Excellent returning on grass, hard court likewise (3-5)
I believe the answer is:
top-notch
'excellent' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'returning on grass hard court likewise' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'on' could be 'to' and 'to' is found in the answer.
'hard' could be 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications) and 'h' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for top-notch that I've seen before include "Superb" , "First-rate" , "Excellent (informal)" , "Of the highest quality" , "Grade 1" .)