The Pro Return
How pro returners read serve spin, position, and pace to neutralize elite first serves.
Classic and Modern Tennis:
Part 1: Compact Classical
John Yandell
Roger Federer: a compact, classical, aggressive forehand return.
It's been argued that the return of serve is as important or possibly more important than the serve itself, since without the ability to break every set ends in a tiebreaker. Clearly we saw the role the return could play in Novak Djokovic's titanic Australian victory over Rafael Nadal. (Click Here to read Craig O'Shannessey's article about that.)
But when we say "return of serve," what do we mean? There is no one return. In reality there are many versions. Obviously there are forehands and backhands, and the backhands can be hit with either one or two hands. And many players make extensive use of the slice on both the forehand and backhand side.
As with every shot in pro tennis when you look closely at our incredible high speed film, you see the returns are a changing combination of technical elements--elements that differ from player to player—and also for the same player from ball to ball. And definitely from the groundstroke versions of the same shots.
In this new series let's delve into the range, the variations, and the complexities of the pro returns. Then let's come to some conclusions about which options might - or might not - apply for your game.
To understand the range of possibilities on the return, we have to look at the differences in the grips, the starting positions on the court, the body turns, the stances, the size and path of the backswings, the shape of the forward swings, the finishes, the contact heights and the spins, among other factors.
Another look at Federer moving into hit an aggressive drive return.
The variety in the way players combine all these is at least as fascinating as the combinations on the groundstrokes. Interestingly they also include technical elements and positions you don't usually see off the ground, particularly in the backswing and the footwork.
So let's start with the forehand returns and examine the components. In this first article let's analyze what I call the Compact Classical forehand return, a version of a drive return that can be used on either the first or second serve. We'll take Roger Federer as the example.
In future articles we'll look at other variations of the forehand drive as used by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray. Then we'll move on to the backhand returns with both one and two hands, and after that, the slice. The ultimate goal is to develop a perspective for improving the returns of players at all levels.
Compact Drives
Federer's forehand returns are the best examples in the modern game of compact drives. These drives are based on classical technical components and, in keeping with his overall style, are intended to be very aggressive.
The foundation of this type of return for Federer is the grip. Federer returns with by far the most conservative grip of the top players, basically a modern eastern forehand. This is essentially the same grip Pete Sampras and Tim Henman used on their forehand groundstrokes. (Click Here for more on grips and grip terminology.)
2 views of Roger's return grip with the hand behind the handle.
As we have seen, on Roger's forehand groundstroke he uses a modified eastern, with the hand shifted down just slightly toward a semi-western. But on the return, the hand is further toward the top of the handle with both the heel pad and the index knuckle on the third bevel down from the top.
The grip is directly related to another key initial factor, which is Federer's starting court position. Typically on first serves Federer positions himself 2 to 4 feet behind the baseline. On second serves, he moves further in, starting just behind the line but often taking an extra step and striking the ball well inside the court.
Federer's grip and his starting position are related to yet two more factors—the timing of the return and the contact height. Roger usually takes the return on the rise. This controls the contact height keeping it below shoulder level, which is critical with his conservative grip.
The result is that he takes time away from other players. This also means he hits his forehand returns very flat by modern standards. In our original spin studies we found that in general the returns were hit with less spin that the groundstrokes. (Click Here.) This is true for the top current players and especially for Federer.
Whereas Roger averages about 2700rpm on his forehand groundstrokes, his first serve returns we have measured ranged between 600rpm and 1400rpm, with an average of 950rpm. That's a little more than a third of the average spin on his forehand groundstroke.
On his second serve he hits with somewhat more spin, averaging about 1500rpm. But that is still only slightly more than half of his groundstroke average.
Roger can split close behind the baseline or take a step up and split inside.
Split Step and Turn
As do all high level players, Federer begins with the return with a split step. The split step can basically be in place, going straight up into the air and straight back down.
But on many of his returns, he actually hops forwards getting closer to the ball and the baseline. So this is a difference with his split on the forehand groundstroke.
On the second serve, he frequently adds a forward step of up to two feet with the left foot before he stars the split. This means that after he splits he lands even further forward.
On the groundstrokes and when approaching the net, you often see Federer and other top players actually start to turn the outside foot in the direction of the shot before landing the split step. But this is not the case on overwhelming majority of his returns.
Federer virtually always lands the split simultaneously on both feet with the weight evenly distributed. In the High Speed Archive, I found only one example of a return where his right foot had started to turn slightly before he landed.
Note how much his stance widens after the split—to something close to twice shoulder width. Notice also the depth of the knee bend, something that is also evident when he starts to turn.
The feet and upper body turn sideways as a unit.
Turn
The positioning at the end of the split step helps explain how Federer initiates the turn. He starts the vast majority of his returns with a pivot or swivel step in which his feet do not leave the court.
This is a big difference from the groundstrokes which often start with a step out in the direction of the ball, with a player picking up the outside foot. Or a groundstroke can start with a drop step in which the player moves the outside foot back underneath his body. (For more on the first step footwork options on the groundstrokes, Click Here.)
A second difference is the stance. In most pro groundstrokes players set up in a semi-open stance at the end of the turn with the left foot significantly closer to the net (Click Here for more on that). But on most forehand returns it's different.
Rather than stepping upward, the left foot (the foot further from the ball) tends to pivot sideways, similar to the pivot with the right foot though sometimes less. This means the player is in something close to a fully open stance when he reaches the maximum turn
As Federer starts the pivot step, he turns his body as well as his feet. The turn is unitary as we have seen many times on all the groundstrokes—and it's the same on the returns. This means Roger's feet and his body are moving sideways together, with minimal independent movement of the hand, arm or racket. Notice also as Federer completes this pivot move, how he maintains the deep knee bend from the completion of the split.
At the completion of the turn the shoulders can rotate 45 up to 90 degrees.
