People never used to talk about hitting your opponent. But at the really high levels, they do aim for you at the kitchen because you have no time to react even if the ball is for sure going to go out. And even if they do hit the ball back, it's either going to be a neutral or defensive ball or even a pop up. It's more rare that you hit a hard shot at someone and someone destroys the ball back at you.
If you are playing in open rec with mostly boomers, and your serve is a blooper not too deep, the stronger bangers will be able to drive straight at your partner, unless your partner is athletic, and you will be on your back feet immediately, if the rally isn't already over. The big bounce gives them the ability to hit sinking drives low and hard that never bounce up. You need at least moderate pace to the back four feet with not more than a moderate bounce to protect an older or less athletic partner against sinking drives. When you serve, if your partner consistently fails to get your 3rd shot back over the net, the problem is probably your wussy serve, and not their return. Modest pace, deep, with a low bounce suffices.
I wanted to subscribe to your emails but after spending a few minutes hunting for the link I just said f it. Please make your links more noticeable/intuitive/whatever you want to call it
