TENNIS ONLINE · ENGLISH
Doubles is a team game of positioning, net pressure and communication. Learn how to move together rather than playing two separate singles rallies.
Published by TENNIS ONLINE
Avoid settling into endless crosscourt exchanges while both net players watch. Taking the net opens angles and reduces the opponent's time.
Reduce errors before chasing spectacular winners. Safe net clearance and depth through the middle are useful foundations.
Do not divide the court into two fixed halves. Move together toward the ball like a connected net. Read Tournament preparation alongside this guide.
A net player's starting reference is the middle of the service box, two or three steps back from the net. Move a little forward when the ball is with the opponent and a little back when it returns to your partner. If your partner is stretched, retreat; if they attack, close in. Imagine an elastic band connecting you.
The goal is not only an ace: serve to create a return your net partner can attack.
Prioritize a dependable first serve over occasional maximum speed. In an I-formation, the net player crouches near the center and moves to an agreed side. In an Australian formation, both partners start on the same side to disrupt a favored crosscourt return.
Put the return in, avoid the opposing net player and default to a deep crosscourt target. Against frequent poaching, mix in a lob return or down-the-line shot to make the net player hesitate.
The receiver's partner moves forward behind a deep return and prepares to defend after a short one. A service-line position can also help with serve calls.
A steadier returner often takes the ad court because many important points occur there; a right-hander with a strong forehand may like deuce-court wide serves. Test both arrangements rather than treating either as a rule.
Poaching means intercepting a crosscourt ball intended for your partner. Even the possibility of a poach can reduce the quality of an opponent's return.
Move as the opponent commits their eyes to contact, not so early that you advertise an open line. Go diagonally forward at roughly 45 degrees rather than sideways; aim the volley between opponents or at the net player's feet.
Commit once you go. If you cross fully, switch sides with your partner. A deep, low approach or a stretched opponent signals a chance to move up together. On a lob, the overhead player calls and the partner covers behind.
Use a brief conversation between points to agree on serve direction, whether to poach and who covers the middle. Hand signals help if both partners understand them; simple words are better than uncertain signals.
Call early and clearly on middle balls. Agree on a default, such as forehand priority, when nobody calls. Call “switch” promptly when a lob or poach changes positions.
After a partner's mistake, keep your body language calm and suggest the next play. If a run of lost points continues, change formation to interrupt the pattern.
See NTRP ratings and practice the volley and return drills in Training.