Do doubles players get respect at your club?

FuzzyYellowBalls said:
That can happen often, usually the singles players for some reason, habit I guess or the captains see them as singles only or the player thinks they are singles only, usually they bounce up and down between ntrp ratings. It makes more sense to transition to doubles, I haven't seen it happen that often though.

But, your situation fits what I am saying, the captains and teammates you have aren't disrespecting you, they just don't think you are good enough to play singles. Not many people ever think at that higher level, that guy isn't "good enougu" to play doubles.
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Well actually I do see this. There's a guy who's super consistent and makes you earn points but he doesn't have enough pace to hurt a doubles team unless he just outrallies them and their patience. He's a 5.0 player but against a standard 5.0 solid at net, he gets smacked pretty bad if the partner is solid as well. But he plays smart and if he has a good partner he'll do really well bc he wont miss much returns despite him doing no damage. If he sees a weak partner he will solely hit to that guy haha.

Not bad, but not the best when you can have someone else playing that spot too. However, he says he can't play singles at all despite his play style suiting it
 
MarinaHighTennis said:
Well actually I do see this. There's a guy who's super consistent and makes you earn points but he doesn't have enough pace to hurt a doubles team unless he just outrallies them and their patience. He's a 5.0 player but against a standard 5.0 solid at net, he gets smacked pretty bad if the partner is solid as well. But he plays smart and if he has a good partner he'll do really well bc he wont miss much returns despite him doing no damage. If he sees a weak partner he will solely hit to that guy haha.

Not bad, but not the best when you can have someone else playing that spot too. However, he says he can't play singles at all despite his play style suiting it
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There's always one exception to everything. I think instead of saying "I do see this", it's better put that you "know one guy who....". Unless you are saying you know 20 guys that are like this particular one you mention.
 
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
There's always one exception to everything. I think instead of saying "I do see this", it's better put that you "know one guy who....". Unless you are saying you know 20 guys that are like this particular one you mention.
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Correction: I do know 20+ guys not good enough for doubles even in the 4.5/5.0+ levels. The good doubles players are the ones whos played it for years or ex-college players where they actually do live balls & drills to develop their games but most ppl's volleys and court positioning/shot selection is quite elementary.

Look at all the junior players, they don't get good at doubles until they hit college and get trained there properly. Many of them are actually "uncomfortable" at net. You can even see it in the pros. I grew up seeing taylor fritz play. He's awkward in doubles and has always been.
 
mcs1970 said:
Many others do not share your same opinions on this thread and we have also been around many different environments.

Where you keep missing the point is you keep bringing up the top singles players and then saying that doubles players are an afterthought.

The OP was that just playing singles by itself confers some automatic level of respect. It does not. There are many poor singles club players out there.
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Ok, but I guess I will type this for the 3rd time. This is not my opinion,, this is what I have observed and heard by being around clubs in 7 different states and 3 sections. No problem that not everyone agrees with what I overheard, I can just tell you that's what I've seen. My own opinion is not offered.

The clearest statement by the OP that I can really not misunderstand (not his fault, maybe I'm just bad at reading his first statements) is the title "Do doubles players get respect at your club?"

No, at about 35 clubs that I know of, they do not. This is based on my own observations of others.
 
MarinaHighTennis said:
Correction: I do know 20+ guys not good enough for doubles even in the 4.5/5.0+ levels. The good doubles players are the ones whos played it for years or ex-college players where they actually do live balls & drills to develop their games but most ppl's volleys and court positioning/shot selection is quite elementary.

Look at all the junior players, they don't get good at doubles until they hit college and get trained there properly. Many of them are actually "uncomfortable" at net. You can even see it in the pros. I grew up seeing taylor fritz play. He's awkward in doubles and has always been.
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That's impressive, to know 20 guys who hypothetically can't win a doubles match at 4.5 or 5.0 , yet are rated 4.5 and 5.0 and can win singles matches for a USTA team? To know one or two, that's not surprising, but to know 20, is that a high % of players you know or is that a lot of them? From my experience someone rated 4.5 or 5.0c can at least win a few doubles matches if they are already good enough to be selected to play singles for a team.
 
