• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Tennis Tribe Logo

Tennis Tribe

Tennis Gear Reviews, Doubles Lessons, & Tour News

  • Gear Reviews
    • All Gear Reviews
    • Tennis Racquets
      • Best Racquets Overall
      • Beginner Racquets
      • Intermediate Racquets
      • Advanced Racquets
      • How To Choose A Racquet
    • On-Court Gear
      • Shoes
      • Bags
      • Skirts
      • Dresses
      • Shorts
      • Sunglasses
      • Socks
      • Elbow Braces
    • Tennis Equipment
      • Strings
      • Ball Machines
      • Tennis Balls
      • Ball Hoppers
      • Overgrips
      • Training Aids
  • Doubles Strategy
    • Podcast
    • Lessons
    • Products: Ebooks & Courses
    • Newsletter
    • ATP/WTA Scouting & Strategy Analysis
  • Pro Tour
    • Tournaments
    • Pro Doubles News
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • About
    • Contact
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Pro Players & Coaches Reveal the Biggest Mistakes in Doubles

Will Boucek · January 3, 2023

Below you’re going to learn from some of the the best doubles players & coaches in the world.

I’ve asked professional doubles players, including major champions, and top coaches in the world of tennis one simple question.


What is the Biggest Mistake Doubles Players Make?

Here are their answers…

Rajeev Ram

Pro doubles player Rajeev Ram

Olympic Silver Medalist. Australian Open Men’s & Mixed Doubles Champion. US Open Champion.

Rajeev’s Answer: I see players not communicating with or energizing their partner. Doubles, after all, is it team game and the better you can make your partner play the more it will benefit you. I would say that is one area that is really neglected in doubles.

Related Content

Listen to our Rajeev Ram Interview on the Doubles Only Tennis Podcast


Nicole Melichar

Nicole Melichar - Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Champ

Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Champion, WTA Top 10, USA FedCup Member & Olympian.

Nicole’s Answer: The most common mistake is that players don’t communicate with their partners enough! Different levels have different abilities, but both players should have an idea of which shot is theirs to hit and which is their partners. Having good communication involves saying “yours” or “mine”, or also telling your partner before the point where you might try to hit the ball to start off the point! If you partner is aware, they can better cover their part of the court.

Related Content

Listen to our Nicole Melichar Interview on the Doubles Only Tennis Podcast


Kaitlyn Christian

Kaitlyn Christian - Pro womens doubles player

USC graduate. NCAA Doubles Champion and currently ranked #38 WTA in doubles. Body double for Emma Stone in Battle of the Sexes.

Kaitlyn’s Answer: The most common mistake I see people make in doubles is not being aggressive enough. Some people are afraid to get “hit” by the ball and don’t make moves to cut balls off or poach. The biggest key to doubles is movement. Making areas seem smaller for your opponents to hit into and baiting them to play the ball to where you want it. Don’t be afraid to get passed down the line because for the few balls that get past you, you’re going to intercept many more.


Ebook: 25 Winning Doubles Tactics

Ebook: 25 Winning Doubles Tactics Guaranteed to Help You Play Smarter

25 expert serve (7), return (5), net-play (5), baseline (4), & approach (4) tactics you can use in your next doubles match.

learn MORE

Craig O’Shannessy

Craig O'Shannessy - ATP Tennis Strategy Coach

Strategy analyst for ATP Tour, Wimbledon, Australian Open, formerly Team Djokovic, Matteo Berrettini, and the Italian Tennis Federation. Founder of Brain Game Tennis.

Craig’s Answer: Covering the line too much. A doubles court is shaped like an hourglass, with two big ends (the baseline) and a small neck in the middle of the court (The Center Window) where the ball continuously flows. Players get embarrassed about getting beat down the line. Give it up and crush the middle of the court, where almost all of the action is.

Related Content

Listen to our Craig O’Shannessy Interview on the Doubles Only Tennis Podcast


Ian Westermann

Ian Westermann - head coach at Essential Tennis

Founder of Essential Tennis. Host of the Essential Tennis Podcast.