As the body turns, the racket is moving backwards somewhat, but as a function of the rotation of the torso. So the admonition "Get your racket back early" doesn't apply—if by that you mean moving the arm and racket on their own. In fact, if the first move is with the arm and racket, the critical body turn will probably never happen or at best will be significantly reduced.
Size of Turn
If we look at the amount of the body turn on the return, it is definitely less extreme than the groundstrokes. With the groundstrokes, the shoulders are almost always turned somewhat past 90 degrees to the net.
But with the returns, it's less. The shoulders can turn as little as 45 degrees. On a few returns they may reach 90 degrees. On most it's probably somewhere in between.
The left arm stretch also tends to be less extreme. It definitely comes across the body, but sometimes it never fully straightens out, and it rarely points directly at the sideline, as it does routinely on groundstrokes. (For more on the groundstroke turn, Click Here.)
This all makes sense. On the return, players us a quicker, more compact version of the groundstroke turn because of the time factor. Remember it's around a second between hits in a groundstroke rally in pro tennis. But on the return, the serves reaches the returner's racket in ¾'s of a second and frequently less.
So for any player at any level, beginning the return with a unitary sideways motion of the feet and body is a huge key. At lower levels with reduced speed, it may also possible at times to step out in the direction of the ball after the turn. But in the pro game, it appears the pivot step is the dominant option due to the speed of the game.
Backswing
The other big difference between the forehand return and groundstroke is the backswing. A standard cliché on the return is "Keep the backswing compact!"
Watch the racket hand move back and to the outside or the player's right.
And that's true for Roger, definitely. But what's interesting is the shape his "compact" backswing takes and how that happens.
Shortly after the unit turn begins, Roger turns the racket face to the opponent, as he does on his regular forehand. But watch what happens next.
Rather than taking the hand upward and backward, as on a forehand groundstroke, his hand continues to stay at virtually same height. It does move backwards but less than on the groundstroke.
In one sense, then the backswing motion is "straight back" because the hand doesn't rise. But even more interesting is that as it is moving back it is also moving to the outside or the player's right. Watch how it actually gets further away from his body.
Note also how the racket tip stays pointing virtually straight up for the first part of this motion. But then the hand, arm and racket rotate backward as a unit roughly 90 degrees.
Now look at the angle of the racket! The shaft is basically level with the court. But the tip points behind Federer and to his right.
The tip never points back directly perpendicular to the back fence. Instead it stays outside or to the right of the hand. In relation to the baseline it's at an angle of say 30 to 45 degrees. So the butt of the racket never squares up pointing to the ball or even the net.
What does that mean? Stay tuned for the upcoming analysis of this position and its key biomechanical significance in the new forehand articles coming soon from Brian Gordon. Rather than me trying to explain it (and maybe getting it wrong), let's just say that this position is very significant in developing racket speed.
What is the purpose of the diagonal cross step?
Cross Step
So what happens next? Watch Federer's opposite or left foot—the foot furthest from the ball--around the time he is completing the backswing. That foot starts to take a large diagonal cross step that corresponds with the forward swing, landing across the body after the hit.
If the ball is in perfect position, Federer will hit with the open stance he sets up from the turn. But he uses the cross step on a high percentage of returns. This step can be slightly across the body, or up to several feet across. Surprising when you really look at it isn't it?
Is Federer using a "closed stance," something that supposedly never happens on the forehand side in the modern game? I would say no, not exactly, because the hit happens well before the diagonal cross step is complete or his foot ever touches down on the court. It's actually similar to what happens on some running forehands which end with a cross step that lands after the hit.
This return cross step is part of what footwork master David Bailey calls a "Transfer Move." (Click Here.) As Bailey explains it, the returner, in this case Roger, is using the cross step to transfer his weight forward and move into the shot and hit a more aggressive return.
But I think in some cases there is more to it than this. In the supersonic world of the pro return, this footwork pattern is also the best or maybe the only way to reach a wider ball on time.
Watch the compact forward swing with limited body rotation.
You rarely see players in the men's game take additional out steps to reach wide serves. And this is because they don't have the extra split seconds they would need to do this. Instead they take one lunging step forward and across, making contact somewhere between the start of the step and the landing of the opposite foot on the court. When depends on the exact position of the ball.
Forward Swing
So what about the forward swing itself?
Watch the back leg uncoil and the hips and the hips and shoulders rotate. There is less initial body turn than a groundstroke, as we have seen. This means there is also less torso rotation in the forward swing.
Typically Roger finishes with the shoulders parallel to the net. So he rotates forward 45 to at most 90 degrees. That's as much as 90 degrees less torso rotation than on many of his forehand groundstrokes, and closer to a classical eastern style swing.
Then there is the path of the racket face itself. For the majority of his returns, again on both first and second serves, the racket face stays on edge.
The extension of the swing with the racket still on edge like an old style eastern forehand.
That on edge swing is also similar to a classic eastern forehand, pretty close to what Robert Lansdorp taught Pete Sampras at age 8. (Click Here.) In fact Roger's forehand return—with maybe slightly more backswing--could be used as a model forehand groundstroke for a vast of club players.
With his eastern grip, aggressive court position and forward movement into the contact, Roger keeps the contact in the mid to high torso area, rather than shoulder high or higher as we will see with some of the forehand returns from Djokovic and Nadal.
Finish
The racket stays on edge or close to on edge until it has reached about eye level. The hand has crossed to the opposite side of the body and is even with the left edge of the torso. The upper arm is parallel to the court and the forearm is at an angle of about 45 degrees. This simple swing path helps explain the low spin levels.
The wrap, or the deceleration phase, finishes higher than the groundstroke and often directly backwards over the shoulder. Again this is very different from Roger's normal forehand which typically hase massive wiper action and can finish wrapped around the upper torso. (For more on the wiper and what it means, Click Here.)
