In doubles, just as in singles, the serving team starts with the clear advantage. Beyond the potency of the serve in starting points on your own terms, doubles players have the added bonus of a player ready and waiting at the net to put away any weak floating returns that would otherwise begin a baseline exchange in singles. This advantage means that in men's professional tennis, doubles players win around 60-70% of all service points played.

But this advantage doesn't come for free. Effective tactics, communication and strategy is required by the serving team to translate the efficiency of the serve into a winning combination.

This article focuses on the core tactics every serving team needs to understand: positioning, movement, communication, poaching, and smart serving patterns. If you apply even half of this consistently, your doubles results will improve quickly.

THE BASIC ROLES

On the serving side, there are two clear roles:

• The Server – starts the point with the serve, and often comes into the net to support their partner;
• The Net Player – creates pressure, looks to intercept, and finishes points.

It's something of a truism in doubles that the quality of a service game depends on the quality of the net player. Most competent servers are going to create enough advantages through their serve to generate easy opportunities for the net player - it's up to them to translate these opportunities into winning points.

PART 1: POSITIONING FUNDAMENTALS

It's an obvious point, but it bears repeating: with more players on a tennis court in doubles, there is less space to hit the ball. This is true even with the added space added with the doubles alley - the increase of xx metres is much smaller relative to the doubling of players on each end.

In singles tennis, you have to cover the whole width of the court yourself. In doubles, you are only responsible for your half, and you have to trust your partner to handle any balls that come to them.

Positioning is incredibly important in doubles - if you are in the wrong spot, not only do you compromise your ability to hit balls effectively, you also force your partner to cover more of the court, compromising their game. Poor positioning puts you into uncomfortable positions; good positioning sets you up for success.

SERVER POSITION

STARTING POSITION

n general, doubles serving starts closer to the singles line than to the centre line - this is because the net player is covering the line, and you are more likely to receive a return cross-court.

However, the position you start with as the server is dictated by the formation you are choosing to play in and the direction of the serve you are trying to hit.

Formations:

In an I-formation the server will stand almost on the centre mark, with the net player crouched in front of them.

Serve direction::

When serving down the T from the deuce court, you will want to be closer to the centre mark.

When serving out wide from the deuce court, you will want to be closer to the singles line.

Reverse these for serving from the ad-court.

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When serving out wide, you want to stand further to the singles line, as this opens up a greater angle for you to hit in.

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Conversely, stand closer to the centre-mark when hitting down the T, as it closes the angle off and is more aligned with your natural swing path.

AFTER THE SERVE: MOVE IN

Once again, the servers immediate movement after the serve is dependent on the serve direction and the formation.

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When playing Australian doubles, both players start on the same side of the court, so the server needs to be aware to cover the other side of the court. If it is a good return they may be forced to take it wide on the baseline, but otherwise they should look to move in to support their partner.

However, movement post serve needs to remember that the strongest position in doubles is always two players at the net, as it allows for the easy putting away of balls, and forces your opponents to either hit a ball past two players (difficult) or a good lob over the top (also difficult).

As the server then, your priority should always be to move into the court after the serve, in whichever direction is required by your formation or the return. This should look like:

• Serve.
• Take 1–3 quick steps forward.
• Split step as your opponent makes contact with the return.

Even if you don’t fully serve-and-volley, you must move inside the baseline. You need to be ready to move to the net as soon as practicable, which won't happen if you are hugging the baseline.

WHAT IF I HAVE A WEAK SERVE?

If your serve is weak and it isn't putting significant pressure on your opponent, this might make it hard to pressure the net effectively, as you'll be facing a lot of good returns coming in at your feet.

In this instance, it's worth considering either a formation change (see formations below) or try and develop the point from the baseline until you are able to turn the point back into your favour and then approach the net.

NET PLAYER POSITION

As always, formations dictate the exact starting position, but as a general rule your starting position should be:

• About 1–2 metres from the net.
• Slightly closer to the centre strap than the alley.
• Knees bent, active, leaning forward.

More importantly than where a net player starts however is how they move their position dynamically. Many players fall into the idea that they should play the doubles match from the same position that they start from, standing still waiting for a ball to approach them, or perhaps darting out to poach an easy shot when they see it. This is not correct.

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A basic starting position for the net player when serving. Pink lines shows the general direction of movement they should be making during play.

THE BIG PRINCIPLE:

Guard the middle first.

At beginner/intermediate levels:

• Most returns go crosscourt.
• Most passing shots go crosscourt.
• Most winners go through the middle.

If your net player hugs the alley, your team loses the biggest part of the court.

PART 2: SERVE STRATEGY IN DOUBLES

In singles, power matters.

In doubles, placement and pattern matter more.

1. SERVE TO SET UP THE NET PLAYER

Instead of asking:

“HOW DO I ACE THIS?”

Ask:

“HOW DO I MAKE THE RETURN PREDICTABLE FOR MY PARTNER?”