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
That's impressive, to know 20 guys who hypothetically can't win a doubles match at 4.5 or 5.0 , yet are rated 4.5 and 5.0 and can win singles matches for a USTA team? To know one or two, that's not surprising, but to know 20, is that a high % of players you know or is that a lot of them? From my experience someone rated 4.5 or 5.0c can at least win a few doubles matches if they are already good enough to be selected to play singles for a team.
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FuzzyYellowBalls said:
But, your situation fits what I am saying, the captains and teammates you have aren't disrespecting you, they just don't think you are good enough to play singles. Not many people ever think at that higher level, that guy isn't "good enougu" to play doubles.
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There's a lot of them but I wouldn't say a high %. At 4.5 it's easier tho bc most of those ppl aren't exactly trained for doubles either and the wide level disparity in the players can get them some wins. At 5.0 tho, not a chance. They know how to play doubles properly and can destroy a single players game given they don't have doubles training/experience.

The question isn't whether or not they can play it, it's that you wouldn't want to put them in doubles. The guy isn't "good enough" to win doubles for your team when you need it.
 
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
Ok, but I guess I will type this for the 3rd time. This is not my opinion,, this is what I have observed and heard by being around clubs in 7 different states and 3 sections. No problem that not everyone agrees with what I overheard, I can just tell you that's what I've seen. My own opinion is not offered.

The clearest statement by the OP that I can really not misunderstand (not his fault, maybe I'm just bad at reading his first statements) is the title "Do doubles players get respect at your club?"

No, at about 35 clubs that I know of, they do not. This is based on my own observations of others.
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I think you are still missing the debate.

What you want to debate is that in a club hierarchy the top singles players are considered as better players than the top doubles players, assuming no overlap. Even though it is almost two different games and one can even see some top 10 pros who seem totally uncomfortable at the net, not many are disagreeing with you on that. Singles winners will always be considered superior because tennis is an athletic endeavor and singles winners exert much more physically and mentally. I also totally agree with you on that.

However the OP was that just playing singles confers some automatic respect over even a very good doubles player. That is not true. Your keeping on debating something else isn’t going to change that. You can repeat it for the 3rd or 4th or nth time. It doesn’t make it a fact.
 
ByeByePoly said:
fyi … states with cold winters require club membership for year round tennis. Indoor tennis court hourly fees, middle age members, USTA leagues, club leagues in general … all lead to more doubles. Typical would be younger players … 20s and early 30s often played summer singles tournaments and then played very little in the winter. Then maybe join a club later … 30s+ … and not many paying for indoor singles in winter. Also clubs are very USTA league oriented … and USTA has always been doubles centered. 3 doubles matches, 2 singles matches … 6 playing doubles, 2 playing singles. It was typical for middle age doubles teams that played together year after year to recruit young wheels for the two singles slots that no one wanted to play in USTA (particularly if team traveled for weekend playoffs). I don’t remember many of us 40+ playing USTA 4.5 leagues worrying much about what the 20 year old respected. We all had the wisdom to know 20 year old legs can give one an inflated self-belief in tennis talent. The reason many of us knew that … is we were once 20 year old singles players with inflated egos 8-B and good tournament singles resumes.

I loved singles, liked doubles … but only singles was real tennis. :cool:

No … not all good singles players are good doubles players … different skills.
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In college I mostly played doubles. I loved it. There just is nothing like winning as a team. I love the strategy and the accuracy you need for doubles. Just a great time.
 
mcs1970 said:
I think you are still missing the debate.

What you want to debate is that in a club hierarchy the top singles players are considered as better players than the top doubles players, assuming no overlap. Even though it is almost two different games and one can even see some top 10 pros who seem totally uncomfortable at the net, not many are disagreeing with you on that. Singles winners will always be considered superior because tennis is an athletic endeavor and singles winners exert much more physically and mentally. I also totally agree with you on that.

