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Novak Djokovic
Born
Novak Djokovic is widely regarded as the best returner of the Open era. He stands close to the baseline, takes a short, compact swing and uses his flexibility to stretch into the splits for wide serves, so even big first serves come back deep at the server's feet. Against servers such as John Isner, Milos Raonic and Nick Kyrgios, that turned their main weapon into the start of a rally. It underpins his record number of Grand Slam singles titles.
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Andre Agassi
Born
Andre Agassi stood on or inside the baseline and hit returns on the rise, giving servers no time to set up the next shot. He later explained that he read Boris Becker's serve from a habit with his tongue, which turned a losing rivalry into a winning one. His 1992 Wimbledon title, won against big servers including Goran Ivanišević in the final, showed that a baseliner could beat serve-volleyers on grass.
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Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors built his game on the return. With flat, low strokes and a two-handed backhand, he attacked second serves and drove returns at serve-volleyers' feet. That method beat Ken Rosewall in the 1974 Wimbledon and US Open finals and John McEnroe in the 1982 Wimbledon final. His eight Grand Slam singles titles came on grass, clay and hard courts, a measure of how well the return travelled.
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Andy Murray
Born
Andy Murray's return relied on anticipation and soft hands: he blocked fast first serves back low and deep, then attacked second serves with his backhand. Against Djokovic, Federer and big servers such as Raonic, it often made his opponents' service games longer than they wanted. He won the 2012 US Open, Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, and two Olympic singles gold medals, before retiring in 2024.
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Rafael Nadal
Born
Rafael Nadal returned from far behind the baseline, sometimes near the back fence, taking a full topspin swing that sent the ball high and deep. It conceded court position but gave him time against fast serves, and on clay it neutralised almost everyone. He adapted on grass by standing closer, which helped him beat Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final. His 22 Grand Slam singles titles include 14 at Roland Garros.
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Lleyton Hewitt
Born
Lleyton Hewitt was the returner who showed the serve-volley era at Wimbledon was ending. Quick feet, a low centre of gravity and flat, early returns let him pass net-rushers before they settled. He beat Pete Sampras in the 2001 US Open final and won Wimbledon in 2002, and in 2001 became the youngest man to finish a year at number one. Big servers rarely enjoyed facing him on grass.
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Jannik Sinner
Born
Jannik Sinner returns from close to the baseline with a short, very fast swing on both sides, and his two-handed backhand return in particular comes back flat and deep. That combination takes time away from servers before they can attack the next ball. It helped make him world number one and carried him to Australian Open and US Open titles and to Wimbledon in 2025 and again in 2026, when he beat Alexander Zverev in the final.
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Daniil Medvedev
Born
Daniil Medvedev returns from unusually deep, often several metres behind the baseline, and relies on his long reach and flat, low strokes to get the ball back. It gives up court position but almost never gives up free points, which frustrates big servers on hard courts. The method won him the 2021 US Open, beating Novak Djokovic in the final, and took him to world number one in 2022.
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Carlos Alcaraz
Born
Carlos Alcaraz changes his return position by score and opponent, standing deep against big first serves on clay and stepping in to attack second serves on grass and hard courts. The variety, together with his speed, makes him hard to serve through. He beat Novak Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon finals and has won Grand Slam titles on clay, grass and hard courts.
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David Ferrer
Born
David Ferrer had neither height nor a huge serve, so he won matches on the return. He stood close, took the ball early and made a very high share of returns, forcing servers to play one more shot every point. That reliability took him to the 2013 French Open final, the 2012 Paris Masters title and a career high of third, in an era dominated by four of the best players in history.
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Diego Schwartzman
Born
At 1.70 metres Diego Schwartzman could not rely on his serve, so he became one of the tour's most dangerous returners, regularly near the top of the ATP's return statistics. He read the toss early, took a split step on time every point and hit compact returns at the server's feet. It took him into the top ten and the 2020 French Open semi-finals, a striking result for a player of his size. He retired in 2025.
