Winning the Doubles Warm Up

Most doubles teams warm up and then spin the racket. It is important to know the serving order prior to warming up. Introduce yourself, spin the racket and decide, do you want to serve or receive 1st. What side you want to start off on and what court (deuce or ad) you want to play. Is the sun/wind a factor? This is important so you have an idea of the pecking order, what shots need extra practice and what to expect from “the elements”.

Knowing what shots to expect and when is a great way to gain confidence and knowledge “right off the bat”.

If the opponents win the spin and choose to serve: you or your partner will serve second, the opponent’s partner will serve third, and you or your partner will serve fourth.  This is important because if you’re serving third or fourth, you should take some overhead practice, hit a few serves, but focus more on returning the serves and hitting ground strokes. Since you’ll receive twice before you ever serve, you’ll be warmed up to serve by then. your return of serve needs to be ready to go with the first service game.

If you’re serving first, you should practice your serve until you feel confident that you are at match play speed. As the second server, you should practice several overheads and some serves to be ready in case of a quick service game by your opponents, but also hit a few returns so you are ready to break the serving team in the first game.

By focusing on these simple thoughts, you’ll be prepared for the first 4 games and a great way to get your head in the match as soon as you step foot on the court.