Hitting Arm
Roger returns with a straight hitting arm but adjusts to a double bend on some balls.
As we have seen, Federer hits most (but not all) of his forehand groundstrokes with a straight hitting arm configuration. (Click Here.) And this is true of most of his returns as well. As he starts forward the arm and elbow are already straight and this pushes the contact quite far out. On some balls however, he will default to the more conservative double bend configuration.
The answer here for club players I think is to stick with whatever hitting arm structure you use on your groundstroke. But if you do hit with a straight arm (or try to) don't worry about being a little less aggressive on the return if you can't get all the way out. If Federer can be flexible on this point, so can you.
Caveats
There are a few caveats to the dominant patterns described above. As already noted, on some balls Roger hits from the open stance he sets up at the turn, without taking the cross step.
He will also step away from the ball at the start of the motion, moving around it when it's hit directly at him or he wants to hit inside out. Occasionally he will back up, almost always on the second serve, in order to take a larger swing.
In these cases, he will typically use the wiper finish that is more characteristic of his groundstrokes. Interestingly, these returns also tend to have higher spin values, and can reach over 2000rpm. This is almost double the rotation on his flatter returns.
But these variations are on a minority of the returns we have filmed. His main intention seems to be to move in, to play as aggressive as possible, and to hit the returns early and quite flat.
Roger will sometimes hit fully open or move either back and/or around the ball, hitting with more wiper action and more spin.
Recovery
A final point to look at how the diagonal cross step affects recovery. And like the backswing, this is very different from the groundstokes. On most pro groundstrokes cross over steps are the norm. But the large diagonal cross steps make the recovery more complex on the returns.
In the deuce court, the cross step pulls Roger into the alley or at times even wider, far from the middle of the court. Almost by necessity the recovery step must be a cross over in order to have any chance of regaining a neutral position.
But it's actually the opposite in the ad court. In that case the diagonal cross step is toward the middle, carrying Roger back toward a neutral rally position, something he can establish by taking an additional shuffle step, or just defaulting into a split step. Again, another interesting and important difference with the groundstrokes.
Summary
So let's summarize the elements for players who want to develop this type of return. Probably this return is best suited for players who already have a conversative grip.
The diagonal cross step affects the recovery differently in the ad and deuce courts.
You want to hold the racket with an eastern forehand grip. The ready position is aggressive and no more than a 3-4 feet behind the baseline at high levels, but probably closer in club play.
Split step into a wide base with significant knee bend. You may want to hop forward in the split or even take a step forward before the split on second serves. Make a compact turn with a pivot step and a hip and shoulder turn. Keep the backswing low, with your hand moving back but also to the outside, with the racket head to the outside or right of your hand.
If possible at the start of the forward swing move forward and into the ball with a diagonal cross step. Swing through the return with the racket on edge, extending out through the shot. Use your regular hitting arm structure if possible and make contact in front. Now, notice where you are on the courtand in which courtand choose the recovery steps depending on that position.
So that's it for the compact, classical aggressive return as modeled by Roger Federer. We'll look at the other top players in the upcoming articles, so stay tuned!
Part 2: Extreme Grips
Djokovic and Nadal hit forehand returns with same extreme grips as their forehand groundstrokes.
In the first article in this series we looked at the compact, classical return patterns hit by Roger Federer. (Click Here.) Now let's look at pro returns hit with more extreme grips by Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal and the similarities and the differences with Federer.
Federer hits his forehand returns with a very conservative grip by modern standards. Compared to his regular forehand grip he shifts his hand slightly toward the top of the frame to what we have called a modern eastern, the same grip used on the forehand drive by Pete Sampras and Tim Henman. (Click Here for more grip info.)
We know that on the groundstrokes that both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal use much more extreme grips than Federer--extreme semi western grips with most, but not quite all, of the hand shifted under the handle.
But what about on the returns? Interestingly, both players return with the same grips they use on their regular forehands. So Federer, the player with a conservative forehand grip becomes even more conservative on the return, and Djokovic and Nadal, the players with the most extreme forehand grips stay the same.
Again, we are left to contemplate the technical diversities in the approaches of the top players. But beyond the disparity in grips, what elements for Novak and Rafa are different than for Roger and which are similar? And what are differences if any between Djokovic and Nadal?
Another look at Novak's and Rafa's forehand return grips.
More on Grip
Let's start by defining the grips more clearly. What do I mean by an extreme semi-western grip? For Djokovic, the heel pad is on the fourth bevel down from the top, or maybe slightly further underneath. His index knuckle is on the edge between bevel 4 and bevel 5. (Click Here.)
Nadal has his index knuckle on bevel 4, probably a little higher than Djokovic, but his heel pad is a little lower, on the edge between 4 and 5. (Click Here.)
Neither grip is fully "western" because neither player slides his hand completely under the handle. But these are still the most extreme grips among the top players, and the relatively slight differences between them may or may not be truly significant. When we look at the overall picture, the point is that there is a tremendous range in possible pro return grips, a range that is actually greater than the differences in the grips off the ground.
One major difference we should note, however, between Novak and Rafa is the grips they hold in the ready position. Djokovic is in between his forehand and backhand. He appears to have his index knuckle on the center of bevel 3—the bevel directly aligned with the string bed, with the heel pad the same or possibly somewhat lower. (Click Here for even more on grips and grip terminology.)
In the ready position, Novak's grip is in between his forehand and backhand. Rafa's is very close to or the same as his forehand.
Nadal in comparison has his hand lower in the ready position, very close to or the same as his forehand grip, with the index knuckle more on bevel 4 and the heel pad probably about the same. So there is a minimal shift if at all. This means of course that Nadal must make a bigger grip adjustment to hit a backhand return or a slice. (More on that in upcoming articles.)