However the OP was that just playing singles confers some automatic respect over even a very good doubles player. That is not true. Your keeping on debating something else isn’t going to change that. You can repeat it for the 3rd or 4th or nth time. It doesn’t make it a fact.
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I hear you, but even so all I am describing is what I hear and observe, I'm not stating my opinion, so nothing can be a fact or not a fact, I'm stating what people say to me and others. That is also their opinion. There is no fact involved.

If it is the OP's question that merely playing singles regardless of result gives some kind of "respect" amongst these tennis gossipers. Then yes, I still hear more respect given to those who at least mix it up in singles, whether justified or not, that's the opinion I overhear.

It's not really a debate since it's all opinions that I hear.
 
My impression is that players who are very good at both singles and doubles get the most respect. Doubles-exclusive players are respected and valued in the league environment when they deliver consistent W's for the team, especially if they win with a variety of partners. But there's always sort of an implied asterisk when describing them as a good tennis player, if they have never proven themselves in singles.

I've seen it work the other way too, though. If a guy wins singles tournaments but then gets beat down in doubles by crafty old doubles specialists, respect for their all-around game gets diminished. If he then complains "I'd destroy you in singles though," respect meter plummets further.
 
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
I hear you, but even so all I am describing is what I hear and observe, I'm not stating my opinion, so nothing can be a fact or not a fact, I'm stating what people say to me and others. That is also their opinion. There is no fact involved.

If it is the OP's question that merely playing singles regardless of result gives some kind of "respect" amongst these tennis gossipers. Then yes, I still hear more respect given to those who at least mix it up in singles, whether justified or not, that's the opinion I overhear.

It's not really a debate since it's all opinions that I hear.
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Some kind of respect / hierarchy etc is still different from saying singles automatically confers respect over doubles players.

Anyway, you know,whether one calls it a debate or not, I can never beat a lawyer in an argument :) I readily concede that. You guys are too good to pin down.
 
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
That can happen often, usually the singles players for some reason, habit I guess or the captains see them as singles only or the player thinks they are singles only, usually they bounce up and down between ntrp ratings. It makes more sense to transition to doubles, I haven't seen it happen that often though.

But, your situation fits what I am saying, the captains and teammates you have aren't disrespecting you, they just don't think you are good enough to play singles. Not many people ever think at that higher level, that guy isn't "good enougu" to play doubles.
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hehe, i know exactly where i stand on the imaginary tennis totem pole :P
that said, if i joined the weakest team in the league, i could definitely play singles (at least #2S) for most/all matches... and maybe go 50/50 (definitely not a "gimme")
but yeah, the current teams i'm on, i'm probably #5S (if it existed)... but usually play #1D...
sidenote, we've played folks at singles (#2S) that i beat consistently in singles, but because they are not good at dubs, decided to keep me at #1D, and them at #2S.
 
TennisOTM said:
My impression is that players who are very good at both singles and doubles get the most respect. Doubles-exclusive players are respected and valued in the league environment when they deliver consistent W's for the team, especially if they win with a variety of partners. But there's always sort of an implied asterisk when describing them as a good tennis player, if they have never proven themselves in singles.

I've seen it work the other way too, though. If a guy wins singles tournaments but then gets beat down in doubles by crafty old doubles specialists, respect for their all-around game gets diminished. If he then complains "I'd destroy you in singles though," respect meter plummets further.
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haha as a mainly doubles player who's only played singles for my 1 year in college, i'll lose here and there in tough 3 setters in singles bc of too much aggression with flat power. In my mind i think "id destroy you in doubles" but only bc i don't think he can get away with "rolling the ball back" in doubles and I don't have to cover so much court at the net to put that loopy topspin shot away haha
 
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I’m qualified to answer this question because I’ve lived thru several tennis lives, with different skillsets at each stage:

Stage 1. High school. Good at doubles but not singles. No respect.

Stage 2. College. Good at both but ugly game using Wilson profile. No respect.

