Tennis Technology and Training
My friend Will Boucek produces a terrific tennis podcast “Doubles Only,” which — follow me closely here — focuses exclusively on tennis doubles tactics and strategy. In a recent episode, he shared a doubles practice drill that he observed on the practice courts at Indian Wells this year while watching Elise Mertens and Hsieh Su-Wei work out. This post shares my own diagram of the drill he verbally described. (Will produces high quality content, you should really check out his site at the links below.)
The drill requires a coach (or a third player) to deliver the feeds. The drill starts out with the feeder in the doubles service return position. The serving team’s net player (A) starts is directly across from the returner. The returner’s net partner (B) also starts in the normal net position for the returning team. The diagram below illustrates the starting positions.
The feeds are delivered with high velocity and in rapid succession. [1] The first ball is fed down the line, as if the returner was attempting a passing shot or hitting directly at the net person who is staying home. [2] The net player’s objective is to play that ball aggressively at the feet of the receiving team’s net player. [3] That player attempts to keep the ball in play. If it is within reach of the serving net person (A), the drill can end with that player ending the point with a terminating shot. However, if that ball is not playable, a second feed [4] is quickly put into play as a crosscourt shot that passes close to the center net strap. [5] The serving team’s net player (A) hits a shot intended to terminate the point. It could be back at the player B, or angled off cross court.
Will reported that both players played this drill through all permutations of positions and indicated that he was going to start using it in his own practice sessions. So am I. If that isn’t enough of an endorsement for you, I should also add that Mertens and Hseih won the women’s double title at the tournament this year.
Also, Will found his way onto ATP TennisTV through strategic deployment of a “Watch More Doubles” T Shirt.
And speaking of strategic deployment of apparel, where did Hsieh get that dragon cap?
- 5 Lessons from Watching Doubles at the Indian Wells Masters, The Doubles Only Tennis Podcast, Episode 32, October 20, 2021.
- https://www.thetennistribe.com/
