What a recreational tennis player can learn from this US Open doubles match

NEW YORK—This US Open marks just the fourth tournament together for the team of Nikola Mektic and Rajeev Ram. Yet the former world No. 1 doubles players and multi-time Grand Slam champions found some immediate chemistry. They came into their first major together having just won the Cincinnati Open, busting up Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool’s 22-match winning streak along the way.

The 11^th-seeded duo’s good form continued with three more wins in Flushing. Their opponents in the quarterfinals were 14^th-seeded Yuki Bhambri and Michael Venus. Less heralded, as well as a relatively new partnership, Bhambri and Venus came into the match having not dropped a set in their three previous wins. Something had to give on Stadium 17.

Both teams brought the doubles craft, mixing power and touch during spirited exchanges. It took three tight sets and more than two-and-a-half hours of court time, but Bhambri and Venus prevailed, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3. Here are some lessons to take away from their victory:

Don’t Be a Statue

The movement of this foursome during points was nearly constant. It was rare to see them engage in stationary crosscourt rallies for more than a few strokes. Whether with a set play or trying to intercept a shot at net, their feet were always on the go.

“The best doubles players not only win points by their good play, but by drawing opponents into errors,” says Mark Kovacs, a high-performance coach who won the 2002 NCAA doubles championship playing for Auburn University. “This is achieved by moving at the net, faking, poaching and legally distracting the opponent. This creates indecision in the mind of the opponent, and draws more errors.”

It's a particularly important lesson for players who are comfortable moving up and back, but are hesitant to cross. Staying still or always playing it safe won’t get you far against better teams.

Mix Up Returns

When you’re up against a team with aggressive net players, you can’t be predictable with your returns. That’s chum in the water. Both these teams anticipated that the other would be looking to poach, and tried to counter.

“Great returners have variety,” says Kovacs. “They go crosscourt as their foundational return, but will take it hard line, and also use the chip lob to keep the net player on their heels. Using the return with variety creates indecision for the serving team.”

Whenever you’re intending to hit the return down the line, it’s best to give your partner the heads-up before the point. If they’re stationed on the service line, they can be ready for a reflex volley potentially coming their way, or to cover the crosscourt gap between you.

When in doubt, the lob return is the surest way to get the ball away from the net player. It takes great feel—Ram has a real knack for it—especially if the serve is coming in hot. Going over the net player forces the server to cover, but the great thing about the lob return is as long as the height and depth are right, direction doesn’t really matter.

Squeeze the Middle

When recreational doubles players serve, they typically line up to protect their half of the court. They’re concerned with not getting burned down the alley and leave the middle vulnerable. However, pro teams take a different approach. They position themselves to take command of the middle of the court from the start, and force the returning team to hit into small windows.

The server lines up right next to the center mark on the baseline, and his partner squats low at net about a yard on the other side of the center service line. It’s not quite I-formation, but it’s pretty close. Before serving the team agrees on a serving location—typically down the T or into the body—and which side of the center service line the net player will move to. Occasionally the serving team will throw in a wide serve as a change-up. If the serve is well-placed with some pop, it makes getting the ball away from the net player a real challenge.

It’s definitely a more advanced tactic in terms of timing, court coverage and serve control. If it’s a drastic departure from your team’s usual stance, break it out only when the score is in your favor. Once you get comfortable lining up this way it will bolster your service game and give opponents fits.