Stage 3. 20-something thru 30. Good at both but using oversize extended tweener frame. No respect.

Stage 4. Mid 30s. Bad at both with random lead tape. No respect.

Stage 5. Mid 40s. Good at singles but bad at doubles ‘cuz serve sucked. No respect.

Stage 6. Usually injured so bad at both. No respect.
 
nyta2 said:
hehe, i know exactly where i stand on the imaginary tennis totem pole :p
that said, if i joined the weakest team in the league, i could definitely play singles (at least #2S) for most/all matches... and maybe go 50/50 (definitely not a "gimme")
but yeah, the current teams i'm on, i'm probably #5S (if it existed)... but usually play #1D...
sidenote, we've played folks at singles (#2S) that i beat consistently in singles, but because they are not good at dubs, decided to keep me at #1D, and them at #2S.
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I see your TR rating has been rising in last several years. Nice!
 
TennisOTM said:
My impression is that players who are very good at both singles and doubles get the most respect. Doubles-exclusive players are respected and valued in the league environment when they deliver consistent W's for the team, especially if they win with a variety of partners. But there's always sort of an implied asterisk when describing them as a good tennis player, if they have never proven themselves in singles.

I've seen it work the other way too, though. If a guy wins singles tournaments but then gets beat down in doubles by crafty old doubles specialists, respect for their all-around game gets diminished. If he then complains "I'd destroy you in singles though," respect meter plummets further.
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Yeah … better to do it without ever saying it. Like when you have only played doubles with a friend/teammate for years … and they ask one day to play singles. #1 doubles player assumes the same singles outcome. Oops. 8-B

This entire discussion about respect is silly when it comes to USTA … almost every teammate I ever played with thought they should be #1 doubles.
 
travlerajm said:
I’m qualified to answer this question because I’ve lived thru several tennis lives, with different skillsets at each stage:

Stage 1. High school. Good at doubles but not singles. No respect.

Stage 2. College. Good at both but ugly game using Wilson profile. No respect.

Stage 3. 20-something thru 30. Good at both but using oversize extended tweener frame. No respect.

Stage 4. Mid 30s. Bad at both with random lead tape. No respect.

Stage 5. Mid 40s. Good at singles but bad at doubles ‘cuz serve sucked. No respect.

Stage 6. Usually injured so bad at both. No respect.
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Kind of a Rodney Dangerfield tennis career.
 
mcs1970 said:
What you want to debate is that in a club hierarchy the top singles players are considered as better players than the top doubles players, assuming no overlap.
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to be fair, the top singles players in most clubs are 5.0+, so usually are very good at playing both... very rare to make 5.0 just being a grinder, and not knowing how to play dubs well... at least i haven't seen it... but have definitely seen 4.5's as very good singles players, but can't play dubs close to the level they play singles.
travlerajm said:
I see your TR rating has been rising in last several years. Nice!
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it's due to all the fabulous tips on ttw!
my tr rating is due to mostly dubs... (i think only 2-3 usta singles matches last year)
that said, i'm in a local ladder, currently in the top 20 (of ~130 4.0+ players), with most of my losses to the 5.0s & 5.5s... haven't been bageled though :P
 
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This thread is still confusing me … I was minding my own pickleball business before @mcs1970 gave me the bat call.

Are we saying we (I grandfathered me in) now respect pushers? :unsure:

I might have follow up questions.
 
travlerajm said:
I’m qualified to answer this question because I’ve lived thru several tennis lives, with different skillsets at each stage:

Stage 1. High school. Good at doubles but not singles. No respect.

Stage 2. College. Good at both but ugly game using Wilson profile. No respect.

Stage 3. 20-something thru 30. Good at both but using oversize extended tweener frame. No respect.

Stage 4. Mid 30s. Bad at both with random lead tape. No respect.

Stage 5. Mid 40s. Good at singles but bad at doubles ‘cuz serve sucked. No respect.

Stage 6. Usually injured so bad at both. No respect.
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wait … you played college tennis.