Spin
The main point is that for the return itself, both players are using essentially the same grip as their groundstrokes. So what are the implications here for the rest of the technical stroke? They aren't necessarily what you might assume.
Let's start with spin. We know from our previous studies (Click Here) that in general the returns are hit with much less spin than the groundstrokes.
But you might assume that with his even more conservative return grip Federer would have lower spin values on the returns than the other two players, especially considering the more over the shoulder style finish he tends to use on his returns—varying from his lower windshield wiper groundstroke finishes. (Click Here for more on Federer's return.)
Nadal hits up to twice as much return spin as Djokovic or Federer.
But it turns out that isn't true. In reality, the spin differences on the returns appears to be proportional to the spin differences on the groundstrokes.
We have seen that Federer and Djokovic average around 2700-2800rpms on their forehand groundstrokes. Nadal is about 20% higher at an average of 3300rpm.
We have fewer incidents on the returns, and because of this sample size we need to be somewhat circumspect. But the data we do have shows that—as with our previous studies--all three players have less spin on the returns.
But the relative levels tend to mirror the levels on the groundstrokes. This means that on the return, Federer and Djokovic are about the same, and Nadal significantly higher.
Specifically, Federer and Djokovic are averaging a little over 900rpm on first serve forehand returns. Nadal is about 20% higher at 1100rpm.
Despite his grip, Djokovic's spin levels are similar to Federer on the returns--as well as groundstrokes.
This difference is more pronounced on the second serve returns. Federer and Djokovic are averaging about 1400rpm on second serve forehand returns. Nadal is almost double that at 2800rpm.
So think about that. Federer has an eastern grip and is hitting the same return spin as Djokovic whose grip is as extreme as Nadal's. Nadal has the same grip as Djokovic but is hitting far more spin.
How do we account for the differences? Is it technical in terms of the swing patterns, or is it tactical and a function of the player's intention, or is it something else?
One factor we definitely need to consider is court position. On the returns, Djokovic starts much closer to the baseline, similar to Federer. Nadal is far more mixed. We see him standing in like the other two players at times, sometimes for sustained periods.
But more typically he starts much further back. On the first serve, Nadal can be 8 to 12 feet or more behind the baseline in his ready position. Djokovic is no more than half that distance and usually less. Federer is at least as close as Djokovic and frequently closer.
In general Djokovic stands in closer than Nadal on both first and second serves.
On second serves both Djokovic and Federer typically move in even further, sometimes striking the ball inside the baseline. Although you see Nadal move forward on some second serves, his ready position is usually the same as on the first serve--and sometimes he moves still further back.
My guess is that these positional differences help account for the spin differences. Nadal is usually taking the ball higher and is able to swing up more. On his second serve returns, where he generates the most spin, his return swing pattern is often close to his full forehand groundstroke, especially when he moves even further back from his normal, already very deep position.
Split Step
Although the positive responses to the article on Federer's returns was really great, one criticism that I thought was valuable was that the article didn't address the timing of the split step. And obviously, this is a critical factor.
The split begins before contact, with the turn complete somewhere around the bounce.
So let's look at that now. Typically, what you see is that all three players are beginning the split step before the server actually contacts the ball.
This means they are in the air when the opponent strikes the ball and are landing the split when the ball is still on the other side of the net. The turn motion typically begins as the ball crosses to their side and is complete sometime right around the bounce.
If you watch club players you see time and time again that they don't react to the ball until it bounces on their side of the court. This is disastrous on the groundstrokes, and ultra disastrous on the return of serve. It makes it difficult if not impossible to turn, leads to late contact, and reduces the options for the forward swing.
So here is a critical point for players at all levels. You don't need to read the serve direction to begin the return motion. Start the split as the server starts the upward swing.
Landing and Turn
So what happens next, when the players land and start the turn? And what does the turn motion look like? Here we see some differences that may partially relate to court position.
Novak usually lands on both feet while Rafa sometimes starts the turn in the air.
Roger frequently takes a step forward with one foot then launches into his split. Djokovic does this occasionally but in general he probably moves less forward. Like Federer, however, Djokovic usually lands the split with both feet hitting the court at the same time and the weight basically equally distributed.
Nadal on the other hand often begins the turn during the split step, starting to turn his feet as he lands. This may be in part related to how far he starts back. But you see him do it as well even when he is closer.
This is similar to what players do on the split on some groundstrokes and volleys where they are turning the outside foot in the direction of the shot as they are coming down. Ironically this is similar to what Agassi often did on his returns, the only other elite player in recent history to stand even further in than Federer.
There are other things that are different about Nadal's split. At times he will actually split backwards in the air, landing even deeper in the court than where he started.
And when he wants to hit an inside out forehand return, he sometimes actually launches to his right in the air before landing the split. You see Federer and some other players do this occasionally but usually just on the second serve and less frequently than Nadal.
Whatever the variations, the key is to begin the split before the server's contact.
So we may have the tendency to think of the split step as something pretty straight forward. But looking at the splits of these three players, that's a lot of variation, related to court position and return style.
The key point for club players trying to improve their returns, however, is to begin the split before the server's contact, and then to react to the location of the ball as soon as possible whether you can start you turn in the air or not. You should also experiment to adjust your starting ready position based on your tactical style, your reactions times, and the speed and weight of your opponent's serves.
First Move
Whatever the differences in the splits, once the actual motion starts, the first move is similar for all three players, or any other good returner. This move is something players at all levels should also model.
The first move is a unitary body turn with the feet, hips and shoulders. On the return, it almost always begins with a swivel or pivot step with the outside foot in the direction of the shot. Occasionally though you will also see other options: step outs, reverse pivots and even drop steps.
The first move most commonly initiates with a pivot step.
But the pivot step seems to be the norm, with the foot basically staying in place and turning sideways. This usually starts just after the landing, but as we saw, can also begin while the player is in the air.
