Mixed Doubles – The Serve In Mixed Doubles

Featured Image: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin

The serve in mixed doubles is unique to the other disciplines, in that the formation varies depending on whether the male or female is serving. Mixed doubles as a discipline is a little more complex than level doubles. In fact, it is the most tactically demanding of all the disciplines. As such, there are certain little nuances within the game which separates it from level doubles.

We already discussed many of the aspects of general doubles in some detail previously. These articles will be focusing on similar aspects of the game but with a focus on mixed doubles.

Mixed Doubles – The Pairing

As the name suggests, the pairing consists of a male and female player. In terms of strategy, there isn’t a difference between this and levels.
Overall, the aim is to create winning opportunities through attacking play. What makes mixed doubles different is how to implement this strategy.

Having a male and female player creates an interesting dynamic. The general consensus is that the male player is more powerful from the back of the court and the female is quicker and more delicate at the net. Therefore, the best-attacking formation would be the female player in the frontcourt and the male player in the rear court. This gives the best chance for each player to set up their partner for attacking opportunities and winning shots.

We will get onto attacking play in a later article. For now, we will focus on the serve.

Serving – Formation

Obviously, the serve is just as important in mixed as in levels. The formation is slightly different in mixed, depending on who’s serving.

Female Serves

When the female player serves the positioning is the same as for level doubles. The male takes up a midcourt position behind the female ready to take any shots played past her into the midcourt or rear court. The female player should immediately seek to dominate the net to create attacking opporunities for her partner once she’s served.

Male Serves

When the male serves, the female player stands in front of him. The reason for this position is that it plays to both players’ strengths. The female can immediately attempt to dominate the net after their partner serves, and the male player has less distance to travel to reach the rear court and can step forward to receive any midcourt shots.

Consider if the serve was played as in level doubles, with the male in the front and the female behind. The female may be more than capable of being in the rear court but lacks the attacking power relative to her partner to be able to set up winning opportunities for the frontcourt player. This is the area you are much more likely to win a point rather than the rear court Therefore so it’s in both players’ best interests to have the male at the back as he is more likely to create opportunities for winning shots at the front of the court.

Because the male player is serving from a little further back than in levels, they need to ensure their low serve is very tight to the net. This is because the shuttle has to travel a slightly longer distance to reach its destination, giving the receiver a little more time to get to the shuttle early. Very good players will stand as far forward as possible when receiving to gain the attacking advantage.

Which Side Should The Woman Stand When The Man Serves?

Traditionally, the woman has always stood on the left of the court. I’m not sure what the reasoning is behind this theory. If you watch the current professional players, the female player will vary where they stand depending on which side of the court their partner is serving from. If you think about the potential return of serve from the opponent, this actually makes much more sense than the traditional “always on the left” approach.

If the man serves from the right-hand side of the court, the woman should stand on the left. The opponent will play shots which will attempt to force a lift, potentially a net reply or a midcourt push past the female. But more importantly, the majority of these shots will be returned to the left side of the court, where the female is standing. Given that this is the case, she is ready to intercept the majority of likely responses from the opponents. It’s rare the receiver, whether male or female will play back to the side where the service came from.

When the man serves from the left side of court it’s the same story. The majority of returns from the opponent are likely to be to the right-hand side of court. So, therefore, logic dictates that the female should be standing on the right to cover these returns.

If the lady stays on the left when the man serves from the left, the right side of court becomes more exposed. In addition, she will have to move across to any net replies to the tramlines. Although the distance isn’t that great, it might affect her shot choice. It would be better if she was already in a position to take the shuttle above the tape rather than let it fall.

Many female players will have a preference of where to stand. If this works for your partnership, that’s fine. However, you should be aware of the strategic implications of always standing on one side of the court.

Use Of The Flick Serve in Mixed Doubles

The flick serve is played by both the male or the female server to their advantage. In mixed doubles, it is predominantly used to force the lady into the rear court. This neutralises the potency of attack from the opposition as she is not as physically powerful from the back of the court.

Just because the female is in the rear of the court, it doesn’t mean you’ve won the rally. A very good female mixed player will always seek to play shots from the back of court which brings the partnership back into their favoured formation or even to set up their male partner at the front.

Movement Of Players When A Flick Is Played

When the lady flick serves, she should assess the effectiveness of her flick serve. The more off balance the opponent is in response to her flick, the closer she can stand to the net. This will allow her to punish weak replies to the net. If the opponent responds quickly to the flick serve and is able to attack it, she is already in a cross-court position from the shuttle. This minimises the preparation time to receive the opponents shot as she has already served from that side.

When the man flick serves, the lady should move to a cross-court position from the shuttle, no matter which side she is standing on. This allows her more time to see the shuttle and also allows her to stay closer to the net as the shuttle will take longer to travel the diagonal distance. The man should receive any straight reply. When rallying, it is also preferential for the woman to be cross court to the smash. We will discuss this in a later article.

Common Mistakes When Serving In Mixed Doubles

• Man Stands too far back when serving. Many male players stand too far back in court when serving. They might fear being able to reach the rear court in time. However, what this does is that it opens up the midcourt a lot more. This is an area of the court which is strategically important in mixed doubles.
• Flick Serving too often. Like with level doubles, if a player is particularly weak in responding to a flick serve, don’t be afraid to exploit their weakness, regardless of a male or female. However, also do not become too predictable. A player who is aware of this weakness will adjust their position for damage control. In addition, many club players struggle to play a consistent flick serve, often hitting the shuttle long. These are just easy points for the opposition.

Serve In Mixed Doubles – Conclusion

The serve is as important in level doubles as mixed doubles. The formations when serving are important to ensure the ensuing rally is to both the male and the female player’s advantage. In the next article, we’ll look at the return of serve in mixed doubles.

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