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Doubles: Styles of Play and Formations

by Pat Blaskower

In doubles you see players set up in many different formations. These include “one up and one back,” two net rushers, two baseliners or a staggered formation at the net, and the use of specific starting court positions such as the Australian or the “I formation.” A doubles team's style of play reflects its philosophy for winning matches while using a special alignment of the players to start a point is a strategy to defuse a particular expertise of an opponent. Playing styles should be evaluated on their effectiveness in dictating the outcome of the match, and atypical starting court positions should be judged on their ability to negate an opponent's strength or mask a team's weakness.

One Up, One Back

The least evolved and least sophisticated style of doubles play is the “one up and one back” version. It has no redeeming features. In what I consider the bible for doubles, The Game of Doubles in Tennis by William Talbert and Bruce Olds, the comment is made, ”Singles is the game of imagination. Doubles is the game of patterns and angle volleys.”

Those teams that embrace the “one up and one back” positioning are really just playing singles with an interested observer stationed helplessly at the net. Certainly angled volleys are not possible from the baseline and when the team across the net chooses to play the same way, the match becomes an exchange of groundstrokes better suited to the singles court with two ineffective net players bored out of their minds.

I tell my students to remember to hit shots in consideration of their partners' responsibilities, and these long baseline exchanges totally ignore the fact that there are two people on each side of the net. If, however, the opposition has chosen a serve and volley style of play, net partners of the players wedded to the baseline should beware. All of your partners' strokes will be traveling in an upward trajectory toward racquets poised to hit down at you. You will be quite defenseless and perhaps come away with bruises.

This rather selfish style of play really has nothing to recommend it and is usually practiced by those who have no confidence in their transition game. It doesn't work at the 3.0 level because the “back” player is incapable of keeping the ball low enough to avoid damage to his defenseless net player and is not skilled enough to keep the ball away from the opposing net player. And it doesn't work at the 4.5 level because the opposition undoubtedly possesses softly angled volleys that land too short and too quickly to be retrieved. At this level, drawing an “up and back” team in a league match is probably a much sought after event.

Two Net Rushers

“Conventional” doubles is played by two ardent net rushers whose goal is to arrive side by side a few feet from the net. It is a vast improvement over the above style of play, but has serious drawbacks. Angled volleys are possible, catching opponents out of position and thus gaining the advantage within the point. The ability to punish baseliners with drop volleys is also a plus.

But questions about this style of play arise. Who covers the lob? Specifically, who covers the crosscourt lob? With both players “on” the net, the crosscourt lob will be a winner because the angle of the ball is running away from the team. Who takes the middle ball? The forehand? What if one is a lefty? Is it the player who hit the last ball? If so, can you count that fast? And who puts the ball away? Both players? Do you really want racquets crashing together? Serious injury is a distinct possibility.

Crosscourt and Terminator

The style of play I teach and prefer has distinct responsibilities on the court and they do not overlap. I call it “Crosscourt and Terminator.” The crosscourt player is the “worker bee.” Although he comes to the net on every point, he does not “close” the net. He positions himself just inside the service line so that the crosscourt lob is not an option for the opponent. He keeps the center netstrap between himself and his crosscourt opponent, thus always remaining in the middle of the probable angles of return, and he works to create an opportunity for his partner, the Terminator, to end the point. He does this by keeping his volleys low and angled, forcing the weak reply.

Since the team knows that all lob coverage belongs to the crosscourt player, the Terminator is free to put his nose on the net and rove alley to alley in search of a putaway poach. The Terminator is always the player on the same side of the court as the ball and mirrors that player's movement, being careful to remember that the mirror has a rounded corner on the outside of the court. Since the crosscourt player always volleys crosscourt, the ball always ends up in front of the Terminator. The division of labor is clear and there are no holes on the court. The crosscourt player takes the lob and sets up the point. The Terminator puts the ball away. The ball in the middle first belongs to the Terminator, but because of the crosscourt player's use of the netstrap, he will be in position to back up his partner should the need arise. This style of play foils the lob queens, destroys the baseliners with touch and angle volleys and covers the middle ball more effectively than the '‘conventional” wisdom of doubles.

Two on the Baseline

There is one more style of play that can be quite useful, and that is the one in which both players remain on the baseline. It does not carry the stigma of the “one up and one back” misadventure because both players are equally engaged in the point. It is used for several reasons. If a team is facing monster serves, they simply cannot get to the net behind their returns. This is particularly true in men's professional tennis.

A viable way of getting the ball in play and avoiding the inevitable poach is to position both players behind the baseline, use a variety of lobs and drives, and essentially play defense against the strength across the net. I also teach this strategy to my teams as a way of slowing the match down. Sometimes the sand just runs through the hourglass too quickly, and within what seems like seconds, the first set has been lost 6-0. When that occurs, the defensive court position is useful. It certainly makes the opposition hit more balls and might make it possible for a team to climb back into the match.

The “two back” defense can also be used strictly as a formation against the onslaught of a powerful first serve and abandoned on the second serve. Or, a serve and volley team may have every intention of taking control of the net, but be ambushed by one team member's inability to return serve effectively. In that case, two back for that player's return, but not for the partner who is returning effectively.

The Australian serving formation positions the server and netman on the same side of the center line.

Starting formations do not reflect a team's character or playing philosophy. They are used either to intimidate or neutralize the opposition or to camouflage a weakness on their side of the net.

Australian Serving Formation

The Australian serving formation has several excellent benefits. I teach that the server stands very near the “T,” and the server's partner positions himself crosscourt from the receiver, on the service line , since he is now the crosscourt player and must cover the lob. After serving, the server rushes the net directly in front of the receiver, hitting all balls in a straight line since he is now the Terminator. The server's partner takes the lob and the middle ball.

Australian serving formation is an excellent way to negate the service return lob. It also takes away an opponent's wicked crosscourt return since he is now forced to hit the ball in a straight line. Using this formation also allows the server to choose which volleys he wishes to hit. If he is right-handed and is struggling in the ad court with the difficult backhand first volley, he can play Australian to that court and end up hitting forehand volleys.

A word of caution about this formation: The middle of the court is very vulnerable until the server can arrive in the Terminator position.

The “I” Formation

Serving teams often use the “I” formation to intimidate their opponents. This differs from the Australian in that the server's partner in the “I” formation crouches very low, on the net, and in the center of the court. He gives his server a signal as to which way he is going to move on the sound of the serve and the server, who begins at the “T,” moves in the opposite direction.

The idea behind this alignment is that it confuses the receiver and makes the poaching distance quite short if the team has guessed right. It can be quite effective against inexperienced players, but the savvy doubles team will have an answer. They will either play their returns on the rise, aiming right up the middle as the net player moves, or they will take a step back and watch the server. Whichever way the server goes is where they play the return, thus eliminating any possibility of a poach.

laying good doubles is an art. When played correctly it is a game of fast hands, anticipation and deft volleys. Above all else, it is a game played by two people on the same side of the net. Your team is functioning at its maximum efficiency if both players enter the same point. An excellent return and then a cross by the receiver's partner is very satisfying. A good serve and a poach by the server's partner should be the goal. Don't underestimate the value of teamwork. Never forget to thank your partner for that great setup.

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