Bob and Mike Bryan, the most successful doubles team in tennis history, on ‘HOW TO BEHAVE TOWARDS YOUR DOUBLES PARTNER’ …
Always be positive when speaking to your partner on the court: ‘Sometimes you’re going to have to fake it. You’re only half of the team, and you need your partner feeling great and playing the best that he can.’
Never order your partner around. Never roll your eyes when talking to your partner. If you’ve just had a bad defeat, clear the air right away. And be honest: ‘We like to hash it out pretty quickly after a match. We will tell it straight. Two professionals who aren’t brothers would probably never say the stuff that we say. We get it out there, even if it’s not friendly. We’ll say some really personal stuff that we know will cut the other twin to the core. But that means that we can let off a lot of steam, and clear the air. Other players might have some lingering problems and drama that will get them in trouble for a whole month or two months and could end the partnership. Obviously it helps that we’re twins and we have a bond which is never going to break. We’re not looking around for another partner, and the other one knows that.’
Violence should never be condoned – but sometimes it can work: ‘We’ve got physical. We’ve thrown punches and thrown stuff. We’ve broken guitars against the wall, thrown shoes, and hurled a glass bottle of pills across the room, shattering it. Our biggest fight was after a first-round match at Wimbledon one year. We had had a barn-burner on the court. We actually won, but it was a terrible match. We threw some punches in the back of the car that was taking us from Wimbledon, and then when we got to the apartment, we ran up the stairs and broke some stuff, including a guitar. We were so pissed off with each other. And then we ended up winning the tournament. There have been other times that we’ve been on a flight, jabbing at each other, and a stewardess has come up to us and said, “Is everything OK here?” We will wait until she leaves and then go back at it.’
Roy Emerson, a winner of 16 grand slam doubles titles, on ‘HOW TO PLAY BRILLIANT DOUBLES’ …
Your first job is always to protect your partner: ‘Don’t play a shot that’s going to get your partner killed. Too often you see two people playing doubles and it doesn’t look as though they are playing together as a team. This isn’t singles; it’s doubles. You have to look out for your partner at all times.’
You should know where your partner is at all times – without looking back.
Don’t go for too much with the return of serve: ‘You don’t have to go for winners the whole time. It’s especially important that the player on the forehand side isn’t erratic and doesn’t make too many unforced errors, as otherwise his partner on the backhand side is always going to find himself facing fifteen-love. If one of you is more erratic, a bit more of a shot-maker, he should play on the backhand side as he’s the guy who is going to get more of the breakpoint opportunities, so it makes more sense to take a bit more risk with the return of serve.’
Take some pace off your serve to get a first-serve percentage of around 85 per cent: ‘You don’t need a big serve to win doubles matches. It’s best to take some of the pace off the ball and to land your first serve. If you get your firstserve percentage up to 80 or 85 per cent, you’re going to make it extremely difficult for your opponents to break you. But if you start hitting a lot of second serves, you’re going to be in trouble as a good doubles team can win 80 per cent of second serves they face.’
If you’re going to serve and volley, get as close to the net as possible for that first volley, so you don’t have to play the ball off your shoelaces.
Choose your partner carefully: ‘Picking the right doubles partner is so important. If you can’t converse, and can’t communicate to each other what you’re trying to achieve, you’re not going to get very far.’
Mahesh Bhupathi, a former doubles world No. 1, who won 12 grand slam doubles titles, on ‘HOW TO CHOOSE A DOUBLES PARTNER’ …
Find someone who will complement your strengths and weaknesses: ‘Some players have a lot of agility, and some have power, some serve and volley better, and some return better. It’s always good to have two partners who have the mix of all those strengths if you want to have a good team. If you have a good serve, you should be looking for someone who can knock off the volleys. If you have a good return, then a partner who is intimidating at the net would enhance that return. If you’re weak from the baseline, you need someone who is very solid from the back of the court, so you can make up for that weakness.’
However, it can work well having a team of two players with very similar styles: ‘You can have a team strength.’
Jonny Marray, who won the men’s doubles competition at Wimbledon in 2012 with Frederik Nielsen, on ‘THE BEST KIND OF DOUBLES PARTNER’ …
Pick a friend: ‘You’re going to be spending a lot of time together – you’ve got to enjoy their company. The worst thing is playing with someone who doesn’t let me stay relaxed so that I can enjoy playing. You get enough pressure from yourself and your opponents, so the last thing you need is your partner putting pressure on you too. I’ve got to be able to trust my partner to be in my corner all the time.’