Legacy? How much did it cost your dad?
 
ByeByePoly said:
This thread is still confusing me … I was minding my own pickleball business before @mcs1970 gave me the bat call.

Are we saying we (I grandfathered me in) now respect pushers? :unsure:

I might have follow up questions.
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Haha. Had to do an intervention to get you out of those pickleball boards.

This thread resonates with me because I was one of those “doubles guys are old and suck” guys when I was almost exclusively playing singles. Then got a reality check playing two seniors who ran circles around me and my doubles inexperienced partner. My quest to get better at doubles began that day.

One of the threads that always stuck with me was your thread as you made a similar transition where you detailed all the differences between singles and doubles, especially how you had to go to a more cross court oriented power game in doubles. It is truly a different game and I have tremendous respect for anyone who is great in doubles. Hence had to tag you on this though you have ditched us all now for pickleball.
 
nyta2 said:
to be fair, the top singles players in most clubs are 5.0+, so usually are very good at playing both... very rare to make 5.0 just being a grinder, and not knowing how to play dubs well... at least i haven't seen it... but have definitely seen 4.5's as very good singles players, but can't play dubs close to the level they play singles.
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We see pros who are clueless at the net. Medvedev literally runs back a lot once he is forced to come to the net and makes a shot. One of the things that separates Carlos from the many iterations, past and present, of nextgen players, is that he is a tremendous net player as well.


So if that is the state with even top pros it’s unlikely that most high level singles players at the rec level are automatically very good at both the baseline and at the net.
 
mcs1970 said:
Haha. Had to do an intervention to get you out of those pickleball boards.

This thread resonates with me because I was one of those “doubles guys are old and suck” guys when I was almost exclusively playing singles. Then got a reality check playing two seniors who ran circles around me and my doubles inexperienced partner. My quest to get better at doubles began that day.

One of the threads that always stuck with me was your thread as you made a similar transition where you detailed all the differences between singles and doubles, especially how you had to go to a more cross court oriented power game in doubles. It is truly a different game and I have tremendous respect for anyone who is great in doubles. Hence had to tag you on this though you have ditched us all now for pickleball.
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Yeah … keep trying to save me … half the pball threads are mine. :eek:

Good memory on my doubles transition struggle … except that “power game” must have been someone else. ;) I found good results in singles (risk/reward) with s&v and control game from baseline moving opponents around. The more I accepted that doubles did not reward controlled risk taking like singles … the better results I started to have. Cover my side of the court, don’t miss cc ros (just get in cc away from net guy), don’t miss my volleys and overheads, less risk on 1st serve. Boring advice … but I think unforced errors determine more doubles losses than even singles. We had a 4.5 doubles team, both pushing 60, both highly rated at all age groups during their tennis years, never hit much spin or pace … and beat young bangers all the time. I know doubles has changes … players stay back more … but in rec tennis I still think their/our style would win.
 
mcs1970 said:
Haha. Had to do an intervention to get you out of those pickleball boards.

This thread resonates with me because I was one of those “doubles guys are old and suck” guys when I was almost exclusively playing singles. Then got a reality check playing two seniors who ran circles around me and my doubles inexperienced partner. My quest to get better at doubles began that day.

One of the threads that always stuck with me was your thread as you made a similar transition where you detailed all the differences between singles and doubles, especially how you had to go to a more cross court oriented power game in doubles. It is truly a different game and I have tremendous respect for anyone who is great in doubles. Hence had to tag you on this though you have ditched us all now for pickleball.
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fyi … before I struggled with doubles I struggled with singles. :-D

Any decent 3.5 would have killed me coming from a weak high school team. Started at age 15 … our coach was my English teacher (awesome English teacher that knew nothing about tennis). 10 years of a lot of non-coached hours on a tennis court … finally figured out singles. I guess in hindsight my couple of years struggle with doubles was fast for me. ;)
 
ByeByePoly said:
fyi … before I struggled with doubles I struggled with singles. :-D

