TIPS: Secrets to Better Doubles

Basics on Doubles Strategy from USPTA Pro Jorge Capestany.

By Blair Henley

(November 16, 2012) -- USPTA Master Professional Jorge Capestany spoke with Tennis Now about some of his most effective doubles tips. You can hear more from Coach Capestany when his special "Secrets to Better Doubles," which'll air Saturday, November 17, at 3:00 PM ET on Tennis Channel.

Tennis Now: You’ve coached a lot of people over the course of your career. What do you think is your most effective tip for doubles players across the board?

Jorge Capestany: What I tell our doubles players is that doubles is more like chess, and singles is more like checkers. There are so many more things happening in doubles -- angles and positional advantages -- than in singles. It’s cerebral, and if you’re just out there trying to hit balls around without doubles tactics, it’s not a good

thing.

TN: As strategy-oriented as doubles can be, is there something to be said for the doubles basics of getting

your first serve, return, and first volley in play? Do you think sometimes people overcomplicate it?

JC: You don’t have to do as many things well to be a good doubles player as you do to be a good singles player. In doubles, if you can do a few things well -- if you can serve well, return well, and volley -- you don’t have to have the world’s best drop shot or the world’s best volley. If you can do those few things well, you can really be a dominant doubles player.

TN: What can players focus on to keep from getting overwhelmed by the strategy aspect of doubles?

JC: I call them the Doubles Laws: close-to-close and deep-to-deep. This is a generalization, of course, but it’s

pretty darn accurate. If you’re the player at the net, you should always hit close to close (i.e. the volleyer

should be hitting at the other volleyer because they have less time to react). Deep to deep means that

if you’re the player deep in the court, you should be hitting to the other player deep in the court. It’s a

very simple way to say don’t go to the net guy.

As I coach, I’ll say “Okay, we’re going to play the next two games and after each point, we’re going to

see if any of the doubles laws have been violated.” You’d be surprised to see how many times they are;

someone hits to the guy in back, and he hits to the net guy who puts it away. So if you want to boil it

down to a couple of sentences, you have to obey the doubles laws -- deep-to-deep and close-to-close.

TN: What do you think is the biggest mistake doubles players make?

JC: One of the biggest mistakes is trying to hit impressive shots vs. effective shots. A lot of times people,

especially juniors, don’t know what the difference is. Impressive shots are shots that, to a bystander

(maybe a non tennis player), look good. They are usually struck very hard, but they may not be effective.

For example, if I wail on my groundstroke, make great contact, and it goes in, but it yields a shoulder-

high volley for you, that’s an impressive shot that’s not that effective. Conversely, if I hit a little soft

angle that doesn’t look nearly as impressive, and ends up by your feet causing you miss the volley, that’s

effective.

Don’t get suckered into doing what’s impressive. Instead think of what’s effective.

Watch: "Secrets to Better Doubles", On Court with USPTA, Saturday, November 17, 3:00 PM ET.