Hi there people! I am back from a weekend of celebrations and lying in bed nursing a cold, not what I had envisioned! But never-mind, I thought I’d add a little article about doubles partnerships, this post was inspired by a discussion at one of the tennis forums that I frequent.

It made me think about what I look for when choosing a doubles partner and had me reminiscing about partnerships I’ve had in the past, some successful others abject failures and why they turned out as they did. Here is a tennis lesson especially for doubles players!

I always looked for a partner with an accurate serve, notice I say accurate rather than powerful. Obviously both are preferable but I’ve found that accuracy is the more important attribute. If your partner has an accurate serve it allows you both to plan the point easily with percentages in mind.

A play I had much success with was the body serve and the cross interception, this only consistently works if the server is accurate because should the ball deviate into the opponent’s hit zone they have plenty of time to switch up their shot. I would still use this play with less accurate servers but ensure they crossed and stayed on the baseline to give us the best chance of success should the returner read the play.

We all know how important the serve is in modern tennis but an often overlooked shot; especially in doubles is the return of serve. Making a high percentage of returns is crucial; there is nothing as satisfying and confidence boosting for a server than seeing an opponent’s return find the bottom of the net or sail out the back. The returning player in doubles should be looking to play the ball back cross-court 90% of the time, this is the percentage shot avoiding the high part of the net and the net-player.

If an opponent is rushing the net after their serve forcing them to play a volley is the last thing they want, especially if it is low and at their feet. The first volley is a very difficult shot, if an opponent is constantly being forced to play it, as the match wears on mistakes inevitably happen. Just be sure to throw in a few of your returns up the line to keep the net-player on their toes otherwise they will be constantly crossing and intercepting.

I have found over the years that a partner’s personality is of equal and perhaps more importance than their tennis skills. It is sometimes the intangible traits of the two players and how they complement each other that make the difference between a winning partnership and a losing one. Communication between points is of upmost importance because it is this that enables you both to plan and strategise and maintain the same wavelength.

It is also of vital importance that you both remain positive even in times of crisis and avoid blaming each-other or yourselves for errors or poor play or else communication will break-down and in-turn your strategy will fall apart. Play to your partner’s strengths and encourage his weaknesses, use everything at your disposal to allow him/her to perform at their full potential.

One final ‘secret’ tip I will give you is this; think about playing the more consistent returner on the advantage side of the court, this will mean they face more of the ‘big’ points and increase your percentages of winning them.

Hope you enjoyed this article; I look forward to welcoming you back again very soon, feel free to discuss this article and add anything that you particularly find useful when choosing a partner. Take it easy and pick your partners wisely!