David Macpherson is the most successful doubles coach in tennis history – he has worked with the Bryan brothers, and was a consultant to Switzerland’s winning Davis Cup team at the 2014 final, which saw Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka combine to take the doubles rubber. Here are his tips on ‘HOW TO HAVE SUCCESS AS A DOUBLES TEAM’ …
You need to find a way of constantly pushing each other: ‘At the same time, you need to stay positive with each other and to maintain team chemistry. That’s easier said than done.’
Never ease off on the practice court: ‘Practise at 100 per cent intensity every session and never let that slip.’
Don’t play the blame game after defeats: ‘If both players look at themselves first, rather than at their partner, it will promote accountability.’
Bob and Mike Bryan, the first doubles team to win more than 100 titles, on ‘HOW TO GET IN SHAPE FOR DOUBLES’ …
You shouldn’t train for doubles in the same way you train for singles: ‘We work as hard as singles players; it’s just that we’re doing different stuff. We’re in the gym as much as we’re on the court. As a singles player, you need to do a lot of cardio to be ready to play. You don’t need that as much in doubles. In doubles, the points are much shorter. You need a strong core and strong legs. But our legs are pretty skinny compared to the singles players.’
Doubles is a fast-twitch game. So you need to be able to make quick, explosive movements: ‘As a singles player on the tour these days, you can play a pretty smooth game. Sometimes it’s easier on the body playing singles than doubles. Obviously playing singles is more gruesome on the body with the endurance, but in doubles you’re always crouched down and you have to make very explosive moves. When the singles guys come and play doubles, they tend to be a little flat-footed. It takes their eye a little while to get adjusted. You have to see everything way out in front. You have to be fast.’
You should be doing lots of preventative work, and with every part of your body: ‘For a tennis player, your body is your business, so if we have a week off between tournaments, we’re in the gym a couple of hours a day.’
Do a lot of resistance band sprints and movement: ‘You put the harness on, and move about the court – back-pedalling, changing direction, that sort of stuff. We also do that in sand, which strengthens your ankles. So, when you get back on the court, it feels a little easier. We’re always in that crouch position, and you want to get out of that position as quickly as possible so we do a lot of static stuff and biometric jumps.’
Ross Hutchins, who has been ranked in the world’s top 30, on ‘HOW TO WARM UP FOR DOUBLES’ …
You need to warm up for twice as long before a doubles match as you would do before playing singles: ‘A singles player can work his way into a match. In doubles, you have to be sharp from the first point. In doubles, because it’s so serve-dominated and because of the sudden-death format on the tour, you can’t have a slow start.’
Warm up together – spend an hour on the practice court with your doubles partner.
Hit from the back of the court for 20 minutes, starting with shots down the middle and then moving on to cross-court strokes.
You need 20 minutes to warm up your volleys: ‘One of you comes to the net, with the other staying at the back. The volleyer would practise forehand volleys cross-court, forehand volleys down the line, and then switch over to the backhand. And then we practise our first volley. The player doing that starts just outside the baseline, and then comes in to hit a first forehand volley cross-court. So the other player is then practising their second shot. And then you switch over to do the same with the backhand. I would suggest doing around four each of the different first volleys, so you’re hitting around 16 each. And then switch over.’
Spend 20 minutes on your serves and playing some points: ‘It’s all about getting yourself match sharp.’
After leaving the practice court, have some food, a shower and rest.
Twenty minutes before you’re due on court, go to the gym or somewhere you can make quick, sharp movements: ‘Do some squat jumps so you’re going to be ready on the court to make explosive movements. Being explosive generally means that your mind is switched on. As you walk out, you’re ready to go. You’re thinking, “I’m not going to miss easy shots, I’m not going to be lethargic, I’m going to put pressure on our opponents.” If you’re switched on physically after waking up your body, you’re going to be switched on mentally and you won’t make any silly errors. Two bad points can cost you a set in doubles.’
Bob and Mike Bryan on ‘HOW TO AVOID BASIC ERRORS IN DOUBLES’ …
If you’re going to serve wide, make sure you tell your net-man: ‘If you don’t tell him, and he’s close to the middle of the court, you’re going to get burned down the line the whole time. That’s a common mistake.’
Don’t be passive at the net: ‘You mustn’t be slow and fearful.’
You shouldn’t be on your heels: ‘Your weight should always be going forwards, and you should be hitting the ball in front of you. You need to be on your toes.’