Any decent 3.5 would have killed me coming from a weak high school team. Started at age 15 … our coach was my English teacher (awesome English teacher that knew nothing about tennis). 10 years of a lot of non-coached hours on a tennis court … finally figured out singles. I guess in hindsight my couple of years struggle with doubles was fast for me. ;)
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You are the same one who also wrote you won a lot of trophies and ran off before the opponent figured how they ever lost to you. Winners are always the most self effacing ones.
 
mcs1970 said:
You are the same one who also wrote you won a lot of trophies and ran off before the opponent figured how they ever lost to you. Winners are always the most self effacing ones.
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I exceeded my talent level so much it was in fact like stealing. I still feel bad about it … wait. :unsure: When your friend’s (and USTA doubles partner) dad tells you “you are a singles specialist” after beating son … NOT respect. :-D

Same thing eventually happened in doubles years later. I remember I was watching my Wed doubles league one night … I was off that week. Four of the 40-55 year olds had played D1 tennis. Unlike my early painful viewing of my 4.0 singles play in my 20s … this was frickin good tennis. How did this hack doubles player sneak his way into this group … what an imposter.

We should all give ourself more credit … you might say respect … tennis is very hard for most of us and I personally think it’s ok to hate :-D the ones it comes easy for.

I don’t quit … I will figure out this wiffleball if enough time. One of our new open play friends is 75 and very good at pickleball. That is … very good at pickleball … not just good for 75 … makes me happy … which is saying something these days.

Thanks for the thread invite … still not 100% sure my racquet is permanently retired. A guy showed up in pickleball that still plays tennis. I knew I had heard his name before … and when I looked him up on USTA website … he is playing 20-30 tennis friends I have known for years. He is a member of the first tennis club I had joined. They all ended up playing 4.0 senior USTA. Part of me thinks about one more tennis run … but the other part thinks it’s too frickin hot in this state to play lousy old dude summer tennis. Pickleball inside … AC … and I could be great by 75. :-D:-D:-D
 
mcs1970 said:
We see pros who are clueless at the net. Medvedev literally runs back a lot once he is forced to come to the net and makes a shot. One of the things that separates Carlos from the many iterations, past and present, of nextgen players, is that he is a tremendous net player as well.


So if that is the state with even top pros it’s unlikely that most high level singles players at the rec level are automatically very good at both the baseline and at the net.
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My doubles partner is 40. He played high school tennis, or whatever it's equivalent is, in South Africa before fleeing to Ireland. I played mainly doubles in College because I was basically a serve and a forehand and great at net. But, then again, I grew up S&V as I am now in my early 50's. We played box matches recently, and a few friendlies to prepare for summer doubles. We've only been defeated once so far this season, and every team we have played were younger than us. Some combined were younger than me alone. It took a pair of ex college players who are excellent at doubles and in their early 30's to put us down. Our consolation is they only just barely beat a team we handily defeated previously in order to get to us, and I was injured with GE. So we definitely want a rematch.

I also play occasionally with another mate of mine from Scotland who also played HS and is actually a year older than myself. We recently went 3 sets toe to toe with an 18 year old and a 24 year old ex HS players who play doubles often and managed to pull out a win.

Tactics, reaction speed, the right court coverage, volleying, and accuracy/touch, and a good lob are very important in doubles. Reading your opponent is right up there as well. I find many young ones are used to putting the ball back in play, and win many singles games that way just by scrapping. That's not gonna work in doubles when you have people at the net that are good at putting even decent returns away for winners, or will work the angles on you.
 
WYK said:
My doubles partner is 40. He played high school tennis, or whatever it's equivalent is, in South Africa before fleeing to Ireland. I played mainly doubles in College because I was basically a serve and a forehand and great at net. But, then again, I grew up S&V as I am now in my early 50's. We played box matches recently, and a few friendlies to prepare for summer doubles. We've only been defeated once so far this season, and every team we have played were younger than us. Some combined were younger than me alone. It took a pair of ex college players who are excellent at doubles and in their early 30's to put us down. Our consolation is they only just barely beat a team we handily defeated previously in order to get to us, and I was injured with GE. So we definitely want a rematch.

