The first serve creates the opening question, but the plus-one ball usually answers it. A wide serve that earns a short return is only useful if the next shot keeps the advantage instead of restarting the rally.
For this journal, the useful note is not just whether the serve won the point. Track the serve target, the return lane, the server's recovery position, and the first aggressive decision after the return lands.
Quick notation
- S: serve target: T, body, wide.
- R: return lane: cross, middle, line, short.
- +1: first ball intention: build, finish, reset.
- Drift: what changed after the original plan broke.
The goal is to make the next practice sharper. If a pattern keeps opening space but the final ball leaks long, the issue is probably execution. If the returner starts sitting on the same target, the issue is selection.