Tips and tricks
October 14, 2025
How to Play Doubles
Never played doubles? Here's what you should know before playing your first match!
What You’ll Need
Doubles doesn’t require any special equipment beyond the basics, but here’s a quick checklist to make sure you’re ready to play:
Racquet
Tennis balls
Court shoes
Water & towel
Don't forget to layer up as we enter the cold months! If you're looking for any new gear or need to restring your racquet, make sure to head to our league sponsor Everyone's Racquet (130 S 12th Street) with your league membership card for a discount on select items.
How Scoring Works
Doubles follows the same scoring system as singles, with a few twists when it comes to serving and positioning.
Games and sets are scored as: 15, 30, 40, game.
You must win by two points in a game (e.g., 40–30).
A set is usually played to 6 or 8 games (our league uses 8-game pro sets).
If both teams reach the same number of games at the end (for example, 8–8), a tiebreaker is played — first to 12 points, win by 2.
Each player serves every fourth game, rotating clockwise through the team order.
Court Positioning
When Serving:
The server stands behind the baseline on the right or left side, just like in singles.
The server’s partner starts near the net, a few feet inside the service line on the opposite side of their partner. This player watches for short balls and helps cover the net.
After the serve, both players should move into position and ready to cover their half of the court.
When Returning:
The returner stands behind the baseline on the side where the serve is coming.
The returner’s partner starts near the service line on the opposite side, ready to cover the middle or poach short balls.
After the return, the returning team can move up together toward the net if the rally allows.
The key idea: stay aware of where your partner is, fill the gaps between you, and move together as a team. Doubles works best when both players move in sync!
Switching Sides
You and your partner switch sides of the court after every odd game (1, 3, 5, etc.). This keeps things fair with sun, wind, and lighting conditions.
During play, stay in your assigned service boxes:
The player on the right (the deuce court) starts serving first.
After each point, players alternate sides within their team (deuce/ad court).
When switching ends, just cross over and keep the same serving order.
What You’ll Need
Doubles doesn’t require any special equipment beyond the basics, but here’s a quick checklist to make sure you’re ready to play:
Racquet
Tennis balls
Court shoes
Water & towel
Don't forget to layer up as we enter the cold months! If you're looking for any new gear or need to restring your racquet, make sure to head to our league sponsor Everyone's Racquet (130 S 12th Street) with your league membership card for a discount on select items.
How Scoring Works
Doubles follows the same scoring system as singles, with a few twists when it comes to serving and positioning.
Games and sets are scored as: 15, 30, 40, game.
You must win by two points in a game (e.g., 40–30).
A set is usually played to 6 or 8 games (our league uses 8-game pro sets).
If both teams reach the same number of games at the end (for example, 8–8), a tiebreaker is played — first to 12 points, win by 2.
Each player serves every fourth game, rotating clockwise through the team order.
Court Positioning
When Serving:
The server stands behind the baseline on the right or left side, just like in singles.
The server’s partner starts near the net, a few feet inside the service line on the opposite side of their partner. This player watches for short balls and helps cover the net.
After the serve, both players should move into position and ready to cover their half of the court.
When Returning:
The returner stands behind the baseline on the side where the serve is coming.
The returner’s partner starts near the service line on the opposite side, ready to cover the middle or poach short balls.
After the return, the returning team can move up together toward the net if the rally allows.
The key idea: stay aware of where your partner is, fill the gaps between you, and move together as a team. Doubles works best when both players move in sync!
Switching Sides
You and your partner switch sides of the court after every odd game (1, 3, 5, etc.). This keeps things fair with sun, wind, and lighting conditions.
During play, stay in your assigned service boxes:
The player on the right (the deuce court) starts serving first.
After each point, players alternate sides within their team (deuce/ad court).
When switching ends, just cross over and keep the same serving order.
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Want to start playing tennis but don't know where to start? You've found the right place.
Want to start playing tennis but don't know where to start? You've found the right place.
Want to start playing tennis but don't know where to start? You've found the right place.