Doubles Only Tennis Podcast

I answer four doubles questions that members and listeners have sent in recently. These concepts can have a big impact on your game, from return sides to mid-match adjustments.

• How to choose return sides if you're not sure (great advice for captains)
• Winning return games as a team
• Timing the net player’s movement to avoid getting hit on serve
• How to train your opponent awareness to help with in-match game planning
• When to change your strategy if things aren't going right

I'll have more great interviews soon!

• Dallas/Fort Worth Doubles Strategy Camp - Oct. 24-25 - only 3 spots left!
• Miami Doubles Strategy Camp - Nov. 14-15 - AM & PM groups available
• Dallas Open Rally Trip - 4 Options
  • Rally in the {Lone} Star: 3-Day Package
  • 1-Night/2-Day Package

If you do enjoy the podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcast or wherever you listen:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

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**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox

**Become a Tennis Tribe Member**
Tennis Tribe Members get access to premium video lessons, a monthly member-only webinar, doubles strategy Ebooks & Courses, exclusive discounts on tennis gear, and more.

• Learn More & Sign Up Here

**Other Free Doubles Content**

• Serve Strategy Cheatsheet
• Return Strategy Cheatsheet
• Serve Strategy 101 - Video Course

I've been busy traveling the last three weeks but am back with a strategy episode. Today I share the six doubles lessons I teach club players repeatedly across my camps, clinics, and match play.

1. Fixing your net positioning to time the poach right
2. Keeping your eyes forward
3. Where you miss your volleys on your racquet
4. Opponent serve and overhead tendencies
5. Practicing like you play
6. Advice for players who "don't lob"

Fixing even just one of these mistakes can have a huge impact on your doubles game!

Here are a few upcoming doubles camps and Rally Trips.

• Dallas-Fort Worth Doubles Camp: October 24-25
• Miami Doubles Camp: November 14-15
• Indian Wells Rally Trip: March 2-5, 2027
• Dallas Open Rally Trip: coming soon... email me for details!

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**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox

**Become a Tennis Tribe Member**
Tennis Tribe Members get access to premium video lessons, a monthly member-only webinar, doubles strategy Ebooks & Courses, exclusive discounts on tennis gear, and more.

• Learn More & Sign Up Here

**Other Free Doubles Content**

• Serve Strategy Cheatsheet
• Return Strategy Cheatsheet
• Serve Strategy 101 - Video Course

Katerina Siniakova is the #1 doubles player on the WTA tour. She holds 11 Grand Slam titles in women's doubles, one in mixed doubles, and two Olympic Gold Medals. She is also a top 50 singles player.

In this episode, I chat with her as she prepares for the US Open. We discussed US Open prep, mixed doubles, mindset shifts, lessons from her career so far, and partner skills that helped her already become one of the greatest doubles players of all time.

• Her practice routines early in the majors
• Players who influenced her when she was young
• Respect for doubles
• How she shifted from a singles-first identity to taking real pride in doubles success
• Why she thinks comparing singles and doubles players is unfair
• What she would change about the US Open mixed doubles
• How she helps new partners feel confident and adjusts tactics to fit their strengths
• How she uses frustration without letting it take over
• Advice to her younger self
• Quick listener Q&A on doubles rules, her superpower, and least favorite Slam

This was an enlightening and fun conversation that I know you'll enjoy. Watch Katerina in the singles and doubles (with Taylor Townsend) at this year's US Open!

Learn more about Katerina & follow:

• Instagram
• WTA Profile
• Wikipedia

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**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox

**Become a Tennis Tribe Member**
Tennis Tribe Members get access to premium video lessons, a monthly member-only webinar, doubles strategy Ebooks & Courses, exclusive discounts on tennis gear, and more.

• Learn More & Sign Up Here

**Other Free Doubles Content**

• Serve Strategy Cheatsheet
• Return Strategy Cheatsheet
• Serve Strategy 101 - Video Course

Coach Dan Kiernan returns to the show, this time with Tennis Tribe doubles writer Hanlon Walsh from the Cincinnati Open.

They discussed Dan's role coaching an ATP and a WTA doubles player in the same tournament. You'll hear specifics on logistical planning, team communication, and the stat-driven ideas that create sustainable success.