Ross Hutchins on ‘HOW TO GET YOUR DOUBLES FORMATION RIGHT’ …
The important thing is to play to your strengths: ‘If you don’t like coming to the net, or if you don’t like hitting backhands, or if you want to avoid a shot which you think will let you down in certain situations, it’s quite easy in doubles to cover that.’
When you’re serving, it’s easy to cover your weakness: ‘As the server, you’re in charge of the game. For example, if you’re trying to cover your backhand, you would serve and then immediately move to your right to go to your forehand. So if you’re serving to the ad court, your partner is in the left service box. You serve and then take two steps to the right and that puts you in prime position to take on your opponent and hold your serve. You’re suddenly in a position of strength, in the forehand corner. You’re more comfortable, and your opponents are probably going to be a little bit confused.’
Keep the instructions simple. You want to confuse your opponents, not your partner: ‘When I’m serving, I tell my partner where I’m going to serve and where I want him to go. And that’s it.’
Don’t listen to the traditionalists who say you have to be at the net. If you don’t feel comfortable hitting volleys, stay back: ‘In amateur tennis you see so many people missing volleys and missing smashes, and I’m sure they’re thinking to themselves, “I don’t want to be there.” Well, you don’t have to be there. If you want to play two at the back, then play two at the back. That’s saying to your opponents, “We feel like our back court game is better than your all-round game and that’s why we’re choosing to stay at the back of the court – we’re confident that we’re better than you guys.” Let them come in and just trust your groundstrokes.’
Sometimes both players start at the back and come to the net together: ‘You stay back until the right opportunity and then you go in together. This way, amateurs can avoid most tricky volleys. I would highly recommend playing two at the back on return. It can be quite imposing for your opponents when you’re both at the back and then you come in together. It’s like a wave hitting your opponent. They will feel under pressure to play a good shot, and they’ll often make an error.’
If one player in the team is very comfortable hitting volleys, you have to use them at the net as much as possible: ‘If they’re serving, they should serve and volley, and if they’re returning, they should hit and come in. That’s quite basic. If you’re at the net already – your partner is serving or receiving – you have to look to get involved. That means taking risks and moving to the middle. You’re trying to take over the court; you’re trying to finish off the point quickly. You’re trying to get in the eyeline of your opponent. You’re faking, you’re moving, you’re making bold moves to plant seeds in people’s heads about what is going to happen on the next point. That causes confusion, tension, worry.’
Generally, if you’re good at the net, stand as close as possible: ‘In amateur tennis, everyone always stands too far back. I always encourage players, especially when they are dominating the rally, or if their partner is at the back of the court to cover the lob, to get in close. You should be one or two feet away. You’re imposing at the net. You feel part of the point. The angles are reduced. Therefore you can take more balls and get more involved.’
Confuse your opponents with the Australian or ‘I’ formation: ‘The server stands close to the middle of the court, as you need to be able to cover going both ways. So the returner doesn’t know which way you’re going to go. Your partner crouches down, around a foot to the side of where you’re going to serve. So if you’re serving to the deuce court, your partner will crouch about a foot into the ad court. And if you’re serving to the ad court, your partner will be a foot into the deuce court. The returner won’t know where you’re going to go.’
Use the Australian formation to target an opponent’s weakness: ‘Maybe your opponent can only hit the forehand cross-court – that happens at the top of the game, too. It’s easier for your partner to cover certain areas when they’re standing in a neutral position in the middle of the court. Whereas if they are standing in a regular position and want to cover the forehand cross-court, it’s further to run, and there’s more chance that your opponent will hit a winner past you.’
Crossing is important when you’re using a normal doubles formation, with one at the back and the partner on the other side at the net: ‘If you want to have success, you need to call crosses. So you agree, say, that after the serve goes in, you’re going to switch. That causes confusion and uncertainty on the other side of the net. The net player can be really close to the net, and as he moves across the court, he just has to touch the ball in the direction of your opponent at the net and it’s going to be a winner. That’s because your opponent is going to have such little time to react. You can also make crosses when you’re returning, but again that has to be agreed in advance.’
Create even more uncertainty on the other side of the net by changing formations: ‘Maybe consider doing one third of points with a regular formation, one third “I” formation and one third crossing.’
Vasek Pospisil, who won the 2014 Wimbledon title when playing his first tournament with Jack Sock, on ‘HOW TO MAKE A GOOD START TO A NEW DOUBLES PARTNERSHIP’ …
You need to be comfortable discussing each other’s weaknesses: ‘It’s great if the personalities match and you get on well with your partner, but you also need to be comfortable talking about your strengths and weaknesses as individuals and as a team. You can then make game plans aimed to use your strengths to expose your opponents’ weaknesses.’
