What’s the best way to transition from doubles to singles?

August 18th, 2008
mrj_tennis91 asked:


I’ve been playing high school doubles for 2 years. More than likely I’ll be moved up to play singles this year. Besides the obvious fact that the court boundaries are smaller, what else should I keep in mind? Any drills that would help make the transition?

If it helps to answer, I’m a lefty.
Best Shots: Serve, Forehand
Worst Shots: Backhand, Overhead Smash

2 Responses to “What’s the best way to transition from doubles to singles?”

  1. rogerfedererfanclub Says:
    August 19th, 2008 at 10:43 am

    Keep telling yourself that I am playing singles not doubles and remember not to hit in the alleys. You should pratice hitting shots for singles. That will help you.

  2. harrisonchu88 Says:
    August 20th, 2008 at 4:23 am

    As a doubles player, you already have a very good advantage over singles players: you have higher consistency and much better placement. Your net play should be much stronger as well, and your ground strokes should be solid. So here are some things you should work on:

    1. Work on adding either speed or spin to your first serve. Even if your playing high school tennis, a great serve will give you an amazing advantage, especially in singles. You’re left handed, which helps a lot! I personally love my kick serve, I can add as much spin as I want, control placement very well, and still maintain a high consistency. Serve deeper and wider, make your opponent reach, and keep in mind he doesn’t have a partner to help after his return!

    2. Your forehand is your weapon of choice! You’re left handed AND your forehand is stronger, so use that to your advantage! Let loose deep and angled cross-court shots! Though consistency is always great, learn to take killers; when they give you a weak return, take the shot shoulder-height and lean in! In general, coaches will tell you to focus on your ground stroke and consistency, but have the confidence to hit winners!

    3. Work on your backhand, I can’t stress that enough! Especially in singles, you now have to guard both sides of your court. I recommend two-handed, though I’ve played both in my high school years. I started off stronger with my forehand, and ended up with a stronger back-hand instead, but that’ll come with time. In general though, outside of American players a single-handed backhand is preferred in singles; you’ll be able to take running and extended shots much better at a small sacrifice in power and consistency.

    4. Don’t be afraid to approach!

    5. A very good drill for singles is called Blood and Guts; a feeder will lob a ball anywhere onto one side of the court (even out of bounds), and you must run and return the ball to the opposite baseline within one bounce. The feeds vary from net to baseline. Get used to running, because you’ll be doing a lot of it!

    That’s all I can impart for now, it’s been a few years since I’ve picked up a racket but I still remember quite a bit. Good luck, and work hard!