As the pivot happens, the turn also starts with the upper body. This motion is similar to the turn on the groundstrokes, something we have seen many times. (Click Here.)
The idea is not to "get the racket back." The arm and the racket have no independent or very limited independent movement as the unit turn starts. The idea is to initiate the preparation and the movement of the racket with the swivel step and the body turn.
Although the return starts with this unit turn similar to the groundstrokes, the amount of total body turn on the returns is usually significantly less. This is true for Djokovic and Nadal, as we saw it was for Federer
On the groundstrokes the shoulders usually turn somewhat past 90 degrees to the net. On the forehand return, the turn is about half to two thirds that, something like 45 degrees to 60 degrees depending on the ball, although you can see it reach 90 degrees at times.
The body turn is less on the groundstroke, as is the stretch of the opposite arm across the body.
The opposite arm stretch across the body also tends to be less. Typically it doesn't fully straighten out and point directly at the sideline, as it virtually always does on the groundstrokes. (For more on the groundstroke turn, Click Here.)
This all makes sense. On the return, players have to use a quicker, more compact preparation because of the time factor. This is due to the fact that the serve reaches the returner's racket in ¾'s of a second and frequently less.
But the main point is that, for any player at any level, beginning the return with a unitary sideways motion of the feet and body is fundamental. At lower levels, with reduced ball speed, it is often possible to turn more fully. But in the pro game, the turn is predominantly reduced in the way we have described.
The exception can be for a player like Nadal when he stands 15 feet behind the baseline. In that circumstance it's possible to have a fuller turn, more like a groundstroke. And maybe that's why he stands back there and uses the fuller swing—he wants to start off with much higher spin levels.
Backswing
A critical return difference—the racket hand moving straight back but also to the outside.
As we saw with Federer, there is another significant difference between the forehand return and the forehand groundstroke. This is the backswing, although this difference has not closely analyzed and is not widely understood.
Every player has heard the admonition to use a "compact backswing" on the return. But what exactly does that mean? What does a compact shape really look like?
Watch the racket hand after the unit turn. Rather than moving upward on a circular arc, the racket hand for both Djokovic and Nadal moves almost straight back or minimally upward on a slight incline.
But at the same time, the racket hand is also clearly moving to the outside away from the player's body. This is a key element that so far as I know has not been previously identified or analyzed.
It is also very different from the backswing on the groundstrokes in two respects. On the groundstrokes, the backswing motion is dramatically upward, almost vertical. Typically in a pro backswing, the hand can reach the top of the shoulder or higher.
On some extreme grip returns, the racket head stays outside or wider than the hand.
After the unit turn on the forehand groundstroke the hand usually stays at relatively the same distance from the body as it moves up, or moves slightly closer to the torso near the top or at the start of the descending phase of the backswing.
Compare this to the return. After the hands separate, the racket hand is actually moving in the other direction--away from the torso not closer. Typically the hand continues this movement until the start of the forward swing.
But that's not all. There is another characteristic as well. This was present in virtually all the Federer returns. But you also see it at times as well with the more extreme grips.
Watch the angle of the racket in relationship to the hitting arm. The tip never points back directly perpendicular to the back fence. Instead it stays outside of the hand, or closer to the sideline at a diagonal to the arm.
In relation to the baseline it's at an angle of say 30 to 45 degrees. This means the butt of the racket never squares up. This is characteristic of the most compact backswing variation. But you see this on some returns with the extreme grips, and it tends to correlate with when the players stand further in.
On other extreme returns, the racket butt squares up with the net.
On other returns, however, the backswing go can somewhat further back. In this case even though the racket hand stays low and to the outside, it moves back far enough so the butt of the racket squares up with the net.
So there appears to be more variation in the backswing shapes with the extreme grips. But no doubt they are still more compact than the groundstroke backswings.
Instead of moving sharply upward and staying close to the body, the racket hand is moving straight back or only slightly upward But also significantly to the outside. And at times it moves more backwards or less backwards, affecting the angle of the racket.
Closed Stance?
So now let's look at yet another major difference with the forehand groundstroke.
The groundstroke backswing: moving upward and inward versus the return: moving straight back and outward.
As the forward swing starts, the opposite foot—the foot furthest from the ball-- starts to take a large diagonal cross step across the body after the hit.
What? Is that a "closed stance," something that supposedly never happens on the forehand side in the modern game?
I would say not exactly. This is because the hit happens well before the foot touches down on the court.
So the players aren't setting up in a closed stance. It's actually similar to what happens on some running forehands which end with a cross step that lands after the hit. Or the lunge step on the volley, where the hit happens before the front foot hits the court in most cases.
David Bailey calls this cross step on the return a "Transfer Move." (Click Here.) The player uses the cross step to transfer his weight forward and move into the shot and hit a more aggressive return.
But I think there is also more to it than this on the return. The large diagonal cross step maybe the only way to reach the ball in the high speed world of pro tennis.
After the turn, a diagonal cross step to the ball that lands after contact.
Players take one lunging step forward and across, making contact somewhere between the start of the step and the landing of the foot on the court, depending on the actual location of the serve.
If the ball comes directly into the contact zone you will see players hit with an open stance. At times they will also move around the ball to hit a forehand. But they use the cross step on a higher percentage of returns—and there must be a reason in terms of reaching and timing the ball. Surprising when you really look at it isn't it?
Forward Swing
So what about the forward swing itself?
The sequence of initiating the swing is similar to a groundstroke. Watch the back leg uncoil and the hips and shoulders start to rotate. But note the role of the torso rotation is significantly less.
There is less initial body turn on the return than with a groundstroke, as we have seen. This means there is naturally less forward rotation to the contact.
Less forward rotation to contact and minimal rotation afterwards.
