Alan Margot – Clever Tennis

Playing Back!

In this week’s doubles tactic we’re going to look at the “Defense” concept of playing back with your partner when receiving serve and the situations that go with it. And we’ve got some great examples to share with you which we shot at the Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA.

So what are some of the reasons why you’d want to play back with your partner? Here are just a few to consider:

  1. Your opponent has a huge first serve and you’re having trouble getting the ball back into play.
  2. You’ve got an active netman in front of you who’s poaching, cutting off your returns and smacking them at your partner.
  3. You didn’t get a good warm-up before your match and you haven’t quite found your timing or your game space yet.
  4. Or maybe you just want to mess with your opponents and give them another look!

Remember, rumor has it, “it’s a game,” right? And - you always have choices. If you’re not getting close to breaking serve, play back with your partner, take off some of the pressure in hitting that “good” service return and get the ball into play. Once the serve is returned and the ball’s in play, you have a chance to win the point. Here’s where you rally, work the ball, slow the game down, be patient and give your opponents the chance to press and make an error.

Good defense is a real art. By playing good defense and getting your opponents away from the net, you can neutralize their offense and yes, you can change defense into offense and now gain control of the point!

Alan Margot

Alan is the founder of www.clevertennis.com - a fun and enjoyable video based learning website that teaches doubles tactics and strategies to the 3.5 to 4.5 level.

Alan is currently the Director of Tennis at the Atherton Tennis Center, Holbrook-Palmer Park in Atherton, California. For 35 years he has taught and coached all levels and ages of players including sectional and nationally ranked juniors and touring professionals in the Bay Area. He has also served as a NorCal Regional Director of the United States Professional Tennis Association.

“At CleverTennis we are always thinking of new ways to connect with people to teach tennis, whether it’s through our Tennis Getaways or through our DVDs and videos. Learning is fun - at every level!”

For more information on CleverTennis Getaways see www.clevertennis.com.