a pattern of "hit, bounce, hit" works nicely but I have trouble doing that with the serve. Is there technique to track and time the ball better for more consistency on the return?
Dorian, I’m not familiar with hit bounce hit. Can you explain it?
@@IntuitiveTennis Sure... tracking the ball you watch your opponent "hit" the ball to determine it's direction and type of stroke - You move to meet the ball and time it by watching the "bounce" then you "hit" the ball. In practice, it actually helps to say these things out loud because it forces concentration. It doesn't seem to work as well for the return of serve but it's very nice for groundstrokes. This is why I asked how to track the ball on the return of serve. No talks about this and it's frustrating.
Dorian, ok thank you. Yes I like this timing. It’s very similar to the sequencing that I teach. I don’t quite like timing the “hit” to the bounce, but it’s overall a good mindset.
The return or serve is the same concept. However, it’s very different from returning groundstrokes and we therefore need to make a variety of adjustments.
4:37 actually Nishikori way of standing sideways is not new. John McEnroe used that stance too. And he still does it to this day in senior tour.
Nick, where should we be aiming for the return of serve?
ua-cam.com/video/uKLyAi2gi3s/v-deo.html
The name of the Djokovic grip for serves is called the Australian grip.
Claudio, yes the “Australian” grip was used by Rafter and Becker on their first serves. Djokovic doesn’t use this grip on his returns, he simply rests his right hand in this position for quicker grip changes.
Didn't talk about the Federer return, so non-chalant yet perfectly timed
Can you also talk about where the returner should stand?
👉 ua-cam.com/video/wja8bgYzX0U/v-deo.html
@@IntuitiveTennis thanks so much
Can I please know how to improve my flexibility
🕶👍
4:26
just be lose on eastern.