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Tennis Anyone
March 1995
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The Role of the Server's Partner in Doubles
John Mills, USPTA |
In doubles - you are at the net with your partner serving - what is your job?
- #1 Protect your alley. Especially guard your alley when your partner serves wide to the outside of the court. If the serve is returned hard down your alley, try to just block it back in the direction of the receiver. If the ball which is hit down your alley is an easy ball (a floater) return it more agressively down the lane (the center of the court between the deep and short players).
- #2 Cover all reasonable lobs over your head. Failing to go back and cover the mid-range lobs over your head encourages your opponents to lob more often. Also, you put too much strain on your partner to cover both their half of the court and yours. If you receive a deeper lob, return it defensively, but move back to the net as soon as you hit it.
- #3 Poach. Poach by definition - moving to a ball which may not technically be on your half of the court with the sole intention of winning the point. If you cross over the center line during the making of the poach, continue over to the opposite side. Your partner must cross-over and cover your original half of the court. By not poaching you put no pressure on the receiver, thus putting more pressure on your partner. In general, hit the poach down the center lane or at the feet of the opposing short player.
- #4 If the serve return goes cross court by you (you tried to poach but failed) move back to the service line and cut off the middle of the court. Failing to move back to the service line and more toward the center of the court (after you attempt a poach and fail or after failing to contact the cross court service return) leaves too much of the court open for your partner to cover.
- #5 If the ball goes over your head, move over to the opposite side of the court and try to move back toward the baseline. When the lob goes over your head and you just move over, you still become an easy target for your opponents to aim at with an overhead. By moving back you may have time to reflex a shot back, while being in a safer position.
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This column is copyrighted by John Mills, all rights reserved.
John Mills' experience includes four years as head pro at the Windemere Racquet & Swim Club, where he was responsible for organization of all tennis activities at the club. John also played college tennis at the University of Houston and has spent 20 years teaching tennis at the Memorial Park Tennis Center, the Pasadena Racquet Club, and as the head pro at the Bay Area Racquet Club.
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