LONDON: It has been a fairly unpredictable week so far at the Aegon Championships in London, but there is one similarity between the players. All agree that playing doubles enhance their individual game.
With temperatures steadily falling after the recent heat wave, Marin Cilic was the latest player to empathise this perspective on Thursday. Shortly after his one-sided triumph over Stefan Kozlov, the Croat teamed up with Marcin Matkowski to play their doubles match. The pair battled to a 7-6(9), 1-6, 10-8 win over Marcelo Demoliner and Marcus Daniell. Unlike the singles, Cilic has no pressure concerning how deep he will go in the draw. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean the doubles is any less important to him.
“I’m trying to work a little bit more on my serve-and-volley game. My volleys, as they are, they are quite good, but just positioning and maybe playing a little bit more volleys can help me in singles to feel a little bit better in that part of the court that’s closer to the net.” Cilic said about the benefits of playing doubles matches.
Earlier in the week, Feliciano Lopez emphasized the benefits of teaming up with another player. Last year he won the French Open doubles title alongside Marc Lopez, who he describes as his ‘best friend on the tour.’ Lopez is currently ranked 21st in the world in doubles, but has been ranked as high as ninth.
“I have always believed that playing doubles is important in order to learn a few things that you can, you know, do in singles. I was trying during my career to play doubles as much as I could, but it was only in the last, I would say, three years that I started to play singles and doubles every week.” He explained.
Donald Young, who became the fourth African-American man to reach a major final after his recent run in the doubles at the French Open, states there are differences between the two disciplines. Nevertheless, it is a good type of difference, according to Young.
“It’s a little different movement, but again, it is match play, it’s competitive. You are getting that feel of tightness. Jubilation when you win, it’s definitely good.” He explained.
All three players agree that playing doubles helps tune-up their game. It is common sense as to why. There is greater emphasis on playing on the net and responding to shots more promptly, something pivotal during the grass season. On the other hand, some question if doing both is too much for some players, leading to lower than expected results.
It could be a sheer coincidence that these players have all said something quite similar, but all of them have a wealth of experienced. They have all featured in the main draws of a grand slam for at least ten years. This is why their words are carrying weight with them.
Maybe it is time for Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to start playing some doubles?
