Break Serve to Win Close Doubles Matches

If you look back at the matches you played last year and look at your set scores, you might be surprised to see how many sets you lost 3-6, 4-6, 5-7 or 6-7.

Add up the number of sets that were lost by only one break, and you may be surprised to see how many close matches you really had.

What would have happened if you had won one or two more key points per set during receiving games, resulting in just one more game? You would have had a chance to break for the set, and possibly a match win.

Often, sets can come down to a handful of points won or lost. One way to increase your chances of winning more sets is to improve your ability to break serve.

One of the keys to breaking serve is to win second serve points. When an opponent is serving a first serve, the receiver is on the defensive, both mentally and physically, usually playing farther back in the court, and often dug in, on his or her heels.

As soon as the server misses the first serve, the receiver relaxes and the pressure shifts to the server. Now, the receiver is ready to attack a weaker second serve, and the server is aware of this.

Or so it should go.

One of the problems with your game might be that you don't take advantage of weak second serves.

Many players keep the same position in the court that they do for the first serve, either waiting for the ball to come to them in the backcourt, or acting surprised by a short serve and running forward to hit a defensive shot.

In fact, many second serves never even go back into play, because the receiver is either out of position or is so overconfident, he tries to hit a winner off the return.

In order to break serve more often, you will have to take advantage of second-serve opportunities.

Your Three Priorities
First, it's really important that you put the ball back in play. As obvious as that sounds, many second serves do not even go back into play, because kids (and lots of adults!) try to hit winners and pound balls into the net, long or wide.

Second, it's important to be able to hit crosscourt. Lobbing off the second serve is effective, but you'll need to return crosscourt and keep it away from the net person.

Finally, controlling the depth of second-serve returns will be your key to winning.

Deep Returns
Usually, high school players do not serve and volley on their second serves, staying back at the baseline.

This gives the receiving team the opportunity to take the net with a deep return, especially on a short serve. A deep return also forces a defensive shot by the server, who may hit a short ball the receiver can attack, or hit a weak ball the net player can poach.

Be careful -- deep balls often force opponents to lob, so you must be ready for this.

Short Returns
When a server serves and stays back, a short, crosscourt return is the most difficult shot for them to get. Many high school-level players will be so flat-footed after a serve that they won't be able to even make it to the ball. Players with semi-Western or Western grips will have difficulty hitting the ball on the deuce side, and players with two-handed backhands will struggle on the ad side.

Even when the server is able to get to the short ball, she will usually have to hit the ball far out in front of her and pop up a weak ball the net player can attack.

Once your show your opponents that you can hit a short, crosscourt return, both the server and her partner will begin to cheat with their positioning to cover this shot, and will completely open up the court for the down-the-line lob from the receiver.

You can practice your return of serve in doubles by playing with only second serves and no lobs, and you will begin to see how the return of serve often sets up the win or loss of the point.

Remember, the proof is in the numbers. Look at last year's dual match scores. Count up the number of sets lost by one break, and you'll see how your season may have been completely different if your players had more aggressive returns.