Coach serves from Deuce/Ad side. Player returns with forehand cross court. Coach hits the ball back to forehand. Player finishes to the open space.
In this exercise, returner works on basic forehand patterns.
Many players miss first shot after the serve/return because they are not used to practicing them. It is a primary goal for any player to learn how to connect one shot with another. Looking at Rafa Nadal and admiring his placement and consistency with returns should make all tennis players aware that this skill can be taught. It is matter of time and repetitions to achieve decent level so players should always try to implement patterns (tactical area) into practice drills.
Most club players practise the serve on its own and then have no idea what to do with the ball that comes back. Serve plus one is the pattern that turns a good serve into a won point.
Wimbledon has just crowned another champion, and if you watched closely you saw the same thing every year: the best returners quietly won the tournament. Here is how to coach a return that pressures the server rather than just surviving it.
Wimbledon arrives at the end of June and the grass court swing transforms how the game is played. Low bounces, slippery footing, and rewards for forward play demand a different tactical mindset. Here is how to coach it.
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