But the rotation of the shoulders is also restricted in the followthrough. On the forehand groundstroke, the players often rotate the rear shoulder around until it is facing the net, with the plane of the torso at a right angle to the baseline. (Click Here.)
But on the forehand return Djokovic and Nadal—as with Federer--typically rotate the torso far less after contact, typically finishing with the shoulders about parallel to the net.
This means the rotation on the forward swing is between 45 and 90 degrees. That's about half of what you seen on most modern forehand groundstrokes.
Finishes
The finishes for Novak and Rafa are very interesting, especially when we compare them to what we saw with Roger.Federer. In general Federer reduces the number of wiper finishes he uses so predominantly on his groundstrokes, and hits higher, more over the shoulder finishes instead.
But Novak is the reverse! He exchanges his usual over the shoulder finish for the wiper! (Click Here.) Compared to his groundstroke he normally finishes much lower, with his racket and hand wrapping around the shoulder or even the torso.
Federer and Djokovic tend to change their preferred finishes on the return while Nadal stays the same.
So think about it. On the return, Federer moves to a more conservative grip and what would be usually considered a more classical finish.
And Djokovic keeps his same extreme grip and goes to a wiper finish usually associated with heavier spin. Yet they both stand in on the returns and generate similar spin levels.
Not sure I can figure out what all that means—or that I even want to try. But I guess one point that we've made many times before can't really be debated—top players combine the complex elements in the swing patterns in a wide variety of ways. (Click Here.)
And maybe exactly how they do all that is something that, at some point, you just have to feel as a player, and something that can't be worked out mathematically or abstractly by the rest of us. Unless someone out there has a different idea?
Nadal
And then there is Nadal. There are plenty of times when all the same technical points apply. But then on many balls he does something different.
Especially from deep in the court, Nadal's forehand return expands to approximate his groundstroke.
Instead of standing in and radically compacting the motion, he stands back and uses a swing pattern that is much closer to a groundstroke. Now both hands stay on the racket longer and the racket and arms rise higher and stay closer to the body in the backswing.
The butt of the racket also typically squares up to the net. Even at its most extreme, however, his forehand return appears to be a slightly more compact motion that his forehand groundstroke.
This larger swing variation is most common on his second serve return, where his goal often appears to be generating as much spin as possible. As we have seen, his spin numbers are higher for both first and second serve returns than either Federer or Djokovic, but almost double on the second serve.
And all this is reflected in his finishes. Unlike Federer and Djokovic who tend to change their basic finishes on the return, Nadal does not.
Most of his returns have the same over the head reverse finishes he uses on his groundstrokes. This similarity to his forehand is also reflected in his stance, which tends to be semi-open when he stands back.
Recovery
As we saw with Federer, when players take a huge cross step to the ball this has a direct effect on the recovery steps. And the effect is different in the deuce and ad courts.
The cross step affects recovery footwork differently in the deuce and ad courts.
For Djokovic, the diagonal step in the deuce court means he often lands in the alley, moving wider than if he had positioned to hit open stance on the same ball. This means he has further to recover. So from this position, he will virtually always take a crossover recovery step to regain as much court as possible.
In the ad court, though the diagonal step actually facilitates the movement back toward the middle. This is because with the cross step he lands further to his right than if he had simply set up for a similar ball in an open or semi-open stance. In that case he may or may not use the cross step in recovering toward the center.
The same points apply for Nadal, but obviously in reverse since he is a left hander. The diagonal step takes him further out of position in the ad court, and moves him closer to the middle in the deuce. As with Djokovic, the wider landing (for Nadal in the ad) increases the likelihood that he will use cross steps.
Those are general tendencies, but the players will at times crossover or shuffle in either court. If that isn't enough complexity for you, it's also worth noting that when it comes to cross steps, the top players can take the cross step either in front of or behind the other foot.
Summary
So looking again at the elements, here are some recommendations if you want to return with your extreme groundstroke grip, although many of the points are universal to all returns.
The split should happen before the server contacts the ball and the turn should begin at the latest after the landing. The initial move—unless you are running around the ball—is usually a pivot step.
Top players have tendencies, but also variations in court position, stances, and finishes, among other elements.
The step is part of an overall body turn including the hips and shoulders. Unlike the groundstroke, the turn is 90 degrees at most and usually less.
The hands are together at the start of the turn, but separate somewhat earlier than on the groundstroke. The racket hand then moves straight back or at most slightly upward. But it also moves outward, away from the body.
On more compact returns, the racket tip will remain at an angle to the hitting arm at the start of the forward swing. But with the extreme grip the backswing is sometimes longer so that the racket tip squares up.
The return swing pattern can also be larger still and closer to a groundstroke when players move back.
The return can be hit with a variety of stances, but most typically the player uses a crossing diagonal step to reach the ball. The exceptions tend to be when running around to hit a forehand or, again, if the player tends to stand extremely deep in the court.
The finishes vary, but are mainly wipers in front of the body or reverses over the head, depending on timing and the amount of spin the player wants to generate. Recovery steps vary as well, from a single shuffle step to a front or rear cross over, depending on the service court and also the serve location.
As we have seen with so many aspects of the game, it is difficult to formulate a simple answer to the question: how do I hit a forehand return? Or how should my return vary from my groundstroke? At the very least however I hope these two articles outline a range of possibilities to experiment with in your game! Stay tuned for more!
The Pro Return:
One Handed Backhand Drive Return
John Yandell
What is fundamental to a compact, one-handed backhand return?
Is the key to the one-handed drive return to stand in with a short swing? Or to move back and swing more like a groundstroke?
Move forward before the split? Or back? Or split in place?
Should the first and second serve returns be similar? Or different? Should the contact point be at waist, or chest, or shoulder level? Should the player hit open stance? Or take a lunging cross step?
The answer to all these questions is yes. If we study the returns of Roger Federer, one of greatest one-handed returners of all time, we see he combines all these options in different ways at different times.
