Returning top spin serve

If it is long, go for flat hit while ball is arising, or topspin it with pretty horizontal move. If it is short I have no idea, I never returned any, this is how I'm losing most of matches.

Hi mmski
If its a long topspin serve, the most effective thing is probably to kill it or counterhit it as strongly as you can. By trying to loop it you are adding an unnecessary complication. If you cant get in a big shot on it, perhaps because your opp places it cleverly, then why not just do a gentle drive to a good place and try and work yr way into the point.
If its a short topspin serve, though the easiest return is a block or flick, this maybe falling into yr opponents tactical plan.
In that case, returning with a heavily chopped push may be better. This was one of waldners favorite ploys. However it takes a bit of practice and skill to get right   
good luck

One thing is that if a certain thing has happened several times, you need to believe it is happening.  Maybe there is something about the opponent's service  motion that makes you simply not able to see that it is topspin coming at you.  So you pop it up.  That means you really need to believe that it is topspin regardless of what it may look like and react accordingly.  A lot of people will make the same mistake repeatedly.  Of course if the opponent is mixing all kinds of serves that look the same, that means he is just good.  But if you repeatedly miss the same thing and the opponent has figured out that he can just keep doing the same thing repeatedly for free points, that is another thing.  I see it a lot with players just starting.  They seem unable to believe the evidence of their own eyes.

By the way, everything on a return of serve has to be "smaller" than other shots.  Even if you are attacking a long serve, the stroke is smaller than if you are looping or counterlooping in the middle of a point.  You bring the paddle back less far in preparation, you don't swing as hard, and you don't follow through as far or as much.  The ball will still move plenty fast.

The kicker sounds a likely explanation. If thats the case IMO its akin to being deceived by LP 'ball wobble'  from a twiddler That is the brain is expecting a slightly different speed/trajectory than what you actually get. Probably the cure is watching service very carefully indeed until your brain has absorbed the right clues from the serve action