Doubles Tennis Serving Rotation

Doubles Tennis Serving Rotation

Serves rotate from team to team, but instead of a two player rotation (singles) a four player rotation (doubles) is noted and maintained throughout a set.

For instance, let’s say competitors A and B (Team 1) are playing a set against competitors X and Y (Team 2). Player B is serving first on Team 1 and Player X is serving first on Team 2. It has been determined that Team 2 is serving the first game in the set.

Game 1 – Player X serves

Game 2 – Player B serves

Game 3 – Player Y serves

Game 4 – Player A serves

The serve continues to rotate – X, then B, then Y, then A, then X, then B … for the entire set. Simply put, each player rotates to serve every fourth game until the set is finalized.

In the set(s) that follow, teams can decide which player will serve first for their respective team and establish a new rotation. Strategic game play comes into play, but my advice is to let the best server on your team serve first.

There is a slight addition to serving options in doubles in relation to singles. The server gains the area behind the alley, along baseline between the singles and doubles sidelines.

In other words, the server in doubles tennis can choose to serve from anywhere behind and along the baseline from the center mark to the doubles sideline on the team’s end of the court.