The baseline can be your friend in doubles
In doubles when is a good time for both you and your partner to retreat to the baseline or start from there?
1. When you or your partner are having difficulty returning the serve.
2. When you are getting constantly attacked and being overpowered by a team (the Attacking Annie's). It would be smart to stay behind the baseline together and start the point.
3. When you and your partner are at the net and the opponent throws up a lob completely over your heads.
4. When you are at the net and your partner, on the baseline, throws up a short lob.
5. You and your partner start from the baseline (Steady Betty's) to throw off your opponents.
Note: This does not mean you need to play the entire point from there...when your team receives a short ball or you end up lobbing your opponent off the net, move in together and finish the point attacking the net.
Date: September 15, 2004
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Learning from a loss
Go to any tournament and ask a player, who just won, what they learned from the match and they will give you about a 30 second answer. Then, ask the player who just lost and you will get tennis' version of a filibuster. We, human beings, regrettably, seem to learn only from our losses. Winning is such a big deal in our lives that we forget how we won. When you lose a match you were challenged. You were called upon to do things you couldn't do. So, at the end of the match, know why you won and if you lost, work on that part of the game which will be better next time around.
Date: September 15, 2004
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