A 4 minute read, written in November 2026

Padel return of serve: where to stand and what to hit

Across the Lab's bank of 303 match positions, the lob is the correct return in 28 of the 68 spots where it is even offered as an option, a little under half. At the professional level the split runs about 60% driven low and 40% lobbed, close enough to the bank's own numbers that the two agree.

The numbers behind the return

Across the Lab's bank of 303 match positions, the lob is the correct return in 28 of the 68 spots where it is even offered as an option, a little under half. At the professional level the split runs about 60% driven low and 40% lobbed, worked out from match analysis (Sánchez-Alcaraz et al. 2020), close enough to the bank's own numbers that the two agree: driving is still the default, but the lob is not a rare escape shot, it is the right call close to as often as it isn't.

Club players tend to treat the return as a single decision, drive or lob, made in the split second the serve arrives. The numbers say it is really a read of the court taken before the ball even lands, because what the server's partner is doing decides which of the two answers is available to you.

Where to stand

Most club players return too close to the service line, which sits 6.95 metres from the net and only 3.05 metres from the back glass, leaving almost no room to deal with anything hit hard and deep. Stand closer to the back glass instead, roughly a metre or two in front of it, so a heavy serve that pushes you back still has the wall to work with rather than your own body.

From there you can step in on a short or weak serve and still recover to the glass on a strong one, which is exactly the trade off a returner is managing on every single point. See court positioning for how that spot connects to the rest of the point once the rally is running.

Width matters as much as depth. Standing roughly in line with where the serve is likely to land, rather than camped on the centre line out of habit, cuts down the number of returns that arrive at full stretch on your weaker side.

The drive return

A low, flat return aimed at the server's feet or straight down the middle takes away the server's partner's easiest volley and forces a shot up rather than down. It is the shot most returns should be, which is exactly what the 60% figure says: when in doubt, keep it low and take away the easy net volley.

The lob return

Lob when the server's partner is already set and comfortable at the net, or when the serve itself is deep and hard to drive cleanly. A return that goes up and over pushes the net player back off the spot they just claimed, buying you and your partner time to get forward yourselves. See the lob for the technique behind sending it deep rather than just high.

It only works if it is deep. A lob that lands short off the return simply hands the server's partner a free bandeja and the net position you were trying to take away.

The block or chip return

Against a serve with real pace, sometimes neither a full drive nor a lob is on. A short, blocked return, barely a swing at all, using the server's own pace to redirect the ball back low and short, keeps you in the point without trying to generate power you do not have time to find.

It is the least glamorous of the three and the one club players reach for least, usually because it looks like doing nothing. Against a big serve it is often the only return that actually works. The serve guide covers what you are actually reading before you decide which one to play, and the side quiz is worth a look if you are not sure which box suits you best.

None of the three needs to be a guess made on instinct alone. Watch the server's partner in the split second before contact: crouched and ready means the block is probably your best option, drifted a step off the net means the drive at their feet is on, and fully set and comfortable is the moment to send it back over their head instead.

It is worth practising all three on purpose rather than letting a match decide which one you default to. Most club players have one return they trust and reach for it regardless of what the server's partner is actually doing, which is exactly the habit the Lab's own numbers say is worth breaking.

What your partner is doing while you return

The return is only half the picture. Whoever is not receiving should already be moving towards the net the moment the serve is struck, not waiting to see where the return lands first. A returner who lobs deep with their partner still stuck on the baseline has given away half the benefit of the shot before it has even bounced.

This is the part club pairs skip most often, because it is easy to watch your own return and forget your partner has a job to do at exactly the same time. Treat the return as a two person shot, not a one person shot with an audience.

Notice where your feet are before you decide what to hit.