This is an interview with Jared Jacobs, the coach of WTA doubles team Demi Schuurs and Desirae Krawczyk. We discuss his tennis background, the season so far, making adjustments, and more.
Jared also works with Bethanie Mattek-Sands. I asked him what her future looks like for the next year and when we might see her back on tour. Jared has worked with many of the top doubles players in the world and has lots of knowledge and experience to share.
In this conversation we talk about:
- Demi’s & Desirae’s 2022 season so far.
- Why Demi Schuurs’ return is so good.
- How Desirae is so good at mixed doubles.
- How to make adjustments with your partner.
- The way you should think about serve strategy.
- How to determine a return strategy.
You’ll also hear how Jared got into tennis, how he became a coach, and how he thinks we can make doubles more popular.
Hold Your Serve Easier Than Ever! Comprehensive 55-page guide to serve strategy for doubles players
Interview Notes from this Podcast
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- Follow Jared on Twitter & Instagram
- Jared is the coach of Demi Schuurs and Desirae Krawczyk.
- He has also coached Natasha Zvereva and currently trains Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
- Recorded live at the US Open.
- Making Adjustments
- It’s essential to make adjustments depending on your partner’s style.
- It’s also important to ensure that you and your partner are always on the same page.
- Be aware that each partner needs to improve on different things at different times.
- Serve Strategy
- Jared recommends focusing on what serve patterns work best for you and then balancing that with attacking your opponents’ weaknesses.
- Work with your partner to find around 5 serve patterns you like to use and practice them.
- Return Strategy
- Base your return strategy around what you like to do, such as hitting big, getting to the net, etc…
- With a left and right-handed duo, it’s nice to put forehands down the middle, but you should worry more about which side you’re more comfortable on and which side you like to come in on.
- Phil Farmer, the coach of Austin Krajicek and Ivan Dodig, says to prioritize playing your better return side because more points end there.
- Jared’s Favorites
- Book: The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi
- Tournament: US Open & French Open
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