But it’s really important to stay positive and to keep any criticism out of the picture: ‘The biggest mistake a team can make is to start getting negative with one another. As soon as that happens, it’s trouble, and it will all be downhill from there.’
Peng Shuai, who has held the doubles world No. 1 ranking, on ‘HOW TO HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DOUBLES PARTNER’ …
Go shopping, go out for dinner, have some fun together off the court: ‘If you can enjoy each other’s company away from the court, I think it’s much more likely that you will play good tennis together during matches. If you’re friends, there’s going to be less pressure on court, as you’re both going to be more likely to just have fun with it. You will be more comfortable with each other.’
Recognise that your partner can’t play well every match: ‘You have to be understanding and not get angry. There are going to be just as many days when you’re not playing so well. Some days, you will fight, but try to make up as soon as you can.’
Jonas Bjorkman, who achieved the career grand slam in doubles, on ‘HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOUR PARTNER’ …
Don’t say ‘he’, say ‘we’: ‘Sometimes you hear guys saying, “Yeah, he lost his serve at 5-4,” and for me I can never understand how you can say that “he” lost his serve. It’s always a team effort. You can have a great serve but if you don’t have a guy who helps you at the net, you’re not going to hold serve.’
Ross Hutchins, who has been ranked in the world’s top 30, on ‘HOW TO SPEAK TO YOUR DOUBLES PARTNER AFTER A BAD DEFEAT’ …
Don’t make any jokes: ‘Even if you get on well, don’t joke around. Don’t make a jokey comment like, “Gosh, that was a bad result.” It should be more like, “We really struggled out there today.”’
Be open and honest about what happened on the court. If you played badly, then say so. But while it’s good to admit your faults, you should never apologise: ‘Some people struggle with this. You can’t play well every day. I think it’s important to acknowledge that it’s a bad loss, or to acknowledge how well your opponents played. However, don’t say sorry as that’s going to put even more of a dampener on things. You can’t do any more than try your hardest.’
Never tell your partner that he should say sorry for a poor performance: ‘Don’t start pointing out your partner’s failings. If it’s someone you play with regularly, I would think that he would openly admit to playing badly. And you shouldn’t have to tell them because they should know themselves. If they don’t say it, deep down you know it and he knows it too. And that’s when you can get tension in a partnership, when someone isn’t open. When someone thinks they’re better and that their partner is regularly messing up, that’s when most partnerships break up, as people are always thinking that they could do better with someone else. Over the course of the year, you will probably have as many bad days as your partner. It evens out.’
Don’t bad-mouth your partner behind his back. If you’ve got something to say, say it to your partner, not to others: ‘You will hear players criticising their partners to other people, but they never actually speak to each other about what the problem is. That leads to partnerships splitting up.’
Immediately start talking to your partner about the next time you will play together, and what you have to work on before then: ‘That will stop you thinking negatively about your partner.’
Jamie Murray, winner of the mixed doubles with Jelena Jankovic at the Wimbledon Championships in 2007, on ‘HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DOUBLES PARTNER’ …
Hold some tennis balls up to your mouth when you’re telling your partner where you’re going to serve. That way, your opponents can’t lip-read: ‘Players are always looking at their opponents’ mouths to get an inkling about where the ball is going.’
Make sure you tell your partner where you’re going to serve or return: ‘If your partner knows where the ball is going, he or she’s going to be much more effective, as they’ll be better placed to anticipate what’s going to happen next. It’s even more important now that guys are hitting harder, so the reaction time is much shorter.’
The friendlier you are off the court, the easier it is to communicate on the court: ‘If I’m playing with someone I know well, I wouldn’t hesitate to say, “Look, stop doing this. Or try this.” And I don’t think they would mind me saying that. But if I pitch up to play with Joe Bloggs for the week, and start telling him what to do, he or she’s going to be thinking, “Just shut up”.’
Be willing to take criticism: ‘If I’m doing something wrong or if I should be doing something better, I want to hear about it because that’s going to help the team to be successful. I wouldn’t want my partner to stay quiet – it’s much better to be open.’
Don’t talk all the way through the changeover: ‘It can be nice just to sit there in silence, as it’s a timeout from the match. It can be good to just sit down and think about the match rather than talking about it. But if you’ve got something that needs saying, then say it.’
Give off good energy: ‘If you’re just moping, that’s not going to inspire your partner. If your partner misses a shot, don’t drop your head.’
