three jobs, in this order, on every single return

So what are you actually trying to do?

Three jobs on every return, in order. Most juniors have never been told what they are.

1 · Make them play. Every return you put back is a ball they have to deal with. Every one you miss is a point they never had to earn — and those are the points that quietly decide games.

This sounds too simple to matter. It is the single biggest thing a junior returner can change, and it is worth more than any winner you will hit this year.

2 · Go deep. Deep is the one thing that breaks their plan, and it is worth knowing exactly why.

The shot straight after the serve has a name. It is the +1, and it is the shot they were planning when they chose the serve.

To hit the +1 where they want it, they usually have to get around the ball and redirect it. That takes time and room.

A deep return takes both away. It arrives sooner and it pushes them back, so they are still moving when they have to hit. A short return hands them everything.

3 · Get back on the court. If the serve dragged you off it, the rally has already started badly. Recovering is part of the return, not something after it.

The one line to remember

Deep, middle, and get back on the court.

Deep kills their +1, because they cannot get around a ball that is already on them.

Middle kills their angle, because from the middle of the court there is no easy ball into either corner.

Getting back kills the space, and on a wide serve or a kick the space was the real weapon. The serve was only how they made it.

None of that is a winner, and that is the point. You are not trying to win the point on the return. You are trying to make sure they cannot.

Then upgrade. Once you know which of their wings is weaker, deep and middle becomes deep to that wing. Once you get a short second serve, deep becomes deep and forward.

Start with the ball that never loses you anything. Earn the rest.

This is one page of the reference section.

The rest of Crosscourt IQ is 538 situations — a court diagram, the score, and one question: what would you do here, and why? Your player answers first, then the reasoning opens.

Ten cards are free, with the full answer key on every one.

Read ten cards free

More free guides

What each serve is trying to do to youFlat, slice and kick — what each serve is actually for, and what it does to the returner.What a rally is actually forThe five balls in a rally and what each one is doing. Not every ball is trying to win the point.How to hit a defensive ball in tennisHigh, deep and down the middle — why the answer keeps being the same when you are in trouble.Where to recover to after you hitHit, stop, recover. Where to move back to, and why it is not always the middle.How to hit a tennis ball under pressureWhat changes about the stroke itself when you are stretched, late or moving backwards.The split step, and when to do itEvery return starts before the serve does. When to move, when to land, and why timing beats speed.You are playing a person, not a ballThe other side of the net is a person who gets tired, frustrated and predictable. Read them.Which points actually decide a tennis matchNot every point is worth the same. Take your risks on the spare ones, not the critical ones.