If you're a tennis club member, you probably know that most of your co-members are fond of playing doubles on the court. The funny thing is that not too many bother to polish their doubles A-game, even though they know that it's a whole different ball game compared to singles.
Try and perform the skills you've mastered in singles in a doubles match, and you'll soon fall flat with many disadvantages against your opponent. The truth is that a doubles game requires a different set of strategies and skills that even singles champions can find pretty hard to perfect.
To help you get your doubles game up to par among the best ones out there, here are four essential tips you probably should start working on:
The serve
Many will argue that learning how to serve in tennis is one of the easiest moves to take up, especially when playing doubles. On the contrary, serving the ball in a match where four players are constantly anticipating the ball's direction can open up many opportunities.
First, let's discuss the rules of serving. If you and your teammate get first serve, any of your two opponents may receive it on the deuce or right side of the court. Whoever serves for the team will also do so for the rest of the match.
Now, the basics. Before starting play, you'll have to decide where to land the ball to dictate the pace and gain control of your opponents. Of course, you and your partner should strategize and consider the weak or strong areas on the other side of the court and how to anticipate returns.
What makes a serve in doubles different from that in a singles match is that you have an opponent positioned at the net to attack your serve easily. On the other hand, a receiver usually slices slower balls over the net and gives the server ample time to recover in a singles match. Given that, your goal when serving in a doubles match is to set up your partner at the net to hit the serve + 1.
The serve +1
Players can apply this particular serving strategy in both singles and doubles matches. Serve +1 refers to a shot that comes for the serving team after the serve, meaning the 3rd shot in a rally during a point.
In a doubles match, setting up your partner for the serve +1 if you are the serving team is vital. Stronger serves and aces aren't necessary since you're looking for a serve +1 with your partner by the net.
On the other hand, serving weak shots will only give your opponents a field day in returning your serve and make it more difficult for your partner. You can perform a perfect serve + 1 setup by practicing a serving speed of around 70%. Excellent doubles teams usually do spin serves to boost their shots' percentage instead of aiming for an ace or return errors.
Another factor to consider is your opponents' weak spots. Find ways to make their return shots uncomfortable by using the angles of the court. If they have weak backhand returns, try serving down the deuce. If they are strong on either side, be consistent in serving down the T with 70% strength rather than resorting to wide serves. Doing so increases the chances of your opponents missing the return.
Strategize your attack
If you are the net player, receiving a volley by aiming for your net counterpart's feet can foil succeeding attacks as you return the shot. Try low volleys to make the return more challenging, but remember that you'll be hitting lower and more complex shots as you get closer to the net. Nonetheless, practicing this attack increases the chances for a defensive high ball that you or your partner can slice wide open.
Another good strategy to perform in doubles is the mid-court attack wherein you hit a shot deep in the middle of the court. Such a shot is an excellent addition to your offensive arsenal, along with down-the-line and wide crosscourt shots, as it can send both your opponents rushing towards the center.
Say your opponents fall for your attacking mid-court shot and find themselves on center court. The next step is to draw closer to the net with your partner for a short return that's angled sharply away from the center court. The good thing here is that even if your opponents are able to return the shot, chances for a sharper angled shot will be minimal.
With that, one of the main objectives in a doubles match is to get you and your partner as close to the net as fast as possible during a play for the point. Having you and your teammate secure the net line gives you the perfect advantage of volleying the ball quicker and harder and forcing your opponents towards a defensive stance.
Apply some mind games
Performing fakes and poaches in doubles tennis can ruin your opponents' resolve to anticipate your succeeding shots. Lobbing on a return serve, for example, immediately alters the game's pace and the serve's speed. Practicing this move can also force the opposing team to go farther from the net area as you gain the opportunity to rush closer to it for a possible service break.
However, rushing to the net isn't always the best thing to do in every play. Baseline players who are more comfortable playing long, crosscourt rallies sometimes need time to get in a proper position to rush the net. In doubles, you can strategize with your teammate so that while you're taking the baseline, he positions himself near the net and attempts to poach by crossing over the middle and volleying the ball from the air at the precise time.
Your teammate can then mix up his game with fakes and step changes toward the center when the ball bounces towards them. This tactic will add pressure to your opponents who won't be able to read whether your team will resort to poaching shots or force them to reposition themselves. Either way, you gain more control of the play's pace and the point.
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