Tennis Doubles Strategy: Positioning, Tactics & Talk

You and your partner are both standing on the baseline. The opponents have one player glued to the net and the other hitting heavy crosscourt returns, and every time you hit a ball up the middle, one of you freezes and the other hesitates. Four games later you are 1-3 down and not sure why, because your strokes are fine.

That is a doubles problem, not a stroke problem. Doubles rewards position, teamwork and a handful of high-percentage patterns far more than power. This guide covers the formations, where to stand at each stage of the point, the tactics that work at club level, and the communication habits that separate teams that win from teams that argue. If you play mixed doubles specifically, read it alongside our mixed doubles guide.

What changes when you go from singles to doubles

The court gets wider. The ITF Rules of Tennis put the doubles court at 36 feet (10.97 m) wide, against 27 feet (8.23 m) for singles, because the side alleys are in play (ITF, 2026 Rules of Tennis). The length and the net stay the same.

Three things follow from that:

• Angles matter more than depth. With two players covering the court, simply hitting deep is rarely enough. What wins points is hitting where the two opponents are not.
• The net is the winning position. A player at the net can hit down, cut off angles and finish points. The baseline is where you defend and build.
• Your partner is part of every shot. Where you hit decides where your partner has to move. A lob that lands short, for example, instantly makes your net player a target.

Singles habits that fail in doubles: running down every ball alone, hitting down the line without a plan, and treating the net as a place you visit only to shake hands.

The four doubles formations

A formation is where the two players on a side start the point. Most club matches use only the first two, but knowing all four helps you recognise what the opponents are doing.

One up, one back

This is the standard. The server’s partner stands at the net and the server stays on the baseline. The returner’s partner often does the same on the other side. Coaching sources describe it as the usual starting formation, and the common criticism is that it leaves a gap in the middle of the court, between the two players, if the partners do not shift together (see the sources below).

Use it as your default when serving and returning. It gives you a volleyer, a baseline player to cover lobs and a natural division of work.

Both up

Both players are at the net, usually after a good approach, a short ball or a strong volley. It is the most aggressive formation and covers most of the court. Its weakness is the lob, because nobody is behind you. If the opponents lob well, one player has to turn and retreat, and the other must shift.

Go both-up when you have the attack, and leave it as soon as the opponents show they can lob accurately.

Both back

Both players at the baseline. It is defensive and common among recreational players, who often stay in it far too long. Use it deliberately: to absorb a big server, to reset a point when you are being attacked, or to get the ball deep and wait for a short reply. If you spend most points in both-back, the opponents are getting the net for free.

Australian and I-formation

In the Australian formation, the server and the net player start on the same side of the court. This blocks the crosscourt return, so the returner has to go down the line or hit a more difficult shot. The I-formation is a variant where the net player stands near the centre line and the server starts near the middle, so the returner cannot tell which way the net player will move.

Both depend on a prearranged signal and a confident net player. Treat them as variations to use now and then, not as a full-match plan: the more you use them, the more the opponents adjust.

Serving strategy

The serving team starts with an advantage, which is why holding serve is the baseline expectation in doubles. To protect it:

1. Get the first serve in. The first three shots (serve, return, first volley) decide many doubles points. A first serve that goes in gives your net player a chance to attack. If your first serve is unreliable, slow it down and add spin.
2. Serve to the T. A serve down the middle takes away the returner’s angle and gives your partner at the net the best chance to cut off the return. Mix it with a serve to the body, which is hard to return crisply.
3. Serve wide sparingly. A wide serve opens up the court but also opens up the returner’s crosscourt angle. Use it to change the pattern, not as the default.
4. Know where your partner is going. If your partner plans to poach, serve to the T so the return comes where they expect it.

Partners alternate service games, so each of you serves about the same number of games whichever order you pick. The USTA explains that the serving order of partners may be changed at the start of each set, and the new rotation continues to the end of that set (USTA, “Can I change the serving order in doubles?”). What the choice does decide is who serves first in the set, so many teams start with the partner they trust more under pressure, and some switch the order between sets when one partner is struggling.

Return strategy

The return is the shot that most changes the tempo of a doubles point. A short checklist:

• Return crosscourt and low. The ball goes over the lowest part of the net, travels the longest distance and lands near the server’s feet if they are following their serve in. It is the highest-percentage return.
• Lob occasionally. A lob over the net player forces them back and makes their team change formation. Used once or twice a set, it keeps the net player honest. Used every time, it becomes predictable.
• Go down the line only with a plan. A down-the-line return is a good surprise when the net player is leaning toward the middle. It is a poor habit if you hit it every time, because the net player will wait for it.
• Returner’s partner stays flexible. If the return is good, move forward. If it is weak, stay back until you are safe.

Positioning during the point

Move as a pair

The most useful rule in doubles is that the two partners move like they are tied together by a rope: when one moves left, the other moves left. When your partner is pulled wide, you shift toward the middle to cover the gap. When your partner goes back for a lob, you shift back to cover the space they left.

Cover the middle

Most points that go wrong in club doubles do so in the middle. Decide in advance who takes it. A simple rule is that the player with the forehand on the middle ball takes it, but any clear rule beats a vague one.

