Elise Mertens and Storm Hunter are the #2 seeds at this year's WTA Finals in Cancun. This is a short conversation with them after their 1st round match where they defeated Aoyama & Shibahara 6-4 6-2. We discussed how they took momentum after going down an early break in the first set. Then I asked them how they game plan against a player like Shuko Aoyama who takes away the net. Elise also shares where she gets her ridiculously effective lob. I really liked her answer here. They talk a bit a...
Nov 02, 2023•9 min•Ep. 137
Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara are the #3 seeds at this year's WTA Finals in Cancun. This is a short conversation with them after their 1st round match where they defeated Krawczyk & Schuurs 7-5 6-2, winning 9 of 9 deciding points. We ask the Japanese pair how they played the big points so well, what they did to adjust to the courts (they have a higher bounce than usual), and their plans for 2024. **Doubles Strategy Courses** 25 Winning Doubles Tactics Video Course This video course will tea...
Oct 31, 2023•13 min•Ep. 136
Matthew Futterman ( @MattFutterman ) is an award-winning tennis journalist who has worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and now, The Athletic. He has authored two books and is working on a third, about tennis, called "The Cruelest Game". This episode is a little different. You're not going to get doubles strategy out of this one, but you will get some deep insights into the world of pro tennis, why it isn't as popular in the US, and why doubles, specifically, has struggled. Ma...
Oct 27, 2023•53 min•Ep. 135
2nd serve points only account for about 35% of points in doubles, but it's crucial to have a good 2nd serve strategy. Your goal should be to win 50% or more of your 2nd serve points. In this episode, I share some ideas on improving your 2nd serve strategy for doubles players with strong, medium, and... WEAK 2nd serves. When should you use formations on 2nd serves? Is it okay to poach or fake on a 2nd serve? What should you do if your partner has a weak 2nd serve and the opponent is crushing it a...
Oct 25, 2023•24 min•Ep. 134
I've recently been training a few USTA doubles teams, helping them prepare for nationals. In this episode, I'll share five things I told them to practice that are neglected by club-level doubles players & teams. Practicing these skills will help you make the other team play bad because most doubles teams you'll face won't be used to seeing this stuff. I'll cover a specific return that you probably use but never practice. Why you're practicing volleys the wrong way. The key to your 2nd serve....
Oct 18, 2023•22 min•Ep. 133
Communication and teamwork in doubles aren't easy to teach or measure. That's why I think I've neglected the subject a bit over the years. But over and over, the world's best players, like recent podcast guests and US Open Champions, Rajeev Ram & Erin Routliffe, continue to stress the importance of working together with their partner, communicating effectively, and building trust. This episode covers what I think you should be communicating with your partner before, during, and after your ma...
Oct 11, 2023•27 min•Ep. 132
I recently played in USTA 9.0 Mixed Doubles Sectionals in Abilene, TX. This episode covers 3 lessons learned from my time there with our team. We didn't have a great performance but you can always learn from your losses. I discuss choosing return sides and playing with strengths in the middle of the court with an example from one of our 4.5/4.5 teams who hadn't played together before. You'll also learn how to adjust your return position based on several factors, plus why I used Australian format...
Oct 04, 2023•21 min•Ep. 131
2023 US Open men's doubles champion, Rajeev Ram joins the show for the second time. Rajeev shares his experience winning his third consecutive US Open alongside partner, Joe Salisbury. I asked Rajeev about the 2023 season which has been a bit of a rollercoaster for him and Joe. One of my favorite parts of this episode is when Rajeev explains how his communication with Joe has improved and how he worked on that when he transitioned from singles to doubles earlier in his career. We also discuss hi...
Sep 27, 2023•37 min•Ep. 130
Daniel Nestor is one of the best doubles players ever. He has eight men's doubles grand slams, four mixed doubles major titles, an Olympic Gold Medal, and won the Tour Finals four times. Daniel recently built an online course for club players that we discuss in this episode, along with his incredibly successful career. Daniel shares what made his most successful doubles teammates so good, including a decade-long partnership with Mark Knowles. I also ask him what made the Bryan Brothers so tough,...
Sep 20, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 129
WTA doubles player Erin Routliffe joins the show for the second time, but the 1st time as a major champion. Erin won the 2023 US Open Women's Doubles Title alongside new partner, Gaby Dabrowski. You'll hear how Erin approached the new partnership with Gaby since they had only played for three tournaments before the US Open. She also shares how she dealt with an electric US Open crowd that was mostly against her during their quarterfinal match. Erin shares advice on dealing with nerves and perfor...
