Stan Smith's Winning Doubles

192 pages published: 2002

About the Book

Let one of the all-time great tennis doubles players improve your game! Stan Smith, a highly respected pro player and the coach of the men’s U.S. Olympic team in 2000, teaches every aspect of high-level doubles strategy, from selecting a partner to tailoring shot technique for doubles-specific strokes and adding new drills to make practice sessions more effective. Guided by one of the all-time great doubles players, you will be able to

find the style of doubles play that fits you and your partner;

cover the angles, positioning, and court movement that keep your opponents off balance;

learn communication strategies that will have you and your partner working as one; and

adjust your tactics to exploit the opposing team’s weaknesses and counter different playing styles. You will find tips for using spin and placement to maximize first serve percentage, returning the serve, deciding when to use power and when to use finesse, and using touch volleys to keep opponents off balance. Photos and court diagrams make it easy to see the correct positioning for each shot.

Smith shares anecdotes from his own experience to reinforce instructional points. He profiles top men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles teams, highlighting the unique traits that make each team’s playing style so successful.

If you want to win more matches, let Stan Smith be your personal doubles coach. With Stan Smith’s Winning Doubles you’ll play better and enjoy the game more than ever.

About the Author

Stan Smith has played or coached tennis at the professional level for more than 30 years. He has won the most prestigious tournaments in both singles and doubles and has coached elite players and juniors. From 1988 to 1995 Smith served as director of coaching for the USTA Player Development Program, and in 2000 he was the head coach of the men’s U.S. Olympic team at the Sydney Olympics.

Smith has played in 11 Grand Slam finals and has won a remarkable 61 pro doubles titles. He has a 12–1 Davis Cup doubles record, and he’s a four-time U.S. Open doubles winner. He and his frequent doubles partner, Bob Lutz, are the only team ever to have won the national championship on all four surfaces.

Smith has been a contributing editor of Tennis magazine for 19 years, is the author of Inside Tennis, and is coauthor of Modern Doubles. He still plays doubles in the senior Grand Slam events, where he continues to enjoy competing against some very familiar rivals. He and his wife, Margie, live in Hilton Head, South Carolina.