HIGH-PERCENTAGE DOUBLES SERVES

Wide Serve

Pulls returner off court.

Opens middle for your net player.

Body Serve

Jams the returner.

Produces weak, floating returns.

T Serve

Useful if opponent cheats wide.

Often forces crosscourt reply into net player’s zone.

At beginner–intermediate level, the body serve is massively underused and extremely effective.

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PART 3: MOVEMENT AFTER THE SERVE

THE SERVER’S TRANSITION

After serving:

• Move forward.
• Split step as returner hits.
• React based on return direction.

If return is:

• Crosscourt → Move diagonally forward toward your own service line.
• Down the line → Cover line, let partner shift middle.
• Lob → Turn immediately and call it loudly.

Never drift sideways. Move forward first.

THE NET PLAYER’S MOVEMENT

The net player should:

• Start active.
• Split step on the returner’s contact.
• Read body language.

Key rule:

MOVE BEFORE THE BALL CROSSES THE NET, NOT AFTER.

At this level, most players react too late.

PART 4: POACHING – THE MOST IMPORTANT DOUBLES SKILL

Poaching means crossing the middle to intercept a crosscourt return.

At beginner–intermediate level:

You do NOT need perfect timing.

You DO need commitment.

WHEN TO POACH

Poach when:

• The serve pulls the returner wide.
• The returner is stretched.
• You see a slow backswing.
• You see a defensive slice.

Do NOT poach randomly every point.

HOW TO POACH PROPERLY

Start slightly closer to the centre.

As server hits a wide or body serve, lean middle.

Cross aggressively.

Aim deep into the open court.

Important:

IF YOU DECIDE TO GO, GO.

Half-poaches are worse than no poach.

PART 5: COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PARTNERS

Most intermediate teams don’t talk enough.

Before each point, quickly decide:

• Normal (no poach)
• Fake (net player shows, then returns)
• Planned poach
• Australian formation (rare at beginner level but useful occasionally)

Even a simple hand signal behind the back works:

Closed fist = stay

Open hand = poach

Clear plans reduce hesitation.

PART 6: CONTROLLING THE MIDDLE

The middle wins matches at this level.

Why?

• It’s the longest part of the net.
• It creates confusion.
• Both opponents hesitate.

As the serving team:

• The net player owns the middle.
• The server must be ready to move toward the centre after the return.

Many doubles teams lose because they both guard “their half” instead of functioning as a pair.

Think of it as:

TWO PLAYERS PROTECTING ONE LARGE TARGET, NOT TWO SMALL ONES.

PART 7: HANDLING THE RETURN

IF THE RETURN IS CROSSCOURT

This is most common.

Net player looks to intercept.

Server moves forward and slightly middle.

Prepare for a volley exchange.

IF THE RETURN IS DOWN THE LINE

Server must cover it.

Net player shifts centre.

Don’t panic — down-the-line returns are lower percentage.

IF THE RETURN IS LOBBED

Decide quickly:

If over net player → call “switch” and both players rotate.

If over server → server turns and partner covers middle.

Clear communication is critical.

PART 8: BASIC FORMATIONS FOR BEGINNERS

STANDARD FORMATION (MOST IMPORTANT)

Server at baseline.

Net player at service line or closer.

After serve, server moves forward.

Master this first.

AUSTRALIAN FORMATION (OPTIONAL VARIATION)

Both server and net player start on same side of court.

Useful when:

Returner is very strong crosscourt.

You want to force down-the-line return.

But this requires good communication and quick movement. Use sparingly at beginner–intermediate level.

PART 9: COMMON MISTAKES AT THIS LEVEL

Server stays at baseline.

Net player hugs alley.

No poaching at all.

Poaching without plan.

No communication.

Both players retreating under pressure.

Remember:

DOUBLES REWARDS AGGRESSION AT THE NET.

Even if you make mistakes, controlled aggression is better than passive play.

PART 10: A SIMPLE TACTICAL GAME PLAN YOU CAN APPLY IMMEDIATELY

If you want something actionable:

Serve mostly wide and body.

Net player guards middle.

Server always moves forward after serving.

Plan one poach every service game.

Talk before every point.

If you do just this, you’ll instantly become more structured than most teams at your level.

FINAL THOUGHT

Doubles is not two singles players sharing a court.

It is a coordinated, pressure-based game built around:

First strike advantage.

Net dominance.

Middle control.

Planned movement.

Master these core tactics and you’ll stop playing reactive doubles — and start playing intentional, structured, winning doubles.

When a player hits the ball, he must
consider what the position of his opponents and his partner is. Tactics in doubles is more com-
plicated than in singles. In doubles the player reacts to the actions of three other players. The
fundamental difference from singles is that, in doubles, in addition to individual game activi-
ties, there are also various forms of cooperation between partners
It's no wonder that in professional tennis