How to Win at Doubles

Want to win more doubles matches? You're not alone. The problem is, we watch tennis on TV and what do they show? Singles. We go to a tennis tournament and what is on the main courts? Singles. Doubles is played more than singles recreationally, but it does not get the love and attention on the pro tour. Very simply, singles and doubles are two completely different games with significantly different strategies. Here are a few strategies to help your doubles game next time you get on court.

• Stop worrying about getting passed down the line. When you're at net, you can essentially give up your alley. If an opponent is able to hit it there time and time again, then adjust your strategy and positioning. Too often, though, there are shots that pass through the middle that are not hit by the net player because that person is too busy guarding his/her half of the court. Forget my side and your side. Start thinking that if the net player can get it, they need to. Will you make some errors, yes. But will you also force errors out of your opponent because you make the court feel smaller, absolutely! And you will hit some winning volleys by taking away the middle of the court.

• Serve often to the body. The goal of the serve is to set up your net player well. If you can jam your opponent with an effective body serve, the return will come back through the middle half of the court often, and now the net player can get involved. In singles, there's a goal to use angles to open the court. In doubles, points are won through the middle of the court by forcing errors out of opponents. Stop starting points by creating angles for opponents to hit to, and instead play through the middle to set up your partner at the net.

• Return location doesn't matter, height over the net does. I often tell my players that their target on the return should not be a "landing target" on the other side of the court, but rather an "air target" over the net. Think about it this way, if a return is hit 3 feet above the net and crosscourt, it's crossing the net around the center of the court and right in the wheel-house of a net player. If it gets passed the net player, it will be a great return. But if the net player makes even a decent move, the point is over. Good returners in doubles are able to keep their driven returns low over the net. Then, even if a net player makes a move, it's a neutral volley instead of an aggressive volley. 

Three tips to help boost your doubles game and make you a better partner on court!