A few months ago, I trained a Dallas 3.0 team as they prepared for USTA Nationals. They won nationals a few weeks later, going 6-0. This podcast is a conversation with that team.

They went from wildcards in the city playoffs, with some doubts on if they should even be there, to 2025 National Champions. They used data-driven scouting, heavy match play, a team-first mindset, and strategy.

If you're a league player or USTA captain, this episode is a must-listen.

• Setting clear expectations for roster and roles
• Scouting opponents with dynamic ratings and win data
• Pairing doubles teams by similar skill and compatible styles
• How much they played leading up to Nationals
• Building trust through fixed partnerships and reps
• Reading opponents' patterns in singles and doubles
• How one team came back from 1-5 down
• Making in-match adjustments that changed momentum
• How to handle a team that hits hard and poaches a lot
• Targeting weaker opponents without forcing errors
• Handling pressure in semifinals
• Being down a Championship point and still winning
• Roadmap and mindset for moving up to 3.5

Links:

• Join me for the Indian Wells Rally Trip in 2026 (Use coupon TENNISTRIBE)
• The training presentation before Nationals

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Link to the Instagram Post

Possibly the most important skill to have in doubles, aside from the serve and return, is poaching. In this episode, I break down the poaching mistakes I see over and over again from doubles players at all levels.

We'll discuss timing, direction, and simple positioning that can flip returns into easy finishes. Members get the full five-mistake breakdown plus drills. The free preview covers the two biggest errors and how to fix them fast.

• Exactly when to move on your poach, and the biggest mistake club players make when poaching
• How skill level, pace, and opponent depth change your poach timing
• A common movement mistake that could be causing you to miss volleys
• Where to start and where you should NOT start in the service box and the “window” concept
• Using a quiet racket face for clean finishes
• How close you should be at the net
• How to finish your volleys and stop hitting it back to the baseline player
• When it's OK to cover the alley and not poach
• Drills to help your poaching skills

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David Macpherson coached the Bryan Brothers for over 15 years. He's a former #11-ranked ATP doubles player and also coached John Isner from 2018 to 2023. He's one of the smartest doubles coaches on the planet, so you'll learn a ton in this conversation.

We unpack how smart scouting, sharp words, and steady culture turned the Bryan Brothers into the GOATs and made John Isner a doubles force for a short stretch in 2022. We also discussed tactics for club players.

• Early mentors shaping his precise coaching voice
• Advice for coaches on saying less, backing the plan, and owning the misses
• A story from the Wimbledon final where David's scouting turned out wrong
• Managing Bob and Mike's practice rivalry without taking sides
• Why groundstroke reliability helped their doubles success
• Club tactics on lobs, net depth, and flexible positioning
• Serve strategy and weighing your strengths vs the opponent's weaknesses
• Why Bob Bryan had to abandon the lob return vs a certain opponent and why
• Team chemistry as a competitive advantage
• Coaching John Isner around strengths, returns, and net instincts
• Ideas to make men’s doubles more watchable for fans

Learn more about David & follow:

• Wikipedia
• Instagram

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I recently helped two 3.0 ladies' teams prepare for USTA Nationals. The 1st team actually won Nationals in the 40+ division this past weekend.

We spent 30 minutes discussing strategy before playing doubles for a few hours. This episode previews the first 10 minutes of the strategy discussion with the 2nd team, who heads to Nationals next week.

Members can watch the video here.

• How doubles matches are won lost.
• The importance of understanding rally length.
• What to practice leading up to nationals.
• Members only: My favorite ways to force errors
• Members only: Team roles.
• Members only: The 3 things that give 3.0 to 4.0 players the most problems and how to fix them.
• Members only: How to win lob fests.
• Members only: Using the 2-back formation.

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Peter Freeman is one of my favorite tennis coaches to speak with because he has so much experience coaching club doubles players. Like me, Peter creates a ton of online content, including one of the largest online tennis conferences, Tennis Con. I've presented at Tennis Con for the past 3 years and cannot recommend it enough for club players.

👉 Join Tennis Con 9 for Free »

I spoke with Peter to preview Tennis Con 9, which is a little different this year. We also discussed some takeaways from our doubles camp earlier this summer, including the two types of serves at the club level, building a chip return, and fixing your overhead.

• How TennisCon started and what’s new this year
• Challenges, Easter eggs, leaderboard, and prizes (including a free ball machine)
• The importance of learning from many coaches, not one
• Continental vs pancake serves
• How high should your ball toss actually be?
• Executing the chip return
• Overhead rules to help you not miss
• What tennis can learn from pickleball culture

You can watch TennisCon for free for 48 hours once it starts on the 27th. Upgrade to the Lifetime Pass to keep access and play the game.