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Alex de Minaur
Born
Alex de Minaur is one of the fastest movers on the men's tour, and his return game shows it. He blocks big serves back with short, flat swings and then chases down the next ball, so servers rarely win points with one shot. His results against heavy servers on grass and fast hard courts, and his rise into the top ten, are built on that steadiness rather than on power.
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Gilles Simon
Born
Gilles Simon was a thinker on return. Slight and without a big serve himself, he absorbed pace with a calm, short swing, then varied the depth of his returns to pull servers out of rhythm. He reached a career high of sixth in 2009 and beat Roger Federer in their first two meetings. His matches reward viewers who enjoy tactics more than winners.
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Marcelo Ríos
Born
Marcelo Ríos took the ball earlier than almost anyone of his generation, standing inside the baseline and redirecting serves with a left-handed swing that seemed to need no backlift. In 1998 he became world number one, the first South American man to do so, winning Indian Wells and Miami back to back. He never won a Grand Slam title, which shows the limits of talent without durability.
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Serena Williams
Born
Serena Williams is remembered for her serve, but her return was almost as damaging. She stood on the baseline, took a short swing and hit second serves back hard and flat, often for outright winners, so opponents felt pressure on every service game. That double threat is a large part of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era, won on every surface.
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Monica Seles
Monica Seles hit two-handed on both sides and took returns on the rise from inside the baseline, giving servers no time at all. The angles she found from those early returns pulled opponents off the court before the rally had begun. She won eight Grand Slam singles titles before she was stabbed on court in 1993, and a ninth at the 1996 Australian Open after her return.
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Martina Hingis
Born
Martina Hingis had neither power nor height, so she won by anticipation. She read serves early, stood close and redirected pace with soft, precise returns that put stronger opponents on the defensive. It made her world number one at 16 and brought five Grand Slam singles titles, followed by a long doubles career in which her returning and net play were just as valuable.
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Victoria Azarenka
Born
Victoria Azarenka is one of the most aggressive returners the women's game has had. She steps in, takes the ball early and drives returns deep down the middle, so servers start every point under pressure. That method won her the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013 and took her to world number one, and it kept her competitive against bigger servers well into her thirties.
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Iga Świątek
Born
Iga Świątek returns from a deliberately aggressive position, stepping in on second serves and hitting heavy topspin returns that push servers back. On clay that makes her service breaks routine; on faster courts she has learned to block first serves and attack the next ball. She has won the French Open four times, the 2022 US Open and Wimbledon in 2025, where she took the final 6-0, 6-0.
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Simona Halep
Simona Halep turned the return into a weapon through footwork and anticipation. She stood on the baseline, took the ball early and sent it deep to the corners, so bigger servers were forced into long rallies they did not want. The clearest example is the 2019 Wimbledon final, where she beat Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in under an hour. She also won the 2018 French Open and retired in 2025.
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Kim Clijsters
Born
Kim Clijsters combined exceptional flexibility with a solid two-handed backhand, often sliding into the splits on hard courts to return wide serves. Her ability to turn defence into attack from the return made her very hard to serve past. She won four Grand Slam singles titles, three of them at the US Open, including the 2009 title as a wildcard shortly after returning from retirement.
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Chris Evert
Chris Evert met the serve-volley game of the 1970s and 1980s with calm, accurate returns and passing shots, especially from her two-handed backhand. Her rivalry with Martina Navratilova, the best serve-volleyer of the era, is a long study of returner against server, and her consistency across surfaces brought 18 Grand Slam singles titles, seven of them at the French Open.
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Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Born
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario made opponents win every point twice. Small and quick, she returned almost everything from the baseline and turned serves into long rallies, which suited the slow clay of Roland Garros. She beat Steffi Graf, then the dominant player, in the 1989 French Open final at 17, and won four Grand Slam singles titles and reached world number one in 1995.
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Agnieszka Radwańska
Born
Agnieszka Radwańska showed that a returner does not need power. She absorbed pace with soft hands, chipped returns low at the server's feet and used angles and drop shots to disrupt bigger hitters. Her variety took her to the 2012 Wimbledon final and the 2015 WTA Finals title, and to a career high of second in the world.
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