Doubles Is Underrated: Why Smart Junior Players Should Play More of It

The Case for Doubles

Doubles is treated as a secondary event in most junior programmes. The singles result is what parents track, what coaches focus on, and what the ranking system primarily rewards.

This is a mistake, for three distinct reasons.

Reason 1: The Points Are Real

Doubles points contribute directly to the overall AITA ranking. For players ranked between 100 and 500, a player who competes seriously in doubles and achieves consistent results can move 30 to 60 places up the overall list without a single additional Singles win.

More importantly, doubles results at Grade B and A events carry significant point values that many players in that ranking band are not competing for.

Reason 2: Net Skills Are Developed Faster in Doubles

The net game is the most difficult skill set to develop in tennis because singles play rarely forces players into net positions. Baseline tennis — particularly the high-ball heavy game that dominates junior competition — can be played indefinitely without ever developing a volley, a half-volley, or an overhead.

Doubles forces net play. A junior who plays 20 doubles matches per year develops net skills they would otherwise take three to four additional years to acquire in singles practice alone.

Reason 3: Reading the Game

Doubles requires faster pattern recognition than singles. The court is fuller, decisions are shared, and the angles change constantly. Players who develop doubles instincts carry a reading advantage into singles that is subtle but real — they are better at anticipating where the ball is going before it arrives.

The Partnership Question

The most common objection to prioritising doubles is finding a consistent partner. This is a genuine challenge in the Indian junior circuit where players often travel to different events.

The practical solution is to treat doubles as a training tool as well as a competition one. Playing doubles regularly in training — even with a coach or a training partner rather than a competitive partner — delivers most of the technical benefits.

The Recommendation

For any junior player ranked outside the top 50 in their category: enter doubles at every tournament you enter for singles. Track the results separately. Review what the doubles data tells you about your net game that the singles data does not.

The players who do this consistently will not just accumulate more ranking points. They will become more complete tennis players.