You have turned up to a doubles match, the first game starts, and within two points there is an argument. Who was supposed to serve? Is that ball in the alley good? Why is your partner standing on the other side? Nothing about your forehand explains any of this. The problem is that doubles has a handful of rules that singles players never need, and nobody explains them until something goes wrong.
This guide covers the doubles rules that actually come up at a club or social match: the court, the serving order, the receiving order, tie-breaks, lets and faults, and the habits that keep a friendly match friendly. It sticks to the rules of the game. If you want to win more points once you know them, the doubles strategy guide takes over from here, and for the mixed version see the mixed doubles guide.
The doubles court: where the alleys come in
Doubles is played on the same court as singles, with the two side alleys added. The ITF Rules of Tennis put the doubles court at 36 feet (10.97 m) wide, against 27 feet (8.23 m) for singles. The length (78 feet) and the net are the same.
What that means in practice:
- Rallies: the alleys are in play. A ball that lands between the singles sideline and the doubles sideline is good.
- Serves: the alleys are not in play. The service boxes are the same as in singles, so a serve that lands in the alley is a fault.
- The net: the doubles net is held up by posts outside the doubles court. Many club courts have a single net used for both formats, with the net lowered at the centre by a strap. If the court is set up for singles, with a net lifted by singles sticks, a doubles match needs the net at the doubles posts.
If you ever play on a court with faded alley lines, agree before the first point where the line is. The easiest fix is to point at the line and say it out loud.
Serving order: who serves, and when
The serving order is the rule that causes the most arguments, so it is worth learning once.
The basic rule
- Before the match starts, the teams decide who serves first (a toss or a spin of the racket).
- The team due to serve in the first game decides which partner serves first.
- In the second game the opposing team serves, and its partners decide who serves first.
- In the third game, the first team serves again, and the other partner serves.
- The partners keep alternating every time their team serves, until the set ends.
So, with teams A+B and C+D, and A serving first, one set could look like this:
| Game | Server | Receivers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | C and D |
| 2 | C (or D, the team chooses) | A and B |
| 3 | B | C and D |
| 4 | D (the other partner from game 2) | A and B |
| 5 | A | C and D |
The pattern is A, C, B, D, then it repeats. Whoever served the previous game on your team does not serve again until your partner has served.
Can you change the order?
Yes, but only between sets. The USTA explains that doubles partners may switch their serving order at the start of any set, including a 10-point match tie-break, and the new order stays in place until that set is over (USTA, “Can I change the serving order in doubles?”). Within a set, the order is fixed.
What if you served out of turn?
This happens at least once in every social season. The standard approach is to correct it as soon as someone notices: the right partner takes over and serves from the score at that time. How a mistake is corrected can differ between competitions, so check your event’s own rules.
In a friendly match with no umpire, agree a simple habit. The server calls the score before each point and the receiving team notes whose turn it is. When you are not sure, ask early, and do not stop a rally to argue about it afterwards.
Where the server’s partner stands
The server’s partner may stand anywhere on their own side of the net, inside or outside the court. The most common spot is at the net, but a partner who stays back for the first serve or lines up on the same side as the server (the “Australian” formation) is within the rules. The one firm restriction is that the partner must not be hit by the serve.
Receiving order: your side stays your side
The receiving team has its own rule, and it is easier than the serving order.
- The team due to receive in the first game of a set decides which partner will receive in the first court, the right-hand (deuce) court or the left-hand (ad) court.
- That arrangement holds for the entire set. A receiver stays in the same court, taking the serve there, game after game.
- At the start of the next set, the team may swap.
Within a game, the two receivers alternate points because the server alternates between the right-hand and left-hand courts. So the receiver in the right-hand court takes the first, third and fifth point, and the partner takes the second and fourth. After the game, the next server still serves into the same pair of courts, and each receiver keeps their side.
A common mistake is for a pair to switch sides at the changeover, as if the whole team rotated. The rules do not do that. Sides for the receivers are fixed for the set (see Fiend at Court’s discussion of the receiving rule in the sources).
The deciding point
Many clubs and leagues use no-ad scoring: at deuce, one deciding point is played. When it is, the receiving team chooses which of its players receives that point, and the receiver may be different from the one who would normally be next. Formats differ between leagues, so ask which scoring is in use before you start. Our scoring guide covers advantage versus no-ad in more detail.
Position rules during the point
Once the serve has been struck, there are no fixed positions in doubles. The rules do not require anyone to stand in a particular place, and either player may hit any ball on their side of the net. A few small points:
- Both partners can play the ball. A player may take a ball that was heading to their partner, including a ball in the other half of the court.
- Only one player hits each ball. If both partners swing and the ball touches both rackets, that is generally treated as a double hit, and the point is lost. Agree on a call (“yours”, “mine”) in advance.
- Hitting the net. Touching the net with your body, racket or clothing while the ball is in play loses the point, for you or your partner.
- A ball that hits your partner loses the point for your team if it hits your partner (or you) before it bounces.
These are the same as in singles. The difference in doubles is that two people share one side, so there are more chances for them to get in each other’s way.
Faults and lets that involve the partners
The serve has a few doubles-only wrinkles.
Serve hits the server’s partner
A served ball that touches the server’s partner, or anything they are wearing or carrying, before it lands is a fault. That is the reason a net-playing partner stands well to the side of the line of the serve, rather than sitting in the middle of it.