Ian’s Answer: The most common mistake I see doubles players make is what I like to call “resetting the point”. They work hard to make their opponents uncomfortable, push them off balance, and cough up a weak, easy shot across the middle of the court. The net player makes their move, expertly intercepts the ball well above the height of the net, and then hits it aggressively towards the opponent who is best equipped to handle it: the baseline player! What comes next? A lob, of course, which is the most complained about shot in doubles!

If you want to avoid that frustration then picking the right targets to fit each point scenario is critical. Most offensive opportunities should be targeted towards the opponent closest to the net because they have the least amount of time to react and their feet are usually the most available to hit towards. Most defensive or neutral situations should target the opponent who’s FURTHEST from the net because that player is typically least set up to finish the point in their favor. Plus, hitting to the player further away from you will give you and your partner the most amount of time to get into position for the next shot.

So, next time you get an easy ball at the net, don’t reset the point! Close those opportunities out faster, easier, and more reliably by picking on the net player and you’ll win more matches.

Related Content

Listen to our Ian Westermann Interview on the Doubles Only Tennis Podcast


Jack Broudy

Jack Broudy - Pro Tennis Coach

Tennis Coach, Speaker, Author, and Inventor. Jack has influenced the development of several pros on tour today, as well as countless top ranked USTA Juniors and college national champion players and coaches. Founder of Broudy Tennis.

Jack’s Answer: When I watch doubles at the amateur or club level I find the biggest mistake is that the lack of split-level. The split-step is the hop a player makes as the ball is being struck by the opponent. This move is key because it gets you in an athletic posture (knees slightly bent and lower) and pushes you up into the first step, and in doubles, where the serve return and net play are so dominant, the first step is crucial. Players on average move about 25% quicker and more efficiently to the ball with the proper split-step. Plus it gets your body in a prone position to hit the next ball. I think the split-step also gets your mind more alert as well, especially in doubles where players tend to get complacent.

Work on split-stepping every time your opponents strike the ball and your doubles (and singles) game will undoubtedly improve immensely. Practice so your timing of your split-step continues to improve. Like the rest of the game, timing is everything and it all begins with a proper split-step.

Related Content

Listen to our Jack Broudy Interview on the Doubles Only Tennis Podcast


Steve Smith

Tennis coach Steve Smith

Steve has 45 years of diversified teaching and coaching experience. His career can be measured by the results of his students as players and the results of his students as tennis leaders. Steve designed and developed the first comprehensive curriculum and degree plan for tennis teachers and has a network of coaches around the world who teach beginners to get a great base. Founder of GreatBase Tennis. Daily tennis posts on their Facebook page.

Steve’s Answer: The most common mistake in doubles is playing one-up-one-back. One-up-one-back only works if the other players play one-up-one-back. Sure, there are exceptions. Often the players with superior athletic ability and inferior tactics beat the players with inferior athletic ability and superior tactics.

I tease and tell people that they need two things to be a serve-and-volley player; a serve and a volley. Next I ask the question, if you don’t serve and volley what do you not do. People initially don’t go to the net because if they do, they lose at a faster rate. Junior players stay back in their formative years and, as a result, are programmed to do the same while playing high school tennis. Quite often there are top ten nationally ranked juniors that go on and contribute to their college team as a counter-attacking baseline player in singles but they don’t make their team’s doubles line-up because they have logged nearly a decade of playing one-up-one-back before entering college.

The solution to the problem is to simply go forward. Governing tennis bodies around the world have agreed on new rules for young players to play with transition balls and shorter courts. A new rule should be added called – One-Bounce-Doubles. The serving team loses the point if the ball bounces on their side and the returning team loses if the ball bounces more than once on their side. If I had a vote, the rule would be in place through the 14-and- under age group. As a result, the art of playing serve-and-volley doubles would be saved.

Related Content

Listen to our Steve Smith Interview on the Doubles Only Tennis Podcast


Will Boucek

Will Boucek Founder of Tennis Tribe

Founder of The Tennis Tribe. ATP & WTA Doubles Strategy Analyst. Worked with teams at all 4 Grand Slams, Indian Wells, and the WTA Finals.

My Answer: I see too many players move forward and back at the net, but not laterally. This makes it very easy for your opponent to get into a rhythm hitting (especially returning) crosscourt.