• Balancing coaching duties across two players with different routines
• Deciding which tournaments to play and why preparation often beats chasing points
• Dan's 105% rule
• How Gaby Dabrowski's partnership with Luisa Stefani compares to her previous partnership with Erin Routliffe
• Why doubles teams split or stay together
• Why "assumption-based communication" is dangerous - club players do this all the time
• The rankings and entry problem that forces creative partner choices
• The current women’s doubles landscape and why the majors reward top teams more
• Men’s doubles narratives and how ATP governance and ego is creating unnecessary problems

Learn more about Dan & follow:

• Instagram
• CTC Podcast
• CTC Podcast on IG

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**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox

**Become a Tennis Tribe Member**
Tennis Tribe Members get access to premium video lessons, a monthly member-only webinar, doubles strategy Ebooks & Courses, exclusive discounts on tennis gear, and more.

• Learn More & Sign Up Here

**Other Free Doubles Content**

• Serve Strategy Cheatsheet
• Return Strategy Cheatsheet
• Serve Strategy 101 - Video Course

Tennis Tribe doubles beat writer Hanlon Walsh chats with top-50 players Quinn Gleason and Ulrikke Eikeri right after their Cincinnati Open round-one win.

They discuss the match, how their partnership has clicked, what it takes to break into 1000-level events, and why WTA doubles feels deeper than ever. 

• Match recap and the energy shift that wins the third set
• What aggression “on our terms” looks like in doubles
• Quinn’s ranking rise and the confidence of an experienced partner
• Ulrikke’s insanely tight string tension
• How the partnership started and how they learn week to week
• The reality of alternates and the fight to enter 1000-level tournaments
• Goals for the rest of the season
• Norway travel tips from Oslo plus Midwest hidden gems
• Dream mixed doubles partners and the Olympics hurdle

Learn more about Quinn & follow:

• Instagram
• WTA Profile
• Wikipedia

Learn more about Ulrikke & follow:

• Instagram
• WTA Profile
• Wikipedia

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**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox

**Become a Tennis Tribe Member**
Tennis Tribe Members get access to premium video lessons, a monthly member-only webinar, doubles strategy Ebooks & Courses, exclusive discounts on tennis gear, and more.

• Learn More & Sign Up Here

**Other Free Doubles Content**

• Serve Strategy Cheatsheet
• Return Strategy Cheatsheet
• Serve Strategy 101 - Video Course

Erin Routliffe and Aldila Sutjiadi are one of the hottest teams on the WTA Tour right now, having won the DC Open several weeks ago.

Tennis Tribe doubles beat writer Hanlon Walsh caught up with Erin and Dila after their round one win in Cincinnati. They discussed the victory, their DC run, and their partnership. I especially liked Dila's thoughts on playing great doubles as an individual vs winning as a team.

• Executing a match plan early and surviving momentum swings
• Using return games to create constant pressure
• How they handle deuce points
• Building confidence from the Washington, DC title run
• A career-shaping US Open match and a tense fan moment
• Lessons from playing with different partners and managing emotions as a team
• Favorite SEC memories and what college tennis teaches
• Living in the South, from food to basketball and football culture

Learn more about Erin & follow:

• Instagram
• WTA Profile
• Wikipedia

Learn more about Aldila & follow:

• Instagram
• WTA Profile
• Wikipedia

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**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox

**Become a Tennis Tribe Member**
Tennis Tribe Members get access to premium video lessons, a monthly member-only webinar, doubles strategy Ebooks & Courses, exclusive discounts on tennis gear, and more.

• Learn More & Sign Up Here

**Other Free Doubles Content**

• Serve Strategy Cheatsheet
• Return Strategy Cheatsheet
• Serve Strategy 101 - Video Course

Matt Futterman is an award-winning sports journalist for The Athletic and New York Times. His new book is The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis.

This is a fascinating conversation about the book and why professional tennis can feel uniquely brutal, even for the best players in the world.

We talk through the childhood pipeline, the mental load of constant losing, and what separates the era of Serena, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic from the stars trying to survive now. 

• Why tennis players walk away at their peak in a way players in other sports don't
• The hidden costs of junior tennis: money, travel, isolation, and identity
• Conditional love and pressure from family expectations
• Why “winning feels like relief” at the top and why that is dangerous
• Resilience tools: staying present, bouncing back after bad points, learning under stress
• Why legends struggle to retire and how greatness becomes a trap
• What the ATP doubles cuts get wrong about the real problem
• Practical ideas for doubles: format, scheduling, atmosphere, and rules

Purchase Matt's new book on Amazon: The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis

Learn more about Matt & follow:

• Instagram
• Twitter/X
• www.mattfutterman.com

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**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox

**Become a Tennis Tribe Member**
Tennis Tribe Members get access to premium video lessons, a monthly member-only webinar, doubles strategy Ebooks & Courses, exclusive discounts on tennis gear, and more.