👉 Join Tennis Con 9 for Free »

**Tennis Tribe earns a percentage of sales if you buy the lifetime pass.

Learn more about Peter & follow:

• Instagram
• Crunch Time Coaching

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I recently posted an Instagram video asking why club doubles players don't use I-Formation. It now has over 210,000 views and 100 comments, many of which are excuses.

In this episode, I break down the five most common excuses and share my rebuttal. I hope that this will convince some of you to start using serve formations more often to help you win matches.

Here are the excuses...

1. "Our serves aren't good enough."
2. "I'll get hit in the back of the head by my partner's serve."
3. "Club players are too slow."
4. "The net player would be too scared." OR "the net position isn't fun."
5. "The returner will rip down the line."
6. At the end, I share the only valid reason to never use I-Formation.

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I share seven strategy lessons gathered from recent experiences at the US Open, Davis Cup, and coaching club players heading to Nationals. These lessons are particularly helpful for the 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5 level doubles players who tend to get some of these things wrong.

• Focusing on what happens most - and why we get this wrong.
• How to think about getting to the net.
• Scouting what your opponents do and don't do, plus how to handle the lob.
• Members Only: Statistics on hitting down the line - this data will surprise you.
• Members Only: A lesson on poaching, including my new favorite drill.
• Members Only: One simple thing to focus on early in the point that will have a huge impact.
• Members Only: A counter-adjustment I noticed in the US Open final, leading to a Grand Slam Title.

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Jamie Cerretani, a former top 50 ATP doubles player and founder of Inspired, shares his holistic approach to coaching professional doubles players through structured preparation, mindset work, and career optimization.

• Working with JP Smith, who reached a career-high ranking of 50 in ATP doubles
• Creating a daily structure for players that includes tennis practice, gym work, and family time
• Viewing family responsibilities as strengths rather than distractions for professional players
• Learning from tournament losses by acknowledging emotions before analyzing film
• Approaching challenges with an abundance mindset rather than a victim mentality
• Founding Inspired as a boutique talent management company focused on career optimization
• Offering services including tennis coaching, film analytics, and off-court partnerships
• Continuing to improve as a coach through reading, language learning, and travel
• Suggesting innovations for doubles, including player microphones and post-match fan participation

Follow Jamie and Inspired to learn more about their holistic approach to player development and career optimization in professional tennis.

Learn more about Jamie & follow:

• ATP Profile
• Wikipedia
• Instagram

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2025 US Open Champions, Gaby Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, take us behind the scenes of their incredible run, sharing details about their mental approach, the dynamics of their successful partnership, and their victory celebration in New York.

• How many days did they take off after winning the US Open?
• How to come back after losing the first set 0-6
• Developing belief as players who don't naturally possess unwavering confidence
• Finding the perfect balance between high energy and mental focus during crucial moments
• Learning to embrace pressure rather than trying to mitigate it
• The technical breakthrough of understanding the serve and volley as one fluid motion
• Navigating the challenges of blending different personalities in their "marriage-like" partnership
• Adopting a mindset of unconditional support for each other during difficult moments
• How smiling helps Gaby in high-pressure situations

I was also able to get to many of your questions from Instagram and Twitter/X. This is a long and fun conversation. Enjoy!

Learn more about Erin & follow:

• WTA Profile
• Wikipedia
• Instagram
• Twitter/X

Learn more about Gaby & follow:

• WTA Profile
• Wikipedia
• Instagram

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Bruce Lipka, coach of US Open doubles champion Erin Routliffe, joins the show for the second time. I spoke with him before Erin Routliffe and Gaby Dabrowski played their semifinal match in New York.

• Why preparing for semifinals involves months of work
• Championship-level doubles requires continuous improvement rather than focusing on winning or losing
• How they turned around a 0-6 first set in the quarterfinals
• The compact tournament format creates challenges with mental recovery as players compete multiple days consecutively 
• Three essential volleys for club players and how to train them
• Club players' biggest mistakes: not moving enough and taking balls they shouldn't touch
• Professional margins are incredibly slim
• "Players don't rise to their level of play; they fall to their level of training."

Have questions about doubles tennis or college tennis? Bruce welcomes inquiries as he also serves as the men's tennis coach at Penn State.

Listen to my previous episode with Bruce.

Learn more about Bruce & follow:

• Twitter/X
• Instagram
• Men’s head coach at Penn State
• Coach of world #1 and 2023 US Open champion, Erin Routliffe

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