However, there are some constants across all his drive returns. This is a basic constellation of elements that one-handed players should understand and develop first in building great returns for themselves.
In the first two articles in this series, we looked first at pro forehand returns, first the classical drives (Click Here) and returns with more extreme grips. (Click Here.)
Now we’ll shift to the backhands. In this first article we’ll look at Federer and his classical one-handed drive returns. Then we’ll move on to the two-handed variations. After that we’ll also explore the slice return—both for players who hit with one and two hands.
A milder return grip compared to the backhand groundstroke.
Some Constants
So what are the basic elements to develop in the one-handed return?
The first is grip. In the ready position, Federer waits to return with an in between grip. He then shifts one way or the other depending on whether the return is a forehand or a backhand.
With this in between grip, his index knuckle appears to be on bevel 2, one down from the top. (For more on the bevels and grip terminology, Click Here.)
His heel pad is probably on the edge between bevels 2 and 3. For the forehand return, as we saw (Click Here), he shifts the hand down to a classic eastern, what we have called a 3 / 3, with both the index knuckle and the heel pad on the third bevel down from the top and aligned behind the racket head.
This is slightly less extreme than his regular forehand grip in which the hand and particularly the index knuckle are shifted slightly further down.
Something similar seems to happen on his backhand drive return. His return grip is a slightly less extreme version of his groundstroke grip.
On his backhand return, he shifts the hand toward the top of the frame, but not quite as far as he shifts on his topspin backhand groundstroke. His regular backhand groundstroke grip is with the index knuckle on top the frame on bevel 1 and most of his heel pad on top as well. It’s tough to tell exactly in the high speed footage, but on the return, the shift doesn’t appear to be that far. His index knuckle probably makes it to the edge between bevels 1 and 2, and his heel pad is not quite as much on top either.
The stronger groundstroke grip means contact further in front.
The exact hand positions are hard to tell but you can see there is a difference by comparing the contact points. On the groundstroke compared to the return, his contact point is probably about a foot and a half in front of his front foot.
With the slightly weaker grip, this distance is less, maybe a foot. The return contact point is still well in front of the foot, but just not as far in front as the groundstroke.
This return grip allows Roger to hit moderate topspin, but is also ideal to block the ball, sometimes almost completely flat. This is confirmed if we compare spin rates between his backhand and his backhand return.
We know from our previous studies that Roger can average almost as much spin on his backhand ground stroke as on his forehand, around 2200rpm or more on the backhand side compared to 2700rpm on the forehand. Although we have fewer measureable backhand returns, the data we do have shows that his spin rates are significantly lower on the return.
On his first serve returns, the average was about 900rpm, with some returns hit with very short follow-throughs and minimal to virtually no spin. On the other hand, his second serve returns, usually with longer swings, averaged slightly over 2000rpm.
And, interestingly, this is the same pattern—and in fact virtually the same spin rates--we saw on his forehand returns. (Click Here.)
The fundamental return first move, a pivot step and a partial body turn, completed at around the bounce.
Pivot Turn
After grip the second commonality is the body turn. Federer reacts almost instantaneously to the ball strike on the serve. He splits, and then initiates the return by turning his feet and his torso sideways.
This is true on first serves and second serves, and regardless of his starting court position. Because of the reduced time available for hitting a return, and also the slow ball recognition of so many club players, this critical element is often incomplete or even absent at lower levels.
But it is fundamental to virtually every pro return. And Federer’s simple, immediate, compact turn on the return is also an ideal model for one-handers at any level.
Federer takes a pivot step with the outside or left foot closer to the ball. By pivot step I mean his foot basically stays in place and rotates or pivots sideways--there isn’t usually a significant step in the direction of the hit.
Watch how, as the foot turns on the pivot step, the hips and shoulder turn as well. Typically at the time of the bounce of the ball on the court, they are turned 45 degrees or more to the net.
On the groundstroke, the right leg comes forward and around on the turn.
On the groundstroke you can see this type of pivot step, but there are more variations. Players will also take an out step toward the ball, picking up the foot up off the court and taking a step to the side.
At other times, usually when there is a more distance to cover, they can also begin with a drop step. They do this by pulling the foot back and underneath the body, then pushing off and exploding in the direction of the shot.And on the return you do see these alternatives at times, but the pivot step predominates.
But that isn’t the only important difference. On the return, the other difference in the step pattern is in the positioning of the other foot, the right foot or the foot furthest from the ball. On the backhand drives the right foot comes forward and around, and is well in front of the left foot when the turn is complete. On the return, the right foot stays much more in place.
The right foot turns somewhat, but doesn’t come forward and around on the return. Instead it stays roughly parallel to the left foot. The pivot step isn’t really about starting to move the ball or reaching the ball. It’s about getting the body turn started in the fastest, simplest possible way.
Cross Step
From the positioning of the body after the return turn, it appears that Federer is going to hit the return from an extreme, fully open stance. But that isn’t what actually happens.
Federer completes the turn and reaches the ball with a lunging, diagonal step and a rear leg kick back.
Instead Federer takes a diagonal cross step, similar to what we saw on the forehand.
This is the third important commonality.
We saw on the forehand returns how the players reached the ball with large, diagonal lunge steps after the turn. The same thing happens on most backhand returns. From the extreme open stance position after the pivot step, Federer takes a dramatic, diagonal step to reach the ball.
The step achieves two things. As Federer takes this cross step, his shoulders continue to turn continue, so that they typically reach an angle of 90 degrees or more before the hit. Secondly, it positions him to create the contact point.
It’s important to note that this step is different than the footwork on the closed stance backhands that one handers hit on their groundstrokes . For one thing it is usually a larger step and also, usually more sideways. Sometimes it is directly toward the sideline or even on a slight backwards diagonal.
