Such is the pressure on courts at prime time, that many clubs only allow doubles games then. Okay if you have access to a private court, but for the rest of us how can we improve our singles play when there are 4 players on court? Does playing doubles go against what we are trying to do in singles? Is doubles just a second-class game for people no longer able to cover the whole court?
In fact, playing doubles can really help your singles game in many ways!
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IMPROVE YOUR RETURNS
The service return is far more difficult in doubles because of the presence of the server's partner at the net, threatening to intercept any wayward shot. In singles you have the whole court to aim for, in doubles there is a very much smaller window! This is especially true for a right-hander returning a serve to the backhand when playing from the deuce court! This inside-out backhand is one of the most difficult shots, but a great asset in singles if you can do it reliably!
2. SHARPEN YOUR VOLLEYS
The modern singles game is played mostly from the backcourt, with long rallies of groundstrokes being the usual story. It is, however, a great asset to be able to attack the net and finish the point with a volley. The serve and volley strategy can be a surprise, and is a great option when a player needs to shorten the points due to fatigue. Volleys are best played with a continental grip, which is the least used grip for most modern day competitors. It is quite rare to find a singles player who plays better from the net than from the back. Usually it is the other way round. Good doubles requires greater ability at the net, and presents so many more opportunities to hit volleys.
3. PINPOINT YOUR SERVES
Good doubles also requires more accurate serve placement. In fact a well-placed slight slower serve gives the server more time to recover to the best position, especially if coming to the net. And this is especially true of a second serve! A badly placed second serve is an invitation to the receiver to attack the server's partner at the net! A situation you hope not to have to face when your partner is serving, and you're at the net!
4. PRACTICE YOUR PASSING SHOTS
With two players up at net, you, when playing from the backcourt, have a much tougher job to hit a passing shot. There is not much room to pass cleanly. An effective play in singles is the '2 shot pass'. The first ball hit low so the volleyer must hit up defensively, giving the backcourt player the opportunity to hit an aggressive second shot to finish the point! Doubles gives you many chances to practise this very sequence.
5. LEARN TO LOVE THE LOB
Doubles gives you many opportunities to lob, a shot which is very seldom used in singles, but often critical on big points. Lobbing can be done as a return of serve, to take away the aggressive net position from the serving team. A series of defensive lobs can really tire out a doubles team. Especially useful outdoors when direct sun is an issue. Practice topspin lobs when one net player is too close to the net. Backspin lobs are better as defensive lobs off tough serves.
Doubles is often looked down upon, a second-rate game compared to singles. Referring to someone as a doubles-specialist is often used as a derogatory term. But it is the game that most club players enjoy. And as we get older our doubles experience means we can still be competitive with our peers.
Ignoring doubles until the later years may mean you have to drop down a few levels to be compatible with lesser players who are used to doubles. At the very highest levels, it is often the doubles match that decides which country is victorious in Fed Cup and Davis Cup ties. And it is the high-speed rat-a-tat exchanges at the net in high-class doubles that often elicit the loudest cheers from the crowd.
So, use doubles to practice more accurate returns, better placement with your serves, and lobs. Try serving and volleying, sharpen up your reflexes at the net, and hone your two shot passes. So enjoy doubles for what it is, a great way to sharpen up for your big singles matches, and a great way to find practice partners, and friends!