How to return serve early and rush the server

Take the ball early. Take the server's half-second with it.

Traced from real footage

See it, eight instants at a time.

Every frame is traced from real match footage, so you see the shape of the stroke, not a drawing of an idea.

Djokovic's return, instant 6 of 8 — Djokovic's return: eight instants traced from the footage, frame for frame. Hover or tap to flip; the dot marks contact.

Djokovic's return: eight instants traced from the footage, frame for frame. Hover or tap to flip; the dot marks contact.

Key facts

1
In 2023 Novak Djokovic hit a serve +1 forehand on 473 of 945 second-serve points, about half, and won 57 % of them.
ATP Beyond the Numbers, November 2023
2
Djokovic wins about 55 % of second-serve return points and converts about 44 % of break points, the highest career composite measured.
ATP Beyond the Numbers, January 2026
3
A return that lands past the service line pushes the server back and erases the planned +1.
4
The safe aggressive return is deep and central, not at the lines.

Why it works

The server plans the serve and the next ball as one unit. That plan needs two things: a predictable, short reply, and the time to move to it. The early return doesn't beat the serve. It beats the server.

Depth takes away the first. A return past the service line pushes the server back and the +1 dissolves. Early contact takes away the second: the ball arrives before the server has recovered from the landing.

Andre Agassi built a career on the rising ball. The chip is the same idea at a lower height, followed to the net. It's the answer on grass or against a serve-volleyer, not the default.

The line to say on court
“Deep first. Early when you can. Their clock is yours to shorten.”

Drill: The rise ladder

15 min · with a partner

Your partner feeds second serves. Hit ten returns from behind the baseline, letting the ball drop. Count the returns that land past the service line.
Hit ten from on the baseline, making contact before the ball's peak. Count the deep ones and the errors.
Hit ten from a step inside the baseline, taking the ball on the short hop. Count the deep ones and the shanks. Drop back a rung if the errors outnumber the deep balls.

Number to beat7 of 10 deep returns on rung 2 before you climb to rung 3

More drills like this: return

Faults and fixes

Late on the rising ball

You're swinging with your rally backswing.

FixUse a compact backswing and a long forward swing.

Big cut at the short hop

You're adding pace to a ball that already has it.

FixBlock it.

Aiming at the lines

Aggressive gets read as risky.

FixGo deep and central. That's the aggressive safe shot.

Staying back on the second serve

You use the same spot for both serves.

FixStep in for the second serve.

Questions players ask

Should I take a kick second serve on the rise?

Yes, when you can. Letting it drop lets the kick climb into your shoulder and gives the server a full second. On the rise, contact is below the shoulder and a deep, central return jams the server.

When should I chip and come in on the return?

On grass or against a serve-volleyer. It's the same idea as the early return at a lower height, followed to the net.

Does return pace matter?

Less than depth and timing. Pace is optional. A return past the service line erases the server's plan even without pace.

How do I stop being late on early returns?

Shorten the backswing and lengthen the forward swing. Your rally backswing is too long for the time you have.

What this doesn't cover

There are no figures for how many errors hitting on the rise costs at club level, so count your own shanks and step back when they pile up. The idea that an early return breaks the serve +1 is pattern logic, not a measured effect.

Sources

ATP Beyond the Numbers (November 2023): Djokovic's serve +1
ATP Beyond the Numbers (January 2026): return and break-point records
Brain Game Tennis, "The most important number in tennis"
TennisOne on Agassi's return

Play the pointWhat is serve plus one in tennis, and how to use itServe plus one means planning your serve and the next shot as one play. On the deuce side, serve wide to pull the returner past the sideline, then hit your forehand into the open court. The serve is the only shot you fully control, so use it to make the reply predictable. Decide the plus one before you toss.Serve and returnWhere to stand to return serve in tennisStand back to return a big first serve and step in on a weak second. There's no neutral spot. Every metre back buys flight time but gives the server more angle, and every metre in takes time from the server but demands cleaner timing. Choose the trade before the toss, and change it the moment the first serve misses.Serve and returnHow to return a fast serve in tennisTo return a fast serve, block it: take almost no backswing, set the racquet face early and in front, and punch the ball deep through the middle using the server's pace. A 200 km/h serve gives you about 333 ms, less than a full backswing takes. Against a second serve there's time, so step in and swing fully.StrikeHow to hit a half-volley in tennisTo hit a half-volley, get low before the bounce, block the ball just after it lands with a slightly open face, and keep moving forward. The lift comes from the face angle and your forward step, not from the wrist. It's mostly a posture decision: stand tall and the face closes on its own, and the ball goes into the net.