I am struggling with my return of serve. Can you help me better understand where I should stand when receiving serve? Any other tips?
JACKIE BOHANNON
Guest Columnist
tennis@lbknews.com
When receiving serve in doubles, the receiver should stand slightly behind the baseline. When the server hits the ball, the receiver should split step. If the serve is hard and the receiver is struggling, they should back up until they can comfortably return the serve. If the server has a weak serve, the receiver should move forward until they can comfortably receive the ball without letting it drop. If you are playing someone significantly better than you, you could potentially stand 10 feet behind the baseline. If you are playing someone much weaker than you, you may stand right behind the service line. You should always adapt to your opponent.
When the receiver is returning serve the receiver’s partner should stand on the service line for three important reasons. Firstly, they need to watch the service line, so they can call the ball out if the