High second serve and recover

The decision

Decision: Your higher serve comes back deep. What next?

You are behind the baseline. The defender is toward your right, deep in court.

• Heavy next ball — Keep the high shape — GOOD READ: Your shot gives the defender a target they can reach without a long sideways run. The ball lands 1.3 m inside the sideline. The defender travels 1.1 m across court and returns deep in this example.
• Flat line change — Attack off balance — TOUGH CHOICE: Your shot targets the opponent’s left, away from where the defender started. The ball lands 1.2 m inside the sideline. The defender travels 4.6 m across court and returns deep in this example.

What to take into the next point

After serving, cover the reply before forcing an angle.

What a good read looks like

The read this lesson trains: Choose a safe ball after the second serve. How the serve shapes the return and the first groundstroke that follows it. In the interactive lesson you play the rally, make the call, and then read why it worked or did not. The coaching grades the decision, not just the point outcome — a good read can still lose the rally, and the lesson says why.

Part of the Serve and the first ball pattern

Every lesson that trains this pattern is collected on the Serve and the first ball pattern page.

Related lessons in this pattern

• Wide first serve, open-court +1 — ORIGINAL LESSON · lesson 9 of 50
• T serve and the first groundstroke — ORIGINAL LESSON · lesson 10 of 50
• Follow a blocked return through the middle — SIMULATION-BUILT LESSON · lesson 11 of 50

Free to play

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