Although the rules of singles and doubles tennis are much the same, a doubles match has sights and sound that are all its own. The first thing you'll notice is there are four players sharing the court instead of two. Another major difference is the alleys on the sides of the court are in play in doubles but out of bounds in singles. There are also frequent conferences among teammates in between points, along with shouts of "mine" and "yours" during points.
Players
There are three divisions of doubles play, men's, women's and mixed doubles. International Tennis Federation rules require each team to have two players. Mixed doubles features one male and one female on each team, making it one of the few sports where men and women compete alongside and against one another. Communication among partners is crucial to success in doubles.
Court
The main difference between a singles court and a doubles court are the alleys on each side, which are in play in doubles but out of bounds in singles. The alleys are each 4 feet, 6 inches wide, which makes the court 36 feet wide instead of 27. Like singles, the court is 78 feet long and divided by a net that is 3 feet, 6 inches high at the sides and 3 feet high in the middle. The net is suspended from posts that stand 3 feet outside the alleys. If you touch the net while the ball is in play, your team loses the point. A ball that touches any part of the line is good. Each team has to cover an area that is 39 feet long and 27 feet wide and return the ball before it bounces twice.
Scoring
Scoring in doubles works the same way it does in singles. It takes at least four points to win a game--called 15, 30, 40 and game-- and six games to win a set. Matches are either best-of-three sets or best-of-five sets. If a game is tied at 40-40, it is called deuce, and a team needs to win two straight points from deuce to win the game. If a set is tied 6-6, a tiebreaker is usually played. In most scoring formats, the first team to seven points leading by two points wins the tiebreaker and set. The server should call out the score prior to each point.
Serving
At the start of each set, a team decides which player will serve the first game. That player's partner serves the third game, and they alternate from there. Teams can change their service order at the end of each set. The server gets two chances to put the ball in play in the service box diagonally across the net. The service box in doubles is identical to the service box in singles. It is marked by a service line that is parallel to the net and 21 feet away from it. The center service line divides the court in half. The singles sideline serves as the final line of the service box. The doubles alleys are not in play on the serve. If a server's feet touch the baseline or beyond prior to hitting the serve, it is a foot fault. If a server hits his partner with the serve, it is a fault. If the serve hits the net and falls into the correct service box, it is a "let" or do-over.
Receiving
At the start of each set, the receiving team decides which player will receive the first service point. That player will be the first player to receive serve in every return game. The player who returns serve alternates each point, but either player can hit the ball on any shot after the return of serve. At the end of a set, the order of receiving serve can be changed. It is usually easiest for the receiver's partner to call serves out that land beyond the service line and the receiver to call serves out that land wide of the center service line or the sideline. Either player, though, can call any serve out. Like singles, the receiver has to let the ball bounce before striking it.
Strategy
There are three basic formations in doubles. Traditionally, the preferred alignment has been both players at the net following the serve or the service return. Some teams play with one player at the net and one player at the back of the court with the net player trying to cut off any floating shots. The final formation, traditionally considered a defensive alignment, is both players at the back of the court. The alignments can change numerous times during a single point. Volleys, lobs, overheads and short angles are common winning shots in doubles.
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