Doubles players get embarrassed when they get beat down the line or miss a volley at the net, but it’s only 1 point. They typically neglect to count all the times the opponent tried to hit the doubles alley and missed. As a result, they don’t move side to side and they cover too much of the alley, giving the opponent a huge area to hit into crosscourt.

The alley is not where doubles matches are won. I’ve never heard someone say “we took over the doubles alleys and won that match.” It doesn’t happen. Move laterally more and give up some of the alley. Your opponent will miss more and you’ll win more matches.

Get new doubles tips & strategies every Thursday.
Play smarter doubles. Win more matches!

I’ll send you 3 Doubles Tactics to Force Errors & Get More Easy Volleys when you subscribe!

Will Boucek – ATP/WTA doubles strategy analyst

Will Boucek Founder of TheTennisTribe

Takeaways From These Doubles Experts

After reading these answers, there are a few topics that seem to come up several times. Here’s what I noticed.

  • Communication with your partner is VERY important & under appreciated.
    Before the point, know where your partner is hitting, and who should cover what. This seems obvious but make it a focus, especially when playing with new doubles partners.
  • Making your opponent uncomfortable is key to winning doubles.
    Whether it’s making them hit the more difficult shot down the alley or hitting at the other net player, you need to make the other team uncomfortable first.
  • The biggest mistakes and opportunities to improve are at the net!
    Almost everyone mentioned playing at the net. Serve and volley, split-step before you get to the net, be aggressive once you get there, hit at the other net player… Net play is still the most important part of good doubles strategy.

Related Content

Listen to our Jorege Capestany Interview on the Podcast & learn how to be a better doubles partner and improve team chemistry.

Have something to add?

If your a doubles coach or player, comment below with your answer! What is the biggest mistake doubles player make?

You could be included in the next doubles roundup article 😉

About Will Boucek

Will Boucek is the Founder & CEO of Tennis Tribe. With over two decades of experience playing & coaching tennis, Will now works as a doubles strategy analyst for ATP & WTA tour players and coaches. Will helps tennis players at every level play better doubles through smarter strategy. He also has expertise in tennis racquets & gear, testing the latest products from Wilson, Babolat, Head, Prince, and other tennis brands.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mark says

    March 13, 2019 at 3:32 am

    All good comments. mine is not have a ‘dictate play’ short, sharp, mindset.

    The VASTS majority of points last six shots or less. IE between 0.25 and 3.0 seconds…with 25 seconds between the points.

    Should play like an ALIVE ECG rather than a flatlining, one pace, endurance ‘DEAD’ ECG!!

    Reply
    • Will Boucek says

      March 13, 2019 at 3:18 pm

      Great points Mark!

      You have 25 seconds to get your mind right, so you can focus & go 100% effort for only a few seconds. Focus is so important and having the mindset to hit your targets on the first several shots will help you win more matches for sure.

      This is related to communicating with your partner too. If I’m serving down the T, you need to know so that you can pinch. And I need to know that you’re pinching so I can cover the other areas of the court.

      Thanks for the comments

      Reply
  2. Mark says

    March 25, 2019 at 5:11 am

    Bravo and bang on the button. How to sure this is the big question

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar


Your style and advice worked where hours of private lessons with coaches have not in the past.

- Cindy L. 3.5 player from Atlanta
Get Your Free Doubles Tips & Strategies

Review Tennis Gear. Learn Doubles Strategy. Follow The Pro Tour.

  • Tennis Gear Reviews
  • Doubles Lessons
  • Doubles Strategy Products
  • Pro Doubles News
  • Tribe Talk Tennis Blog

Doubles Only Tennis Podcast logo

Become a smarter doubles player with expert tips & strategy. Learn from ATP & WTA Coaches and Players.

Listen Here


Most Popular Lessons

  • Doubles Strategy: A Complete Guide
  • How To Be A Good Doubles Partner (& What To NOT Say!)
  • 7 Tips For Poaching In Doubles
  • The 3 Step Volley Checklist [Volleys Made Simple]

Featured Product

Ebook: 25 winning doubles tactics
 

Ebook: 25 Winning Doubles Tactics

Follow Tennis Tribe

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

FREE 20-page guide - Learn 3 doubles tactics to force errors and get more easy volleys! Download

Tennis Tribe

Copyright © 2023 | The Tennis Tribe

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy