When to Play 2-Back in Doubles (& How)

In doubles, getting to the net is a winning strategy. But sometimes it pays to play two-back in doubles.

  • Why would we want to play two-back?
  • What are the scenarios where it makes sense to play two-back?
  • What is the best strategy when my partner and I are both at the baseline?
Coco Gauff & Caty McNally play 2-back in doubles
Coco Gauff (returning) & Caty McNally using a 2-back return formation in the US Open.

In this episode, I analyze all those questions and more.

Learn the best times to play two-back on the return, including an alternative strategy. I also share a story of when I successfully played two-back on my own serve which I almost never recommend. At the end, I discuss different scenarios of playing two-back vs two-up or one-up and one-back.

This episode definitely requires you to visualize the court a bit, but the two back strategy doesn’t get talked about enough so I hope this helps your game.


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Ebook with 25 expert serve (7), return (5), net-play (5), baseline (4), & approach (4) tactics you can use in your next doubles match.

Show Notes from this Podcast

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