I also play occasionally with another mate of mine from Scotland who also played HS and is actually a year older than myself. We recently went 3 sets toe to toe with an 18 year old and a 24 year old ex HS players who play doubles often and managed to pull out a win.

Tactics, reaction speed, the right court coverage, volleying, and accuracy/touch, and a good lob are very important in doubles. Reading your opponent is right up there as well. I find many young ones are used to putting the ball back in play, and win many singles games that way just by scrapping. That's not gonna work in doubles when you have people at the net that are good at putting even decent returns away for winners, or will work the angles on you.
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Doubles:
- get balls in and away from net dude
- when ball hit to net dude one word … low … don’t feed the net dudes
- don’t f*** up your volleys and overheads
- don’t double fault

done … but still giving you credit for college tennis ;)

My s&v ended around 55 in singles … you have a couple more years 8-B
 
TennisOTM said:
My impression is that players who are very good at both singles and doubles get the most respect. Doubles-exclusive players are respected and valued in the league environment when they deliver consistent W's for the team, especially if they win with a variety of partners. But there's always sort of an implied asterisk when describing them as a good tennis player, if they have never proven themselves in singles.

I've seen it work the other way too, though. If a guy wins singles tournaments but then gets beat down in doubles by crafty old doubles specialists, respect for their all-around game gets diminished. If he then complains "I'd destroy you in singles though," respect meter plummets further.
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Yes, this is well put and what I was getting at. But, the twist is, the guys who say "I'd destroy you in singles", those guys are in little cliques and groups that do not think les of each other for losing to doubles specialists, they still think they are way superior to the crafty old doubles guys. Most of them don't even consider it a real tennis match when playing those guys in doubles. Just the way they think.
 
MarinaHighTennis said:
There's a lot of them but I wouldn't say a high %. At 4.5 it's easier tho bc most of those ppl aren't exactly trained for doubles either and the wide level disparity in the players can get them some wins. At 5.0 tho, not a chance. They know how to play doubles properly and can destroy a single players game given they don't have doubles training/experience.

The question isn't whether or not they can play it, it's that you wouldn't want to put them in doubles. The guy isn't "good enough" to win doubles for your team when you need it.
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Yes, that's why I said it's an exception. Good tennis players can play doubles, even if they are mostly singles players. At 4.5 and 5.0 some of the best guys just play both back if they aren't comfortable at net and it works very well. At high level 18's level USTA it's very rare to find anyone who is an amazing doubles player then looks lost when playing doubles. There's always exceptions, but usually people can handle a racket on a tennis court whether there are 2 or 4 people.
 
I'll just leave this here:


Maata/Tribler are ex college players. I think Chan is still at Hawaii during this competition with Pang being a SLO player.
I actually didn't qualify for Cal Poly SLO and chose a different school in the Bay Area instead. :(
I did spend a year in SLO, though. But that was before TW was actually a thing.

And this 4.5's vs HS:

 
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FuzzyYellowBalls said:
the twist is, the guys who say "I'd destroy you in singles", those guys are in little cliques and groups that do not think les of each other for losing to doubles specialists, they still think they are way superior to the crafty old doubles guys. Most of them don't even consider it a real tennis match when playing those guys in doubles. Just the way they think.
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Basically you are saying those guys are sour grapes losers. Why even bother about losers like those?
 
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
Yes, this is well put and what I was getting at. But, the twist is, the guys who say "I'd destroy you in singles", those guys are in little cliques and groups that do not think les of each other for losing to doubles specialists, they still think they are way superior to the crafty old doubles guys. Most of them don't even consider it a real tennis match when playing those guys in doubles. Just the way they think.
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lol, i used to be in that camp (mainly when a 3.5, 4.0)... now when getting beaten by the better 4.5's in singles, as well as the crafty 4.5 doubles players, i've been humbled, and have an appreciation for both :P
 
nyta2 said:
lol, i used to be in that camp (mainly when a 3.5, 4.0)... now when getting beaten by the better 4.5's in singles, as well as the crafty 4.5 doubles players, i've been humbled, and have an appreciation for both :p
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That would be a good thread … our worse beat downs.