Sep 13, 2023•30 min•Ep. 128
This is a conversation with the coach of ATP doubles star, Joe Salisbury, Dave O'Hare. I chatted with Dave in New York as his team go for a 3-peat of the US Open. Listen to my previous conversation with Dave: https://www.thetennistribe.com/dave-ohare-interview/ Joe and Rajeev beat a team in the quarterfinals that they lost to a few weeks earlier. I asked Dave if they made any adjustments and how they approached playing the same team in two weeks. Dave also shares insights on the lob return, how ...
Sep 08, 2023•20 min•Ep. 127
This is the 8th and final episode in our 8-part series on doubles strategy. On every shot in doubles, you can choose which direction you want to hit the ball. But how do you know you're choosing the right direction? Many club-level doubles players go down the line when they should go crosscourt, never change their serve location, or don't think about the best target for approach shots. In this episode, I'll cover how to use direction to improve your doubles strategy for serving, returning, rally...
Aug 30, 2023•16 min•Ep. 126
This is a rebroadcast of my interview with Gigi Fernandez from December 2020. In this episode, Will talks with Gigi Fernandez, one of the greatest doubles players of all time. Gigi won 17 major doubles titles on the professional tour and two Olympic Gold Medals. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010. Today, she specializes in teaching club and recreational adult doubles players. This is a really rare opportunity where you get someone from the pro-level teaching at a...
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 125
In doubles, choosing the correct return side is one of the most important decisions you'll make with your partner before each match. It's also one of the most misunderstood topics by club-level doubles players. In this episode, I'll cover how to think about choosing return sides and share a recent example where I moved my partner to the ad side even though they preferred their forehand. There are two BIG myths that you might be using when it comes to choosing return sides that I'll dispel as wel...
Aug 16, 2023•20 min•Ep. 124
This is a rebroadcast of my interview with Jorge Capestany from September 2021. How well do you know your doubles partner? In this episode, I speak with Jorge Capestany in great depth about this question. Jorge is one of the top tennis coaches in the US and one of only ten people in the world who are Master Professionals for the USPTA and PTR. He’s coached tennis for decades and thinks that understanding your partner might be the most important factor in winning matches for adult tennis players....
Aug 09, 2023•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 123
Today, I'm launching my new doubles course, 25 Winning Doubles Tactics . So in this episode, I wanted to share 3 tactics that I use in my own doubles matches and teach to club players like you. The first two tactics are from the course where you can see real examples of each tactic being executed. They are called the Shoe Shine and the Sneaky Lob. The last one is from a recent 9.0 mixed doubles match where my partner and I made what turned out to be a fantastic adjustment to come back after drop...
Aug 02, 2023•20 min•Ep. 122
This is an interview with WTA doubles player, Demi Schuurs. Demi has a career-high ranking of #7 in the world, including 17 doubles titles on tour. Demi is also a top returner and net player, making her one of my favorite players to watch. She has a very old-school doubles game, constantly moving forward and taking away time from her opponents. In this conversation, we discuss her story – she grew up in the Netherlands, how to play with different doubles partners, including her current one, Desi...
Jul 27, 2023•43 min•Ep. 121
This is an interview with ATP tennis coach, Rob Morgan. Rob has coached tennis for over two decades and currently coaches world #1 doubles player Wesley Koolhof, who just won Wimbledon alongside Neal Skupski. I ask Rob about his role on their team and what it took to win Wimbledon. Wesley and Neal have been the best team in the world for over a year but hadn't won a Grand Slam until last week. You'll find out what they improved this year to get over the hump and win their first major title. We a...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 120
This is the 7th episode in our 8-part series on doubles strategy. Part 1, Time: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12544725 Part 2, Movement: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12723935 Part 3, Position: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12772002 Part 4, Power & Pace: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12815640 Part 5, Spin: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12910388 Part 6, Height: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12993269 Depth is more important than most people realize. But it's not a...
