The only player that I know that can play singles and doubles with so much success is hall of fame inductee and tennis commentator par excellence John McEnroe. If you are tasked to organize a team, here are seven tips that may help you to have one.
1) Never-say-die attitude. Check those players in the list whose attitude toward winning is unforgiving. A team that keeps fighting to the end is the essence of competition. The player who says, “it isn’t over till it’s over” is not a bad candidate.
2) Consider a teamster. Doubles requires a lot of time to play together until the chemistry is achieved. Effective court partnership may take six months or years to develop.
Players who are committed to this requirement should be considered seriously.
3) Good and bad times players. There are players who play excellent tennis when the team is ahead. But they are a nervous wreck when the team is struggling. If you can find a player who rises to the occasion when it is needed, you need this guy in the selection.
4) Mentally tough team. While doubles skills of both players are key to successful partnership, mentally tough team spells the difference between losing and winning. Don’t hesitate to include this player in your lineup if you find one.
5) Winning is everything. While I agree that winning is not everything, winners are still the icons the world would like to see and adore. That is why even if defeat is noonday
clear, the losers are still adamant to accept it. If you see players who think that winning is the only thing, don’t think twice. Put them on the list.
6) Serve and volley players. I don’t have the slightest doubt that they can be very good players. These players go to the net and volley effectively and their overhead is very reliable. These skills are formidable weapons to win in doubles. They are shoe in to me without thinking.
7) Fast thinkers. Because doubles requires a lot of thinking, fast hands at the net are not enough. The players must also be creative. For instance, they can vary their shot selections in the middle of the rally when necessary. I don’t have problem putting these types of players in the selection process.
