Focus on Your Responsibilities To Win More Doubles Matches

Doubles mirrors life in many ways.  In both there is individual responsibility and also mutual responsibility.  One's individual actions has a direct impact on the success of others.  Understanding this concept is the key to being successful in doubles.

Let's look at each type of responsibility and what constitutes them.

Individual Responsibility

1) Your court position when the ball is on your side of the court.  There is a right and wrong place to be.  As an example, when you are up at net, and your partner is back at the baseline, and the ball has been hit to them, you must move to a defensive position near the middle T to protect against a potential poach.  If you fail to do this, you leave the middle wide open for your opponent, and your team will more than likely lose the point.

2) Your court position when the ball is on your opponent's side of the court.  This will depend on where you begin the point, and if you are up or back.  If you are at the net and you fail to attack (move forward) when your partner hits to the baseline player, then you are forgoing opportunities to poach and putting more pressure on your partner to do more to win the point.  If you fail to "shade the ball" when you are at net when the ball is on your opponents' side of the court, you open up space for your opponents to hit through for clean winners.

3) Where you serve.  When you are serving, it is up to you to put the ball in positions that both accentuate your strengths and maximize your opponents' weaknesses.  Failing to get the ball to your opponents' weakness gives them the opportunity to hurt you and your partner with their strengths.  This is the one part of the game that you have almost 100% control over.

4)Where you return serve.  Although it is entirely possible that the server hits a great serve and puts you into a reactive position where targeting becomes almost impossible, 80-90% of returns are such that you are balanced and have the opportunity to do the right thing.  Returning the serve cross court should happen 90-95% of the time.  This not only greatly improves your chances of starting the point on your end as it is the high percentage play, it also allows your partner to possibly pick off the next ball.

5)Your court position when you and your partner are at net.  You have heard from tennis professionals and tennis commentators that you and your partner should be "attached by a string x feet apart" in order to ensure that you move together.  This is works when the ball is on your side of the court only.  When the ball is on your opponents' side of the court, the string analogy only works and makes sense if BOTH of you move to your individual correct spots.  You wouldn't follow your partner if they go to the wrong spot.  Therefore I recommend not focusing attention on where your partner needs to be or where they are at all, and instead ensure YOU are in the right place.  This depends on whether or not you are cross court or down the line from the ball, and the effectiveness of the previous ball, just to name a few factors.  If you and your partner focus on where you need to correctly be as individuals, you will APPEAR to be moving together.

6)Drifting and Poaching.  Drifting is poaching the server's first ball after the serve.  Poaching is picking off the return of serve.  Both require the attacking player to move at the right time and move in the right path.  It also requires the attacker to place the ball to certain areas of the court to ensure your team is in the best position for the next shot.

7) Shot Selection At any time in a doubles match, once you have the opportunity to hit the ball, the responsibility of where to hit the ball falls squarely on your shoulders.  Your decision will positively or negatively impact your teams chances.  Focusing on the correct locations for the situation will lead to better results, while not thinking or not hitting to the high percentage locations for the situation will lead to poorer results.

Mutual Responsibilty

1) Communication/reading your partner You and your partner before and after every shot must both communicate (verbally and non verbally) where you are moving and also be able to read the other in order to move to the correct locations and hit your next shots.  The reason is many "plays" require two or three shot patterns, and you always want to ensure court balance when your team is forced to switch sides.  This also includes any signals you and your partner may use.

2) Knowing each others' strengths and weaknesses  In order for you and your partner to play at the peak of your abilities, you must not only understand your own strengths and weaknesses, but also understand your partner's strengths and weaknesses.  This will allow you to only choose the correct sides to play, but also determine who should serve first, which partner sould return serve on any no-ad points, and also help your strategy (example: if your partner is a great poacher, then serve more up the middle, and return crosscourt every time so you set them up more to use their strength)

3) Knowing your opponents' strengths and weaknesses  This is what allows you to force your opponents into what they do poorly, which gives you the best chance to win.  Both you and your partner should understand this before the match or be able to determine it after four games.

4) Keeping each other positive/ offering support  Both partners should be supportive of their partner after errors, give kudos when they play well, and keep each other pumped up and positive in between points as well as on change overs.

By understanding your individual responsibilities and what both of you are mutually responsible for, you will be better able to do the right thing during each point and during each match, thus improving your chances to win.