Tennis tactics: 5 simple, effective doubles strategies for club players
Want to win more doubles matches? Whatever your skill level, you can succeed by playing smarter.
Here tennis analyst and coach Jack Edward reveals five basic strategies that club and recreational players can use to maximise their doubles effectiveness and win more matches…
(see also: Tennis tactics: 4 simple, effective singles strategies for club players)
Most recreational doubles players want to hit like the pros. They’ll have aspirations of igniting a blistering forehand pass down the line to convert break point, firing an ace out wide down match point, or coming out on top of a cat-and-mouse net exchange that involves God-tier split-second reactions.
But what if I told you hitting like the pros was only half the battle to playing like the pros? You could hit a forehand like Jack Sock from the baseline but if it goes directly to the net player, the outcome of the point is in the hands of the opposing team. You could lob like Andy Murray but if your opponent is constantly taking on overheads, chances are you’re going to lose more points than you win.
Without having to hit like Roger, I’m here to give you a few strategies you can use to play smarter doubles…
1. Use depth - not pace - in crosscourt rallies
One of the simplest strategies in the business is using depth to put yourself up in the point. Unfortunately its power is often overlooked by recreational doubles players. You don’t have to hit with pace to put your opponent under pressure. If you’re locked into a cross-court battle hitting from behind the baseline, what’s the point in wellying the ball back to the opponent?
The more pace you add, the harder it becomes to hit control the depth of the ball.
Hitting with pace from behind the baseline, your opponent will have more time to react to the incoming shot than if you’d hit with pace from inside the baseline. More risk for less reward.
Going cross-court, the space to hit a winner in doubles gets smaller and smaller the further you are pushed back.
Instead, when you’re in a cross-court rally, try hitting the ball deeper rather than faster to push your opponent behind the baseline.
You’ll give your partner at the net more time to poach a put-away volley.
The opponent will have fewer angles to work with the further you push them back.
They may cough up a short ball if you can get them on the back foot.
You can be aggressive in doubles by hitting the ball deep rather than fast.
2. Fire an early warning shot to keep the net player honest
Another often overlooked strategy from recreational doubles players… Send out a warning shot down the line as soon as possible.
The last thing you want as a recreational doubles player is an interception-happy net player who dives into the middle of the court at every available opportunity. I’ll hold my hands up - I am that interception-happy net player! Until somebody shows me they’re willing to pick me off down the line, I ain’t gonna stop being a nuisance at the net (the flip-side to this strategy is be a nuisance at the net unless you’re given a reason to stop poaching!).
Don’t be the player that lets the opponent run riot with their volleys. Go down the line line as soon as you can! Even if you miss, you’ll give them something to think about and keep them honest.
3. Know how to use height, based on your position on the court
We talked about hitting the ball deep already. Adding height to the ball is a great way of doing that - good shape on your groundstrokes will keep the ball deep in the court more often than not ,forcing your opponent to come up with something similar to avoid being put under pressure.
But what about if you’re stepping into the court? Adding height to a short ball will somewhat neutralise what could have been an offensive shot. You’ll give your opponent time to set up their next shot when they should have been scrambling to get the ball back into play.
Hitting with height to achieve depth is perfect from the back of the court but, on shorter balls, hit lower over the net to put your opponent on the back foot.
It’s less risky to hit lower over the net the further up the court you are.
The shallower arc of the ball will allow you to add pace to the ball. Taking on this risk is justifiable as you are taking far more time away from your opponent than if you’d hit a haymaker from five metres behind the baseline.
A low, pacey ball will allow you to get to the net as the opponent will struggle more to come up with a passing shot given a lower contact point.
Hit with height and depth from the back of the court. Hit with less height and add pace as you step into the court.
4. Aim volleys to feet
Faced with a volley with all four of you at the net? It can be difficult to know what to do in this situation with little time to think about your next move.
As a rule of thumb, rather than trying to hit over or around your opponent, who may actually benefit from having the ball at arm’s length, try to get the ball to your opponent’s feet. Force your opponent to hit up on the ball to win you or your teammate a high volley.
Don’t panic - find the feet!
5. Deal with the lob from ‘No-Man’s Land’
The antithesis of the doubles game… The lobber. (I mean, it’s a legitimate tactic so if you can’t deal with it, then lobbers, lob away! Let’s avoid that though and get you prepared for the next serial lobber you encounter.)
Are you aware of No Man’s Land? The area of a doubles court near the service line that many coaches claim you should never be left stranded in? When approaching the net, it’s okay to split-step there first if your opponent is taking the mickey with their lobs. Split-step on the service line and then…
Close down the net if you’re given a standard volley; or
Move backwards or sideways if the lobber lobs.
Either way, you should get a racket on the ball if you time your split-step well enough (unless your opponent comes up with a fantastic passing shot - which the serial lobber often doesn’t have in their arsenal).
Don’t be afraid to use No Man’s Land to your advantage!
To Summarise:
1. Use depth to be aggressive from the back of the court.
2. Keep the net player from intercepting constantly with a shot down the line early in the match.
3. Hit with less height when hitting a shorter ball.
4. Try and get the ball to your opponent’s feet when all four of you are at the net.
5. Don’t be afraid to hang back near No Man’s Land when approaching the net against a serial lobber.
Good luck!
See also:
Tennis tactics: 4 simple, effective singles strategies for club players
Aggressive Patience - the essential strategy for winning more tennis matches
Doubles Play: How to stop worrying about your volleys and start loving the net
About the author
Jack Edward is a tennis analyst and host of the On The Line podcast, which takes regular deep dives into ATP and WTA tour matches. He’s also a qualified LTA coach and on Talking Tennis he brings his unique analytical insights to help club and recreational players to be more effective on the court.
