How To Play Tennis Doubles With A Weaker Partner

Playing tennis doubles with a partner who’s not as skilled as you can sometimes be frustrating, but it can also be an opportunity to sharpen your game and cultivate a stronger teamwork dynamic. You’ll need the right mindset, strategy, and techniques to help elevate your partner’s performance and maximise your own. I'll provide some tips on how to play tennis doubles with a weaker partner and still enjoy the game.

Improve Your Communication

Tennis doubles require a lot of coordination, and communicating with your partner is essential especially when you have a weaker partner. If your partner isn't the strongest player, they might not be able to anticipate shots or react as well as you can. Improving communication can be the perfect solution to bridge the gap. Talk to your partner before the game, and ask them what they’re comfortable with and how they’d like you to support them. During the game, make it a habit to call out each other’s positions, shots, and strategies. Developing a clear vocabulary will help make your communication seamless.

Focus On Your Shots

If you’re playing with a partner who isn’t as strong as you are, focus on your own shots instead of always trying to cover for them. You can’t control their shots or movements, but you can control yours, so play to your strengths. At the same time, be aware of your partner’s positioning and movements, so you can still take advantage of their strengths and help them improve their game.

Play To Your Partner's Strengths

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses on the tennis court, and playing doubles with a weaker partner is no exception. Observe your partner's playing style and try to play to their strengths. For instance, if your partner is good at the net but struggles with groundstrokes, focus on getting them up to the net as much as possible. Alternatively, if your partner has a good forehand but struggles with the backhand, try to set up points where they can use their forehand more often.

Focus On Consistency

When playing with a weaker partner, it's important to focus on consistency rather than power. This means playing more conservative shots that are more likely to land on the court, rather than riskier shots that may result in unforced errors. Keep the ball in play and try to force the opponents to make mistakes, rather than trying to win the game with powerful shots. This can also help build your weaker partner's confidence and allow them to get more involved in the game.

Cover More Ground

When playing doubles with a weaker partner, you may need to cover more ground than you would normally. This means being prepared to move quickly to areas where your partner may struggle. For example, if your partner has trouble with backhand shots, you may need to position yourself at the net to help cover shots that are directed to your partner's backhand.

Don’t Get Frustrated

It’s easy to get frustrated when playing with a partner who is weaker or less experienced, but it’s crucial to keep a positive attitude. Getting angry or upset won’t help your game or your partner, and it can make the game less enjoyable for everyone. Instead, focus on being patient and encouraging with your partner, and keep working together to improve.

Practice With Your Partner

The best way to improve your game and your partner’s is to practice together regularly. Set up regular practice sessions where you can work on specific skills and shots together. Be patient and supportive, and help your partner develop their game. With time and practice, you’ll both become stronger and more confident on the court. Practice also helps with communication, especially when non-verbal signals are in use.

Playing doubles with a weaker partner can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. With the right strategies and communication techniques, you can bridge the gap between your playing levels and create an effective team dynamic on the court. Focus on building consistency in your games by practising together regularly, playing to each other's strengths, covering more ground when needed, and don't get frustrated or angry if things don't go as planned. By following these tips for successful doubles partnerships with weaker players, you'll become a stronger player while helping boost confidence in your partner too.