In doubles, you need to be quick in your decision making. Here are the smart plays for five common situations.
Having a full bag of go-to shots works just as well in doubles, where there are twice as many players and things can get complicated quickly.

Here are five common situations and the shot you should hit nine out of 10 times. But to keep your opponents guessing, I’ve included a change-of-pace tactic. It’s a lowerpercentage play but, when done right and at the appropriate time, it can yield the same positive results.

Setup: Your opponent stays back after a weak and short second serve

9 out of 10 times:

Hit an approach shot as deep and close to the middle as possible Although playing doubles from the baseline has become trendy, I still think your best bet for success is to get to the net. So when you have an opportunity to come in, such as off a weak second serve or shallow ground stroke, you should take it. In that situation you want to hit the ball as close to the center of the court as possible without giving the opposing net player a chance to pick the ball off. The idea is to eliminate as much angle as you can from the player whom you’re approaching against. This makes the crosscourt passing shot, which he has to dip sharply over the high part of the net in front of his partner, extremely difficult. You’ve essentially forced him either to hit the ball up the middle or down the line. If both of your opponents are on the baseline, it’s still wise to hit the approach up the middle. This brings them closer together, gives them no angles, and gives you a chance to finish the point with a volley out wide on the next ball.

 10TH BALL:

Hit it hard out wide. When you get a short ball that you feel confident you can hurt your opponent with, that’s the time to go crosscourt. This will force your opponent into the doubles alley or wider and rob him of time. He’ll have more angles available to him, but since you’ve put him in such a defensive position he most likely won’t be able to take advantage of them. Expect the return shot to go down the line or up the middle.

Setup: All four players are at net and you’ve got to hit a low volley

9 out of 10 times:

Angle the ball, hitting it softly and at the feet of your opponent When you have a low volley, you must hit up in order to get it over the net. The mistake that most players make is to try to hit it with pace. The result is a high volley for your opponents, making it easier for them. The most important thing for you to do when you get a low volley is to keep the ball down. If one of your opponents is back at the baseline, then by all means hit the ball high and deep back to him. But with all four players in close, you should angle the volley over the middle of the net, where it’s lowest. (If you were to go down the line, you’d be hitting over the high part of the net and have less court in which to do it, so you’d have to be sure you could finish off the point.) Putting a soft shot at the feet of your opponents turns the tables and forces them to try to avoid feeding you a high volley, which is what you’re looking for.

10TH BALL:

Hit a lob. This is a tough but legitimate shot from this position, particularly if your opponents are hugging the net. It’s best to try when you’re near the service line so your lob has time to get up in the air and over your opponents’ heads. Try to hit the shot so that the ball is over the backhand side of one of your opponents. Even if it’s short, it will be a tough shot for him to take advantage of.

Setup: Your opponents are in a split formation (one up, one back) and you get a high ball to volley

9 out of 10 times:

Hit the ball through the opposing net player A high volley is anything above net level. This gives you the opportunity to hit down on the ball and be aggressive. In other words, you can finish the point. Going right at your opponents when you’re in close quarters gives them very little time to react. This is especially true when you move across and poach after your partner serves. Even if you don’t draw the error or hit the ball for a winner, the reply from your opponent will most likely be weak, setting up an even easier follow-up volley. If you hit the volley back to the opponent on the baseline, he has more time to react to the shot, no matter how well you hit it.

10TH BALL:

If you’re not on top of the net as much as you would like to be, or the return is not that high, hit the volley deep down the middle or angle it wide of your opponent on the baseline. In this case, you won’t be confident enough that you can hurt your opponent at the net, so you’re hitting a volley that puts his partner in a tough spot. Going down the middle gives him few options for a passing shot, and a sharp angle puts him on the run and can possibly win you the point outright.

Setup: Your team is at the baseline and your opponents are at net

9 out of 10 times: Work the point from the middle out When you and your partner are pinned to the baseline and both of your opponents are hugging the net, you want to bring them together in the middle before you try to pass them out wide. You’re in an extremely defensive position and it’s unwise to try to win the point with one big shot. Most of the time you’ll lose it with an error. But if you keep your drives and lobs down the middle, your opponents will have to hit a lot of balls, and you won’t give them much of an angle for a winner. Hopefully you can draw them into the middle and get a mistake or a poor shot that allows you to be more aggressive and open up the court for a passing shot.

10TH BALL:

Go for the trams. After you’ve played several points in which you’ve peppered the other team with drives and lobs up the middle, they may start to cheat in that direction. To keep them honest, take your first drive and try a lowerpercentage pass right up the alley or sharply angled crosscourt. If you make it, great. But just as important, regardless of your success, you’ll show your opponents that you’re willing to try it, which may affect their positioning in the future.

Setup: Your partner is serving, you’re up at net, and the return comes right at you

9 out of 10 times:

Go crosscourt into the area between your opponents An aggressive play, a down-the-line return from your opponents can leave them vulnerable because it gives you a chance to volley between them. Generally, when the return goes right at you at net, it’s a hard drive. Your opponent is hoping to catch you off guard and force a weak volley, draw an error, or hit a winner down the alley. It’s pretty difficult to dip that kind of return, so you should be receiving a ball at a height good for driving a volley. Try to make contact out in front of your body and aim the ball crosscourt so it’s behind the opposing net player and tailing away from the returner.

10TH BALL:

Try a delicate drop volley right in front of you. This takes soft hands, but if you can take pace off the return and dump it just over the net with some backspin, you’ll put it out of the reach of the returner, who has to scramble up for it, and the net player, who has to move up and across. If you’re going to try this, make sure you keep the ball low—even if it’s not a perfect shot, your opponents will at least have to hit the ball from below net level.