While tennis is a two-person game (unless you’re playing doubles), practising drills between two people can feel like little more than knocking the ball back and forth across the net – unless you know what you’re doing.
You don’t need expensive equipment or an entire class to make the most of your surroundings. With a ready and willing partner, ideally, someone of the same or better ability level), you can do so much more striking balls to one another from the baseline.
Here, we share with you some games and tennis drills for two players that you can work into your next court booking. Whether you hope to be the next Andy Murray or Emma Raducanu, or you play purely for the fun of it, we are confident you will enjoy giving these a try.
Serve and Return
Our first drill is obvious, but an important one. A good serve and return are fundamentals of the game that, without them, you won’t have much joy. Tennis players will know that there is a huge difference between a first and second service, as well as the returns that go with them.
A first service is an aggressive shot to hit the ball so that your opponent cannot return it – an ace. Returning the first service is difficult and is usually a defensive shot – i.e., with more focus on staying in the point rather than winning it. The reverse is true in the case of a second service, where the serve is (usually) hit with more precision than pace so as not to lose the point on a double fault, thus potentially opening the door to a more attacking return.
With your partner, practice hitting and returning serves to one another. Depending on your ability level, you can increase this drills difficulty by marking areas for the server or returner to hit.
Take Down the Castle
Keeping with the focus on service, this game focuses on hitting specific targets with your serve (rather than hitting anywhere within the service box). Place several cones in the service box – you can choose to either place them all together or space them out – with the object of the game to hit as many in as few shots. Do the same on both sides and take it in turns to serve at the cones – the first to clear all their cones is the winner.
This game can also be adapted for cross-court shots, with either forehand or backhand shots. Place cones at each end of the court in the corner. Players exchange shots intending to knock down the other’s cones. The player who successfully knocks down their opponent’s cones first wins.
Deep Battle
This game is great for depth control training as it challenges you to hit the ball as close to the baseline as possible. The service area is out of bounds and both players must play from the baseline. The ‘serving’ player begins by hitting an easy ball to the other to begin a rally and the game begins.
Turn this game competitive by establishing a scoring system, such as a first to 10. A ball in the service area counts as being out and loses the point. This game develops groundstrokes and shot control.
Two-Ball Tennis
Think you and your partner can keep two balls in play? If this sounds difficult then begin by each knocking a ball to the other without a net and see how long you can successfully keep both balls active. If you are still struggling, then strip it back further by taking away the rackets and simply throwing the balls under arm to one another.
This game is fantastic for developing hand-eye coordination and is good for introducing new players to tennis. Players will familiarise themselves with the range of movement required to play the game and can slowly introduce new elements based on their ability and understanding.
These are just a select few games that you can incorporate either into your next session, if you want to branch out from rallies and set play, or as part of a warm-up.