Bob and Mike Bryan, who are the first doubles team to win more than 100 titles, on ‘HOW TO HOLD SERVE’ …
You need a higher first-serve percentage in doubles than you do in singles: ‘In singles you can serve 50 per cent and be fine, but in doubles you need to serve high 70s. So a lot of the time we won’t go for the flat bomb. We will take off 10mph. We’ll go for the higher-percentage serve.’
The body serve is great in doubles: ‘It cuts down their angles and jams them and their options up, and that frees up your partner at the net to poach. Also, when you go for a body serve, you’re not going to miss the serve wide so that helps to keep your percentage up.’
Have a plan for every point: ‘We make a quick signal before the point. It really helps the guy at the net to know where his partner is going to serve, as then you have a beat on the return. For example, if your partner is going to serve wide, you need to be covering the line. A lot of the time it’s just one word here or there; we don’t need a 15-second conversation. We keep it short, with code words. The server is usually the one who decides where the ball is going to go – he’s the one who is calling the pitches. Unless the poacher really sees a tendency or feels strongly about a particular serve. The rest of the time, it’s the server who calls the shots.’
If you’re playing a really hot returner, think about changing your formation: ‘We try to create indecision in the other team’s heads.’
You don’t want any surprises – do your homework: ‘When we walk on court, we want to already know where they like to return. Do what you can to take away their best shots.’
Bob and Mike Bryan on ‘HOW TO BREAK SERVE’ …
You have to hit an aggressive return: ‘In doubles, it’s not just about making the return. You have to go for it. When one of us hits a great return, and it’s a laser-beam, and it just misses, the other one will say, “That was positive, that was a great way to hit it.” We like to praise those misses because we know that, over time, you will get rewarded for taking that sort of risk.’
If you hit a singles return on a doubles court, it’s going to get smashed: ‘Singles and doubles are completely different games. The best singles players can’t just walk on to a doubles court and play good matches. It’s something you have to work on. You have to hit it near the alley and low. Otherwise it’s a throwaway return.’
The player at the net has to be really active and aggressive with the poaching: ‘You want to make strong diagonal moves to cut off shots, and make it hard for your opponents with the first volley, and try to create some doubt and indecision in their minds. If you can make a good return, and then a good poach, you will be in great shape to break serve.’
Do your research on your opponents’ serving tendencies and where they serve on the big points: ‘That will help you to be really aggressive.’
Daniel Nestor, a multiple doubles grand slam champion, on ‘HOW TO RETURN SERVE IN DOUBLES’ …
Don’t just play safe and block – take a proper swing at the ball: ‘People used to say that you should block the ball back on your return, especially when facing fast first serves, with the aim to keep the ball as low as possible. But that was what was happening in the 1990s. The game has changed now, with the advances in racket and string technology, and also with the different balls. If you’re facing a fast server and feel rushed on your return, maybe take a step back.’
Ignore the guy at net who will be moving about and trying to put you off: ‘It’s his job to distract you, but it’s your job to ignore him.’
Don’t forget that if you hit the ball hard and clean, your opponent will find it very difficult to get it back, even if you hit the ball straight at him, or if he moves across to intercept.
Go cross-court most of the time: ‘Some teams like to cross, so a good play against them is to return the ball down the line more often than you would normally. But against most teams, your staple shot will be cross-court.’
Vary your returns by playing a lob every now and then.
Daniel Nestor on ‘HOW TO DOMINATE THE SERVICE BOX’ …
Make an aggressive start to the match by hitting some winners: ‘That’s going to have your opponents thinking, “Oh boy, he’s all over the net, and we’re going to have to play the perfect return or shot to get past this guy.” A good start can set the tone for the match.’
React to the ball – rather than trying to anticipate what’s going to happen: ‘I see some players always trying to work out in their heads what’s going to happen next, but I think it’s often best just to watch the ball and play the shot. If you’re over-aggressive with your anticipation, then you’re going to take yourself out of the play and that’s going to make you and your partner vulnerable.’
Move about the net to distract the returner: ‘You want him to be thinking about what you’re doing rather than the shot he’s about to play.’
Move forwards, and don’t turn your shoulder too much: ‘You want to get as close to the net as possible, to close off the angles. It’s best to move forward first, rather than turning sideways. This relates to the point about reacting to the ball and not trying to guess what’s going to happen. Turn your shoulders too early, guess wrong, and you’ve taken yourself out of the play.’