Jul 12, 2023•15 min•Ep. 119
This is an interview with Philip Farmer who has coached on the ATP & WTA tours for over two decades. Phil has one of the smartest doubles minds in the world and has coached four different players to a world #1 doubles ranking including the Bryan Brothers, Corina Morariu, and most recently, Austin Krajicek, who I interviewed last week. He's also coached a number of singles players including Sam Querrey and John Isner. However, in this episode, we focus heavily on how a club-level player can i...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 118
This is an interview with world #1 doubles player and 2023 Roland Garros champion, Austin Krajicek. Austin recently rose to the top of the doubles rankings with his first major title, and he joined me from London where he was beginning his grass court season (he won the Queen's Club Championships a few days after our conversation). Austin and his partner, Ivan Dodig, lost in the Roland Garros final in 2022, so I ask Austin to compare that run to his recent title in Paris. We also discuss: What A...
Jun 28, 2023•38 min•Ep. 117
In part 2 of our listener Q&A, I answer questions about volleying cross court vs down the line, choosing return sides, choosing return tactics, and more. ( Find Part 1 of our Q&A here ) These questions were submitted from 3.0 to 4.5 doubles players from around the world. When should I volley crosscourt vs down the line? Should the stronger player return from the ad side? What about a lefty & righty? (This is one of the biggest myths in doubles!) I'm having trouble against teams who r...
Jun 21, 2023•43 min•Ep. 116
This is our first-ever listener Q&A episode where I answer your doubles questions on the show. If you want to submit a question for the next episode, go to www.thetennistribe.com/question/ Today, I'm answering 5 questions about... How to play against defensive opponents What to do with partners who don't know where to stand or how to move at the net How to stop framing forehand volleys Beating a heavy hitter with a weak partner Here are the links mentioned in this episode. The Functional Ten...
Jun 15, 2023•29 min•Ep. 115
This is the 6th episode in our 8-part series on doubles strategy. Part 1, Time: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12544725 Part 2, Movement: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12723935 Part 3, Position: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12772002 Part 4, Power & Pace: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12815640 Part 5, Spin: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12910388 There are certain shots in doubles that you need to hit the ball high over the net to buy yourself some time. Alternatively,...
Jun 07, 2023•20 min•Ep. 114
We recently published an Instagram video on the server's partner's positioning that has received over 33,000 views so far. Many of the comments address why you do have to cover the alley more often in 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 doubles. They're right. Sort of... In this short episode, I revisit the topic of covering the alley and address some of the Instagram comments directly. There are times to cover the alley, but the skill level isn't what matters. Listen to find out how I think about this important ...
May 31, 2023•14 min•Ep. 113
This is the 5th episode in our 8-part series on doubles strategy. Part 1, Time: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12544725 Part 2, Movement: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12723935 Part 3, Position: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12772002 Part 4, Power & Pace: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12815640 How does spin affect what you do on the doubles court? What are the best ways to use spin to win in doubles? In this episode, I discuss my favorite times to use different spins on th...
May 24, 2023•28 min•Ep. 112
This episode includes a series of post-match interviews from the Charleston Open. We spoke with the eventual champions, Desirae Krawczyk and Danielle Collins, after their semifinal victory. We also talked with finalists, Giuliana Olmos and Ena Shibahara after their close loss in the finals. You'll get some strategic insights from these players' analysis of their matches as well as some adjustments they made during the matches. How to adjust after you win the 1st set but lose the 2nd? Why does En...
May 17, 2023•31 min•Ep. 111
This is the 4th episode in our 8-part series on doubles strategy. Part 1, Time: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12544725 Part 2, Movement: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12723935 Part 3, Position: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12772002 When are the best times to hit with more power in doubles? More importantly, when should we hit the ball SLOW?! Personally, I think power is overrated in doubles. I'd rather you hit with depth, or adjust your position than hit the ball hard. However, t...
May 10, 2023•23 min•Ep. 110
This is the 3rd episode in our 8-part series on doubles strategy. Part 1, Time: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12544725 Part 2, Movement: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12723935 How can you adjust your position to help you win in doubles? If you're like me, then you're slowly losing your quickness and movement ability. As we get older, position becomes even more important on the doubles court. In this episode, I cover exactly where to stand. Serve formations: Regular, I-formation, Austra...
May 03, 2023•23 min•Ep. 109
This is the 2nd episode in our 8-part series on doubles strategy. Find Part 1 here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1375636/12544725 I'm going to share with you how to think about different aspects of doubles to help you create a better game plan and win more matches. How can you use movement to win in doubles? There are two ways you can move on the tennis court. Forward & backward, and side to side (laterally). Both are important, but many players move the wrong way or don't move at all when the...
Apr 26, 2023•26 min•Ep. 108
