Tennis Tactics and Strategies for Doubles Players

by Cosmin {WebTennis24}

In this section, you will explore various doubles formations, how to use court positioning to your team’s advantage, how to apply your strokes to earn points easier, and tactics to win doubles tennis matches… more often.

One-Up-One-Back vs. One-Up-One-Back
If you play in the OUOB formation against another team that prefers the same arrangement, here are some guidelines to follow:
– The baseline player should try to keep the ball away from the opposing net player: sharp cross-court groundstrokes, and lobs.
– The net player is the key to winning points by being very active in poaching or trying to poach anything that comes from the opposing baseline player. He should make sure to stay out of his baseline partner’s way enabling him to hit cross-court shots away from the opposing net player.
– The first serves should be sent down-the-T or into-the-body as much as possible to allow the net partner to poach (see Court Coverage – doubles). The serves should be either hard-flat or hard-slice curving into the body. Those result in slow/floating returns which are ideal to put away by the net player.
– The second serves should be hit with lots of spins or toward the returner’s weak wing.
– The net player’s volleys should go frequently to either the opposing net player or in between the two players.

For more details and further tactics and strategies for doubles players (see lessons below), visit the Ultimate Training for Tennis Players program from WebTennis24.