Serve hits the receiver’s partner
Here the result depends on what happened before:
- The serve clips the net, then touches the receiver or the receiver’s partner. This is a let, and the serve is replayed. Where the ball would have landed does not matter (Tennis.com, “Court of Appeals: Service Let”, which quotes the rule).
- The serve touches the receiver’s partner without touching the net first. The server wins the point, because the ball was struck cleanly and reached the other side without bouncing (Livestrong’s summary of the USTA rule).
A let on a service does not cancel an earlier fault. If the first serve was a fault and the second serve is a let, you replay the second serve.
Tie-breaks and match tie-breaks in doubles
The regular tie-break
At six games all in a set, most formats play a tie-break. In doubles, the rotation is one point, then blocks of two:
- The player whose turn it is to serve takes the first point.
- The opponents then serve two points each. The partner whose turn it is serves both.
- After that, serving moves to the other team in blocks of two points, with each player taking their turn in the usual order.
- Players change ends after every six points.
The first team to seven points, leading by two, wins the tie-break and the set.
Who serves after a tie-break
The player or team that received the first point of the tie-break serves the first game of the next set. The length or score of the tie-break does not change it (USTA, “Who serves after a tiebreak?”).
The 10-point match tie-break
Many social events and some competitions replace the third set with a 10-point match tie-break, first to 10 and lead by two. The serving pattern follows the same logic as above. As noted earlier, partners may reset the serving and receiving order before it starts, since it counts as a new set. The same applies to which court the receivers take.
Common arguments, settled
- “It was in the alley!” In a rally, an alley ball is good. On a serve, it is a fault.
- “You served out of order.” Correct it as soon as it is noticed, and check your event’s rules for the details.
- “My partner switched sides.” The server’s partner can stand where they like. The receivers must stay in the court they chose for the set.
- “The serve hit my partner.” If it is the server’s partner, it is a fault. If it is the receiver’s partner and it did not touch the net, the server wins the point. If it touched the net first, it is a let.
- “We both hit it.” Generally a double hit. Agree on a call before the match.
- “Is it deuce or no-ad?” Ask before you start. It is not a rule you can discover in the middle of the first game.
Playing doubles with people at your level
Rules are the easy half. The hard half is finding three other people at a similar level, with the same understanding of the format, on a day when everyone is free. That is the reason many players end up with the same regular four, or with no doubles at all.
Open Play from Breakers is built for this. It is a level-matched, drop-in social tennis session: you book a seat for your level, turn up and play with people at your level, and you do not need to bring a partner. It runs in Bangkok for now. If you are elsewhere, the court directory is a start for finding where to play, and the same rules apply there.
A one-minute doubles checklist
Before the first point of any doubles match:
- Agree the scoring: advantage or no-ad, and whether the third set is a match tie-break.
- Decide who serves first on each team and in which court each receiver will stand.
- Say the serving order out loud, once: “A, then C, then B, then D”.
- Agree who calls the line on which side, and how you will handle a disputed ball.
- Agree your “mine” and “yours” calls.
That takes less than a minute and removes almost every argument in this article.
Sources
- ITF, 2026 Rules of Tennis (court dimensions, order of service and receiving, tie-break): https://www.itftennis.com/media/7221/2026-rules-of-tennis-english.pdf
- USTA, “Can I change the serving order in doubles?”: https://www.usta.com/en/home/improve/tennis-rules/national/can-i-change-the-serving-order-in-doubles.html
- USTA, “Who serves after a tiebreak?”: https://www.usta.com/en/home/improve/tennis-rules/national/who-serves-after-a-tiebreak.html
- Tennis.com, “Court of Appeals: Service Let”: https://prod.tennis.com/news/articles/court-of-appeals-service-let
- Livestrong, “Tennis Rules for When the Ball Hits a Player”: https://www.livestrong.com/article/435564-tennis-rules-for-when-the-ball-hits-a-player/
- Fiend at Court, “Doubles Only: Order of Receiving in Tennis”: https://fiendatcourt.com/doubles-only-order-of-receiving-in-tennis/
Frequently asked questions
Who serves first in doubles?
The team that is due to serve in the first game of a set decides which partner serves first. That partner serves the whole of that game. In the team's next service game, the other partner serves, and the two keep alternating until the set ends. At the start of the next set, the team may change who serves first.
Are the alleys in play in doubles?
Yes. In doubles the side alleys are part of the court, which is why the doubles court is 36 feet (10.97 m) wide against 27 feet (8.23 m) for singles. On the serve, the service boxes are the same as in singles: the alley is not in play for a serve.
Can doubles partners switch sides during a set?
The receivers cannot. Each receiver takes the serve from the same side for the whole set, and the receiving team can only change who stands where at the start of a new set. The serving team has more freedom, because the server's partner may stand anywhere on their own side of the net.
What happens if the serve hits the server's partner?
It is a fault. A served ball that touches the server, the server's partner, or anything they wear or carry before it lands is a fault, so a partner standing in the line of the serve is a poor idea. If the serve hits the receiver's partner without first touching the net, the server wins the point.
How does a doubles tie-break work?
The player whose turn it is to serve starts the tie-break with one point. The opponents then serve two points, with the player whose turn it is, and the serving alternates in blocks of two, each player keeping the usual rotation. In a 10-point match tie-break that replaces a third set, teams may reset who serves and receives first before it starts.
