Should you hit the return of serve to the stronger player to make them hit the third shot and keep them farther back?

Matt is right on! The best shot is the one that puts you in the best position to win. I would add two thoughts also. One good reason to hit a deep return crosscourt is that it gives you plenty of time to get to the NVZ. Also, it's probably a bad idea to do the exact same thing every time.Try not to be too predictable. A great shot to hit occasionally is a drop return crosscourt. If you do that well no more than a few times a game, you'll likely catch them off guard and outright win the rally, or the partner will try to get it and leave a lot of open court.