Doubles basics: court boundaries, serving and receiving order

The service box stays narrow

The doubles alleys count during a doubles rally. A serve still has to land in the diagonal service box used in singles. A wider playing court does not mean a wider service box.

• Serve lands in the alley beside the service box: a service fault
• A return or later rally ball lands in the doubles alley: inside the doubles court
• A ball touches the boundary line of the correct playing area: inside that area

Imagine a return landing beyond the service line, outside the singles sideline but inside the doubles sideline. That is a valid landing spot in doubles. A serve bouncing there first would be a fault. Ask whether you are judging a serve or a ball after the serve before choosing the relevant boundary.

A and B against C and D

Suppose team A/B serves first, and A and C are their teams’ first servers. In an ordinary game, one player serves throughout; the opposing team serves the next game.

1. Game 1: A serves
2. Game 2: C serves
3. Game 3: B serves
4. Game 4: D serves
5. Game 5: A serves again

Keep that rotation for the set. Losing A’s service game does not let B take A’s next turn. Winning points and taking turns to serve are separate things.

A short note, “A → C → B → D,” is enough. Confirming the next server when each game ends is a useful companion to recording the score.

Choose receiving sides for the set

If C receives the opening point on the right, or deuce, court, D receives on the left, or ad, court. Keep that receiving order throughout the set rather than choosing a different returner each game.

Receiving order does not freeze your movement during a rally. After the designated receiver returns the serve, either partner may play the next shot and the players may change positions. Partners do not have to alternate shots.

For example, C can return serve and D can then play the next two balls that come back. For the following point, use the established receiving order again.

What changes at a new set?

Partners may choose new serving and receiving orders at the start of a new set. They may also rearrange their within-team orders for a match tiebreak replacing the deciding set; the team due to serve still serves next.

A set tiebreak at 6–6 is different: it finishes the current set, so that set’s serving rotation continues. Hearing “tiebreak” is not enough reason to reset the order.

If an order mistake has already happened, do not automatically erase points or restart. ITF Rule 27 gives different corrections depending on the mistake and when it is discovered. Consult the official at a tournament, or the designated organizer at a club event.

A 30-second opening check

• Name the first serving team and each team’s first server
• Confirm each team’s deuce-court and ad-court receivers
• Confirm game length, deuce scoring and the tiebreak format
• Write down the four-player serving sequence

This is a guide to ordinary doubles order. No-ad deciding points and event-specific formats can add conditions. Check the published regulations for the competition you are actually playing.