Play down the middle yourself

The middle is also the best place to hit. It reduces the opponents’ angles, causes confusion over who should take the ball and lies where the net is lowest. When you are unsure where to hit, hit to the middle.

Hit to feet

A ball that lands at the feet of an opponent coming forward is hard to volley, because they have to lift it from below the net. Dipping crosscourt shots and low returns do this. It is a core way to beat a team that likes the net.

Net play: poaching, faking and finishing

The net player has more influence on a doubles match than most beginners realise.

What poaching is

Poaching means crossing in front of your partner to volley a ball that would otherwise be played from behind. It is the most effective way for the net player to take control. Teams often use hand signals behind the back to plan it: a closed fist for “I am going”, an open hand for “I am staying” (conventions vary, so agree your own).

How to poach well

• Pick your moment. The best time is when the returner is in a predictable pattern, usually a crosscourt return that you have seen several times.
• Move on the opponent’s racket contact, not before. If you move too early, the returner changes direction. A split-step as the ball is struck lets you go either way.
• Agree who covers the vacated side. When the net player crosses, the server should shift across to the side the net player left. Teams that skip this step give away easy points.
• Fake sometimes. A fake poach, where you move but do not hit, makes the returner change their shot and can cause errors. It is as useful as a real poach.

Stay low and active

An active net player moves with the ball, keeps the racket in front and stays low. A net player who stands still is easy to hit around.

Tactics that win at club level

Most recreational doubles is won by consistency, not creativity. These patterns are worth building into your game.

1. Hit the ball to where they are not, not to where they are. Aim for the gaps between the opponents, especially the middle.
2. Attack the weaker volley or weaker return. Spend the first games finding it. Do not target a person; target a weakness.
3. Lob the net player when they crowd the net. A lob that clears them forces a scramble. Follow it with a quick move forward if you can.
4. Win the point at the net, but earn the approach. Approach on a short ball, hit deep, and then move forward with the shot.
5. Keep rallies in doubles shorter. Long baseline exchanges favour the team that is more patient. If you are the aggressive team, look to end the point in three or four shots.
6. Change something when you are losing. Switch serve targets, switch formation, try a lob, go down the line once. Teams that never adjust lose to teams that do.

Communication: the cheapest improvement you can make

The biggest difference between two teams with similar strokes is communication.

Agree on a handful of calls before the match:

• “Mine” and “yours” for balls in the middle and for lobs.
• “Switch” when you need to swap sides after a lob.
• “Stay” when you are not going to poach.
• “Out” or “Good” for line calls on your side. Remember that each player calls the lines on their own side of the net, and a doubtful call goes to the opponent.

Between points, a quick plan helps more than a speech: “I will poach on the next serve,” “let us go down the middle,” “I will take the lob.” Keep it short and positive. A partner who feels criticised stops taking risks.

Doubles mistakes to fix first

1. Both players on the same side. It leaves half the court open.
2. Standing still at the net. Move with the ball.
3. Hitting from the baseline when a short ball comes. Step in and attack it.
4. Lobbing every time. Predictable lobs get smashed.
5. Hitting hard at the net player’s body from close range. It often comes straight back at your feet. Aim for the gaps unless you are sure of the target.
6. Not agreeing on the serving and receiving order. Write it down or say it aloud before each set.
7. Silence. If you are not talking, you are not playing doubles.

How to practise doubles

You improve doubles by playing doubles, but a few drills help:

• Two-on-one, then two-on-two volleys. Start at the net with a partner and rally volleys against two players at the net. It trains hands and reactions.
• Crosscourt return drill. One player serves, the returner hits only crosscourt and low. Do twenty returns each.
• Poach and cover. The server serves to the T; the net player poaches on a signal and the server covers the vacated side.
• Lob and smash. One player lobs, the other practises the overhead and the call “mine”.

If you do not have a regular group, finding four people at the same level is the hardest part. Our social tennis guide covers the formats, and the beginner guide is a good place to start if you are new. Our club directory lists courts and clubs by city, including a detailed Bangkok directory.

Breakers runs Open Play: level-matched, drop-in social tennis sessions where you book a seat for your level and play with people at your level, no partner needed. It is live in Bangkok for now, and it is a convenient place to try these patterns with new partners. You can see the next session and book a seat. To see how the sessions are structured, read about the Breakers format.

A one-page plan for your next doubles match

1. Agree the serving and receiving order, and the format (full sets, no-ad, match tie-break) before the first point.
2. Default: first serve in, to the T. Return crosscourt and low.
3. Play one up, one back. Move together, cover the middle.
4. Find the weaker volley or return in the first four games.
5. Poach once or twice a set on a signal, and fake once.
6. Lob when the net player is crowding. Come to the net when you have a short ball.
7. Talk after every point, even if it is one word.
8. If you are losing, change one thing.

Sources

• ITF, 2026 Rules of Tennis (court dimensions, order of service): 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
• Active.com, “Court Positions for Doubles Tennis”: https://www.active.com/tennis/Articles/Court-Positions-for-Doubles-Tennis.htm
• Tennis.com, “Winning doubles formation: one up and one back”: https://www.tennis.com/baseline/articles/winning-doubles-formation-one-up-and-one-back
• TennisServer, “Wildcards” doubles column: https://www.tennisserver.com/wildcards/wildcards_02_10.html