How playing doubles affects the player's singles game
by GALE MOORMAN | VIEW 18765
"I don't see myself, maybe playing any more Grand Slam doubles...But doubles, for me, is going to be a lot more low-key now...I want to put all my energy in the singles', says Jack Sock. In general, every tennis style affects another, but doubles focuses on different aspect of the game with some thinking it should be done when you can't do anything else, while others make their entire career out of playing the four-person game.
Doubles players cover half of the court and their return-a-serve has to be precise, if not, the shot will be blasted as a return volley and put away. This skill is good when someone plays single--having a great return-a-serve is surpreme.
Some say that doubles involves being more athletic and forces one to have quicker reflexes s well as being conscious of your partner's style of play to work together for that winning shot. When you think of a singles game, quicker reflexes is needed to put an end to those boring long rallies that may result in one losing the point anyway.
Doubles may also be more relaxing. This dynamic wouldn't come on the side of a singles' game at all because the stress of doing it all, forever stays there with a player who plays singles. Many feel that doubles players probably are as good as any top 500 ranked player.
In general it doesn't seem like that is saying a lot--but many will consider the singles' game as the style that is superior. If you are a singles player, then you can play doubles it would be assumed, but this isn't always so.
If a player just isn't great at covering half the court and having extremely quick reflexes, then doubles might not be the game for a player. Rafa Nadal uses doubles as a means to perhaps improve his singles' game and says that "one match of doubles before the singles can help me...seriously, I enjoy a lot playing doubles.
I want to play more doubles because it is a good way to practice things that can improve your tennis in general". It really is a wonder why singles players only exist. It is highly stressful, you must cover the entire court at all angles, all the shotmaking is relied on one person and when you lose, you have nothing else to go to and are out of the tournament and on to the next one.
But playing doubles is such a lovely sight to see when a singles player, actually plays it. The stress is less because now the player has someone to confer with what they should do next. Doubles gives the tired player less area to run around in because they're cover only half a court.
But everyone has seen what the legendary Williams' sisters has done on court showing their singles game and doubles' serve and volley tactics that work. It would be on many occasion that would throw out a doubles strategy at their singles game when they're feeling tired and want to end and win the point.
They've learned to do this in doubles. It's wonderful to see also Rafa Nadal play doubles with Marc Lopez or anyone else for that matter. The stress is ever present when he plays singles but watching him play doubles is a great sight to the fans' eyes.
See Rafa smile and joke and laugh. this is what happens when he plays doubles and the job still gets done and most times he and his partner wins too. The other singles players that do doubles also creates this new mystic on the game, which is refreshing to watch.
Vasek Pospisil, Pablo Cuevas, Marcel Granollers, Steve Johnson, Jack Sock and so many have turned to doubles into gaining a new skill, adding more monies to their finances and gathering new tennis pro buddies. The women players aren't any different but many times the ones choosing doubles are ranked 20-100+.
It would be very rare to see Kerber, Halep or even Radwanska play doubles on a regular basis. Doubles takes more though as to practice session schedules, more tiresome when they play singles too, possible added time in finding a partner available and who wants to play with them on a steady basis.
Mixed doubles can also be in the mix, requiring a bit of different skill with the woman needing to be strong to not only return a man's serve but to have a powerful serve herself. She and her partner have to be crafty enough to pull players all around the court and return the balls too for added winners.
The woman player also has to have finesse as well as her male counterpart in saying what needs to be done without appearing sexist. The doubles' game...it's here to stay with tournaments like World Team Tennis and the Cups (Davis, Fed, Hopman) and specialized events relying on it to create atmosphere, stability and entertainment to an otherwise already high power but fun racquet sport game as tennis.