Here was one of my worst. With a good friend of mine … another 4.5 singles only/mostly … decided to also enter 4.5 doubles in one tournament. We did good … no doubt ugly bizarre doubles with two guys playing singles on a doubles court. Well … look at us … we be good doubles players … let’s enter open doubles next tournament. [yeah … this ends badly]. Some context … for those that didn’t play college tennis (the two of us) … D1 players come in different flavors … 1) old guys that played college tennis a long time ago 2) young D1 players that graduated several years ago 3) current D1 doubles players getting college level reps. Yep … door #3 first round for these two briefly overconfident 4.5 singles guys. I can’t remember if we served first … but I do remember on our first service game that we knew pain was coming. Both these guys were hitting ros down the middle that the net guy didn’t react to until it was past. If we happened to get both of us at the net … same pace down the middle that both of us didn’t react to. Friend looks over and tells me something like “we don’t belong here”. My response was “yep … we won’t be back”. Definitely didn’t win any games … I assume we won some points. From that day … ”current D1 starter” means something to me.

I wish a voice told this 25 year old to hang in there … in 10-15 years you will hang with the door #1 old guys … and be smart enough to avoid the rest. :-D
 
ByeByePoly said:
That would be a good thread … our worse beat downs.

Here was one of my worst. With a good friend of mine … another 4.5 singles only/mostly … decided to also enter 4.5 doubles in one tournament. We did good … no doubt ugly bizarre doubles with two guys playing singles on a doubles court. Well … look at us … we be good doubles players … let’s enter open doubles next tournament. [yeah … this ends badly]. Some context … for those that didn’t play college tennis (the two of us) … D1 players come in different flavors … 1) old guys that played college tennis a long time ago 2) young D1 players that graduated several years ago 3) current D1 doubles players getting college level reps. Yep … door #3 first round for these two briefly overconfident 4.5 singles guys. I can’t remember if we served first … but I do remember on our first service game that we knew pain was coming. Both these guys were hitting ros down the middle that the net guy didn’t react to until it was past. If we happened to get both of us at the net … same pace down the middle that both of us didn’t react to. Friend looks over and tells me something like “we don’t belong here”. My response was “yep … we won’t be back”. Definitely didn’t win any games … I assume we won some points. From that day … ”current D1 starter” means something to me.

I wish a voice told this 25 year old to hang in there … in 10-15 years you will hang with the door #1 old guys … and be smart enough to avoid the rest. :-D
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I posted a thread about my worst ever beat down, when I got triple bageled in less than an hour. But I was viciously attacked for “disrespecting my opponent” by saying I was halfway competitive for first several games (when I got to deuce a few times, before my opponent figured out that my fh sucked worse than my bh).
 
Is the word “crafty” a disrespect or a backhanded compliment? Never see that term used for someone who is athletic. Usually reserved for older doubles guys or slow moving singles guys who give you a beat down.
 
travlerajm said:
I posted a thread about my worst ever beat down, when I got triple bageled in less than an hour. But I was viciously attacked for “disrespecting my opponent” by saying I was halfway competitive for first several games (when I got to deuce a few times, before my opponent figured out that my fh sucked worse than my bh).
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ttw disrespect … surprising … did anyone call your game crafty?
 
Crossover thread breaking news:

Long-time TTW forum poaster and frequent-playing usta 5.0c male texted me this morning to proudly report that his doubles UTR has dipped to the 3.5 lady range with 100% reliability rating.
 
stealth word for disrespect by tennis players:

crafty
specialist
consistent
steady
backboard
unconventional
good mixed player :-D for brother Trav:-D
punctual / never late / reliable
good personality … wait … different list
 
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