Backhand return in doubles

by Jason
(Atlanta)

I was a competitive junior now much older playing recreational doubles (4.5 level). As a junior I won singles matches with a big serve, forehand and a slice backhand.

Now playing mostly doubles, the slice backhand is a liability against good servers & aggressive net players.

My tactics are usually:

1) to return from the AD court thus eliminating the need for inside-out backhand,

2) take the ball on the rise to defend against kick serves, and

3) to move forward through my stroke.

This works fine on a good day, but not all days are good. I have developed a one-handed topspin backhand to add more punch, control and margin of error to my service return.

The stroke works fine during a rally however I struggle against good 1st serves; grip transition, prep and over-hitting. My new weapon is relegated to attacking 2nd serves.

Any advice on how to improve the grip transition speed from western (forehand) to eastern (topspin backhand)?

Any advice on how to hit an open stance one-hand topspin backhand (current technique is fairly closed, ie back of hitting shoulder to the target at pre-contact)?

Thanks!