Second, Federer makes contact in the air, well before his foot ever hits the court. The front foot comes down after the ball is long gone and the swing is well into the followthrough. On the groundstroke players plant the cross step on the court before the hit, and also step more forward, usually at around a 45 degree angle.
One other key component to the return footwork is what happens to the back foot in relation to the cross step. As Federer starts the diagonal step, the back foot kicks back so that the calf or lower leg moves upward until it is parallel to the court or even higher.
A compact backswing, a straight hitting arm, a contact point around waist level.
This kick back is very similar to what happens on the serve. The kick back helps Federer land on balance and also keep his torso beautifully upright during and after the landing.
You also see a variation of the cross step/kick back footwork on balls hit closer to Federer’s body. Rather than stepping across, Federer takes the lunge step more directly forward, exchanging the position of the feet, but still kicking the back leg backwards.
Other Common Elements
There are other critical common elements on Roger’s backhand return. These include his hitting arm position, the position of his contact point, the length of his backswing, and the opposition of the left arm.
As with his one-handed groundstroke, Roger straightens his arm before contact. He also maintains this position well into the followthrough. This is a core position on his groundstroke as well.
The other similarity with the groundstroke is how he opposes the left arm, moving it backwards and sometimes slightly behind him in the opposite direction of the swing. This is a key to keeping the body sideways.
As we saw, the contact point on the return is roughly a foot in front of his front foot. It’s also usually relatively low, at about waist level or only slightly higher. Again this is consistent with his return grip structure.
A compact backswing, a straight hitting arm, a contact point around waist level.
The slightly stronger grip on his backhand drive groundstroke allows him to play the ball higher in backcourt rallies. But on the return he is taking the ball even sooner and almost always on the rise.
Finally, Roger’s backswing is also more compact on the return. The tip of the racket is still angled up. But typically the backswing doesn’t go as far upwards, or backwards. Typically you see his hand go back only to the rear edge of his torso, or sometimes slightly farther.
On his regular groundstroke, the hand can be a half a foot to a foot further back. The tip of the racket also points significantly further behind him, which is related to the closed hitting stance and the greater shoulder turn on the groundstroke.
The compact motion, the early contact and the diagonal forward step combine to create piercing, relatively flat returns that force the server on time. It’s completely consistent with Federer’s groundstroke strategy, which is also to stand in, take the ball early, rush the opponent and attack the open court.
Recovery
As we saw on the forehand, the diagonal cross step dictates the recovery footwork to a great extent. As with the forehand return, this is different from the groundstrokes on the backhand return.
The ad court recovery with a cross step, versus a shuffle step in the deuce.
On most pro groundstrokes, cross over recovery steps are the norm. But the large diagonal cross steps make the recovery more complex on the returns because the patterns are different in the deuce and the ad courts.
In the ad court, the cross step pulls Roger into the alley or at times even wider, far from the middle of the court. Almost by necessity the recovery step must be a cross over in order to have any chance of regaining a neutral position. And often this is a cross over step behind the front front.
It’s different in the deuce court. In this case the diagonal cross step is toward the middle, carrying Roger back toward a neutral position, something he can establish by taking a simple shuffle step, or sometimes just defaulting into a split step.
Variations
In addition to these return fundamentals, we see some important variations. These are in the starting position, the length of the swing, particularly the forward swing, and also the hitting stance.
In general Roger starts with a ready postion fairly or very close to the baseline. On most first serves, he will start no more than 3 or 4 feet back, or sometimes he is tighter.
3 variations of the ready position and the split step footwork.
Usually he will split step in place from that position. But sometimes he will also split step forward, landing the split another foot closer in.
A third even more aggressive variation is to take one step up or forward before launching into the split. This tends to be mainly on second serves. But on second serves you will also see him do the exact opposite—move several feet further back just before the split.
These positional changes are also usually related to swing length. From closer positions, Roger can block the ball with the swing extending only inches beyond contact.
Although he mainly uses the diagonal forward step, when serves are hit closer to his body, Roger will use a more open stance, with the right foot staying on his right side and not crossing his shoulder line. He’ll achieve the same thing with a reverse pivot step when he is really jammed.
But when he moves back he can also take a much longer swing that equals or nearly equals the swing on his one handed groundstroke. Interestingly, in this case he can actually use the backhand closed stance set up with the right foot crossing stepping and planted on the court before contact.
When he moves back, Roger’s return can be almost identical to his groundstroke.
These variations show how flexible and complete Federer’s return game can be, something all players should aspire to. However, in general, the fundamentals we have outlined are more consistent with his game style—trying to neutralize the opponent’s serve and, if possible take away time and take control of the point from the first ball.
So let’s summarize those elements!
A relatively moderate return grip. A relatively tight ready position. An immediate body turn based on the pivot step. A diagonal lunge step to the ball with the rear leg kicking back.
A controlled contact point that is in front of the foot leg and based on taking the ball early and at about waist level. The ability to vary spin and the forward swing from a relatively flat block to a longer followthrough depending on the ball is he actually dealing with.
So that’s it for the one-hander drive returns. Stay tuned for two-handed returns and then we will analyze the slice!
John Yandell is widely acknowledged as one of the leading videographers and students of the modern game of professional tennis. His high speed filming for Advanced Tennis and Tennisplayer have provided new visual resources that have changed the way the game is studied and understood by both players and coaches. He has done personal video analysis for hundreds of high level competitive players, including Justine Henin-Hardenne, Taylor Dent and John McEnroe, among others.
In addition to his role as Editor of Tennisplayer he is the author of the critically acclaimed book Visual Tennis. The John Yandell Tennis School is located in San Francisco, California.
Source: tennisplayer.net archive — The Pro Return of serve - OHBH.docx (John Yandell teaching library, 2002-2022). Extracted and rendered as HTML for Tennis Future Lab.