The Return Game

Interesting how tennis has progressed through the years from serve being
the be all and end all when starting a point to now return almost
taking that advantage away.

Agassi, anointed by McEnroe as the game's best returner following his
1992 Wimbledon semifinal destruction of the New Yorker, said Novak
Djokovic's elastic ability to both attack and defend off the return
makes the second-ranked Serbian the best returner tennis has seen.

"When Lleyton Hewitt came along I remember thinking, 'How does Hewitt's
return game compare?' Because Hewitt has so much lateral coverage and he
puts so many balls back in play," Agassi said. "The same with
Federer—he gets so many balls back in play. Well, if you can take the
best of me, the best of Hewitt, and the best of Federer and then you
stick it in one guy, that's Djokovic. Because the truth is Djokovic can
stay right up on the baseline and hurt you with the return if he chooses
to, or he can stand back and defend if he needs to.

"See, Hewitt really didn't have the ability to hurt you off the first
serve. He could hurt you occasionally off the second serve. I had the
ability to always hurt you, but I got aced a lot because I took educated
chances. Djokovic has the ability to do both and his pocket is bigger
than mine and the ball above his shoulder—he handles that better than I
did."

Is return, consolidate and attack the new serve and volley?

Interesting! Will comment.....from France! Travelling today!