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The name doubles tennis simply explains it all. In this type of tennis the total numbers of players are 4. We can say that double tennis is 2 vs. 2 competitions.
Two players combine to make a team to play against two other players playing as a team at the opposite side of the court.
But the question that comes in the mind of the spectator is how does the doubles tennis scoring work? Or the double scoring similar to as singles scoring?
This article is going to give you complete guidelines of rules and regulations that are followed by the players in Doubles Tennis scoring.
Which Is More Challenging, Singles Or Doubles?
This is an endless debate because different people have different opinions about this game play. But what I think is in sports every kind of game play is competition.
No matter what the dynamic is you always need to prepare yourself for the competition ahead of you.
As there are two players on each side of the court, individually each players gets lesser place to cover making it less demanding but it doesn’t mean it is less challenging as compared to singles.
The objective in doubles and singles are same, to “win”, Getting points to win the games, winning games to win the sets and to win the sets to win the matches. The actual goal is to win matches to win the championship.
Most of the singles rules and regulations are applicable in the double tennis, but few are exceptions. The very first rule is the size of the court is wider as compared to singles.
Boundaries are extended from every side to the double sidelines. But one thing is important to know that the double boundaries are applicable only when the ball is served.
Double Tennis Serves Rotation
Like singles serve rotates from one team to another team but in this case instead of noting the serve of two players the rotation of 4 players is noted and maintained in a set.
For example, in team 1 competitors are A and B and in team 2 competitors are X and Y. In team 1 player B is serving first and in team 2 player X is serving first. So for now team 2 is serving the first game.
- Player X serves Game 1
- The Player B serves Game 2
- Player Y serves Game 3
- Player A serves Game 4
It is a continuous process- X to B, then to Y, then to A, then to X and so on. We can say that until the set is finalized every player rotates to serve every fourth game.
A team can decide which player will serve first from their side and can create a new rotation. It is good to bring out a strategy into your game play but I will always advise to let the best server serve first in your team.
There is an addition in serving options when it comes to doubles as compared to singles. The server has the benefit of area behind the alley with baseline in between the double and single sidelines.
You can say that in doubles tennis the server can choose to serve from behind and along the baseline or from centre mark to double side line at his side of the court.
Advantage Court or Deuce Court:
It is prior that the teammates must receive serves in the left service court also known as advantage Court or the right service court also known as deuce court.
After the decision is made the player of the team can only return serves of the designated service Court while playing in that set.
Until the set is over you cannot switch service quotes for receiving the serves. At this point the teammates can switch their service court sides for starting a new set or in the beginning of each set.
The teammates can stand anywhere at their side of court but it is to make sure that the player returns the serve actually attempts the return not the other player.
Most of the times the position of the receiver is behind the baseline for receiving the serve and the teammate’s position are along with the adjacent service court.
Communication is the key:
The most important thing in the double tennis is communication. As the ball travels from one side to another side of the court it is only one competitor on the team that can smash, strike, volley, lob, slice, the ball every time it is returned.
For example, if both of the teammates attempt to return the ball and the racket of both of the players touches the ball the other team is in benefit of the point.
But if only one racket touches the ball the game will continue until a team earns a point.
No matter if the game is doubles it does not mean that the competitors must take their turns striking the ball.
The team can decide to cover the court and to attempt the return for winning a point.
When it comes to returning the serves, there are better rules and guidelines in double tennis.
Tie breaker:
The guidelines for double tie breaker are maintained according to single tiebreaker scoring but with an exception. Just like singles 2 point rotation is started after as the initial point is played and serving rotation is maintained.
The only difference is that there are four players participating in this 2 point serving rotation.
For example, there is a tiebreaker between team 1 and team 2; this is how the serving rotation is maintained,
- Player X serves Point 1
- Player A serves Point 2
- The Player A serves Point 3
- Player Y serves Point 4
- Player Y serves Point 5
- Top Player B serves Point 6
- Player B serves Point 7
- Player X serves Point 8
This rotation will new until a team wins. For winning the tiebreaker and finalizing the set a team must get 7 points plus 2 points of advantage. The tie breaking scores of the wining team can be 7-1, 8-6, 21-19 and so on.
Alternative Doubles competition:
- Canadian doubles:
This is an alternative to Doubles which require three players. This can be a 2 vs.1 competition. You can say this is Doubles vs. singles. One side has two players and other side has one player.
The single player’s boundaries are the doubles court and the doubles players boundaries is the singles. There are three sets that are played and each player has to play one single at least in each set.
This tennis game comes with a twist but for the other rules and guidelines typical Tennis rules are maintained.
This tournament is determined by the majority of single wins combined with the number of games played in each match.
- Mixed doubles:
The doubles are referred to genders. All the rules and regulations are the same but only one rule is added that the gender in each team should be one male and one female.
- Australian doubles:
They are almost similar to Canadian Doubles but there are some differences. Australian double is the Doubles vs.
singles but the difference is the single player always serves first and every player rotates its positions on the court as soon as the game ends so that all the players get an opportunity to play singles.
This is considered as an unsanctioned style of tennis thus there are no particular scoring rules. Scoring can be decided by the tournament officials, the coaches, or the players participating, in the start of the game play.
For determining a winner the Canadian double guidelines with the combination of single player games won, are adopted.
There is one other method which is determining a specific point value in each game.
For example, let’s suppose the game has 4 points worth, 4 Points are gained by the single player if twins, and if the double players win both of them will split the points that means 2 points each player.
Tennis is a lifetime sport. It is loved by the spectators and they admire the electrifying nature of the competition. The double tennis competition has changed the dynamics of tennis but has given tennis a blast to play.