Max Mirnyi, a former world No. 1 doubles player, on ‘HOW TO AVOID BEING PASSED OR LOBBED AT THE NET’ …
The way tennis is played today, you need something special to come into the net on: ‘Hitting deep down the middle of the court is often a good approach against a counter-puncher, someone who loves seeing a target. Think about the geometry – the angles just won’t be as appealing for your opponent when they are hitting from the “T” rather than around the doubles alley. Another option is a mid-court slice where you force the opposition to come forward and to shorten up the backswing on their stroke – they will often misfire with the passing shot or hit the ball up to give you a put-away volley.’
The closer you stand to the net, the less of an angle your opponents have for a passing shot: ‘However, make sure you’re not leaving too much court open to be lobbed. If you don’t win the point with the first volley, you must establish yourself at the net. A player should be ready to move more quickly against a down-the-line passing shot rather than the cross-court shot, as an instinctive volleyer always feels as though he or she has an extra split-second to cover the cross-court shot. That’s because the ball has to travel slightly longer coming across the court than down the line. Remember that tennis is a game of angles – it’s usually the players who make best use of the full width of the court who win.’
Constantly monitor the external factors, such as sun, wind and new balls: ‘That will help you think about the options available to your opponent for the passing shot.’
Make the most of any physical advantage you have to make your opponent feel uncomfortable: ‘Impose yourself at net, by putting balls away, especially those that are above the net. This will help you to feel more confident, and at the same time send discomforting messages to your opponents.’
Study your opponents’ tendencies for passing shots, and which shot they like to play and when: ‘Try to find some video footage, and speak to other players who have played against them recently. And then when the match starts, be sharp and alert from the first point, and try memorising everything that your opponents do. In between points and during changeovers, remind yourself of those patterns. And then, when it comes to the crucial point of the match, you are more likely to find yourself in the right place on the court to play the winning shots.’
Don’t get ahead of yourself: ‘Many players at all levels of the game get ahead of themselves constructing a point rather than hitting a ball that is coming towards them right then. It is important to be focused on the job in hand. There is no point planning your position at the net if your approach shot does not have enough conviction or accuracy.’
At the same time, keep in mind that there is an exception to every rule: ‘Stay in the moment and play the ball, even if you’re not in a perfect position.’
Bob and Mike Bryan on ‘HOW TO POACH AT THE NET’ …
The key to a good poach is being close to the net – it’s about exploiting the middle of the court: ‘In doubles, poaching will always be relevant. Even when you watch all the guys who rip from the baseline, their net play is still pretty accurate, moving towards the middle. The key to doubles is getting across the middle and exploiting the middle of the court.’
Keep your hands way out in front of the body. A good split step is huge. You need a quick burst of energy: ‘A lot of times it’s about moving toward the net strap and getting as close to the net as possible, that’s what makes for a put-away volley and an easy intercept. It’s about closing the net down.’
Throw in a head fake, play a game with your opponents.
Wait for as long as possible before making your move – until your opponent is committed to their shot: ‘You don’t want to move too early, and you don’t want to move too late. You want to make that move right, as they’ve committed to their shot. But when you do move, you have to move quickly.’
Visualise where you think the ball’s going to be, and then react to that, go and get that space on the court: ‘It’s too late if you’re still thinking.’
When you move, move forward in a diagonal direction: ‘You don’t want to move too laterally, but remember to make it quick.’
You need your partner to be making a lot of low returns: ‘If they can keep the ball low, your opponents will have to hit up, and you’re going to have more opportunities.’
Jonny Marray, a former Wimbledon doubles champion, on ‘HOW TO MAKE THE FIRST VOLLEY COUNT IN DOUBLES’ …
Be decisive – you can’t allow yourself to be in two minds when you hit the ball: ‘If there’s any hesitation in your mind about what you’re going to do with the shot, you could find yourself in trouble. So, before the point starts, have a look at where your opponents are standing, and then have an idea in your mind about what you’re going to do with the first volley. And then stick with that idea.’
Don’t be afraid, if you get a high ball, to smash the volley straight at an opponent at the net: ‘Getting hit is an accepted part of the game.’
If both opponents are at the back of the court, you would tend to volley to the player with the weakest groundstrokes, and to the side on which they’re weakest.
Your opponents are going to be moving around as much as possible, but you can’t allow yourself to be distracted: ‘You have to keep an eye on the ball at all times.’
Keep the ball as low as possible – this will help to prevent your opponents ripping groundstrokes past you.
Don’t give your opponents a short ball: ‘The last thing you want to do is to give your opponents the chance to step in and really take a big swing at their shot.’