• Learn More & Sign Up Here

**Other Free Doubles Content**

• Serve Strategy Cheatsheet
• Return Strategy Cheatsheet
• Serve Strategy 101 - Video Course

In this AMA episode, I answer Tennis Tribe member questions with simple doubles strategy rules for drop shots, overheads against lobbers, and cutting down double faults.

I also share how I think about building a second serve you can trust, as well as starting and recovery positions at the net.

• Drop shot rules and the best place to hit drop shots from
• Why your drop shot doesn't have to land short
• The best overhead targets
• When letting a lob bounce makes sense
• The causes of double faults at club level
• The easiest way to simplify your 2nd serve
• Members only: How to develop a reliable 2nd serve that doesn't get attacked
• Members only: Where to start at the net and how to move during your partner's baseline rally

Learn more about all my upcoming camps and Rally Trips at thetennistribe.com/camps/.

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**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox

**Become a Tennis Tribe Member**
Tennis Tribe Members get access to premium video lessons, a monthly member-only webinar, doubles strategy Ebooks & Courses, exclusive discounts on tennis gear, and more.

• Learn More & Sign Up Here

**Other Free Doubles Content**

• Serve Strategy Cheatsheet
• Return Strategy Cheatsheet
• Serve Strategy 101 - Video Course

Mark Ein is the owner of the DC Open, an ATP and WTA 500 tournament starting on July 25. I spoke with Mark the week leading up to the tournament about how he has built the DC Open into one of the premier 500-level tournaments in the world.

We discuss doubles' role in the tournament, his passion for tennis, and plans for the 2026 tournament. Mark also shares his thoughts on the ATP doubles cuts. 

• Mark’s background in sports and business, starting as a ball kid at the tournament
• Why he features star-driven doubles teams and actively recruits singles players into doubles
• What the final week of tournament operations really looks like behind the scenes
• 2026 upgrades to the fan experience including stadium upgrades, merch expansion, and the new “front porch” viewing area
• Why selling an all-day, all-week experience beats marketing individual players in tennis
• The advantages of a combined ATP & WTA 500 level event and why it is rarer than fans think
• How mic'd up doubles players can create must-watch social content and bring fans closer to strategy
• Does ATP doubles cost his tournament money?

Mark has some candid responses, and I appreciate his drive to promote and innovate our sport, something tennis needs. Be sure to watch the DC Open all next week!

Learn more about Mark & follow:

• Instagram
• Twitter/X
• DC Open Tournament Page

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**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox

**Become a Tennis Tribe Member**
Tennis Tribe Members get access to premium video lessons, a monthly member-only webinar, doubles strategy Ebooks & Courses, exclusive discounts on tennis gear, and more.

• Learn More & Sign Up Here

**Other Free Doubles Content**

• Serve Strategy Cheatsheet
• Return Strategy Cheatsheet
• Serve Strategy 101 - Video Course

I spoke with Coach Calvin Betton after a second Wimbledon doubles title in three years. Calvin coaches ATP #1, Henry Patten, as well as Luke Johnson. We discussed Henry's Wimbledon run with his doubles partner, Harri Heliovaara, as well as return strategy and the recent news about ATP doubles cuts. 

• Comparing the 2024 and 2026 Wimbledon runs
• Why “no free points” matters more than any "tiebreaker system”
• Balancing aggressive returns vs high-percentage returns by matchup and player profile
• Scouting a recent loss to Arevalo and Pavic
• Finding the right level of focus so pressure builds for your opponents across a match
• What the Wimbledon champions dinner is actually like behind the scenes
• Calvin's philosophy on the returner’s partner positioning
• How he views his role as a coach - I loved this answer
• Henry’s speech after winning the Wimbledon Final
• Reactions on the Wimbledon grounds when the doubles cuts were announced
• Why framing doubles as a product problem ignores marketing and sport economics
• Evidence from social media, ticketing, and packed courts that doubles has demand

Calvin is always a joy to have on the show because he brings strong opinions and insights that make you think.

Learn more about Calvin & follow:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Host of the Tennis Unfiltered Podcast

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**Join the #1 Doubles Strategy Newsletter for Club Tennis Players** 

• New doubles strategy lessons weekly straight to your inbox

**Become a Tennis Tribe Member**
Tennis Tribe Members get access to premium video lessons, a monthly member-only webinar, doubles strategy Ebooks & Courses, exclusive discounts on tennis gear, and more.

• Learn More & Sign Up Here

**Other Free Doubles Content**

• Serve Strategy Cheatsheet
• Return Strategy Cheatsheet
• Serve Strategy 101 - Video Course