Doubles serving order, without the confusion
In doubles, follow the serving team’s score and remember who is standing in each service court. The positions below refer to the players’ service courts, viewed from their own end.
By LoveAll · Reviewed
Even means right. Odd means left.
Serve from the right service court when your team’s score is even, including zero. Serve from the left when it is odd. The receiver stands diagonally opposite.
| Serving team’s score | Service court |
|---|---|
| 0, 2, 4, 6… | Right |
| 1, 3, 5, 7… | Left |
After each rally
- If the serving team wins, the same player serves again after switching service courts with their partner.
- If the receiving team wins, they gain a point and the serve. Their player in the service court matching the new score serves.
- Partners do not switch service courts just because they won a rally while receiving.
An example at the start of a game
Maya and Leila start at 0–0, with Maya serving from the right. They win the rally: at 1–0, Maya serves again, now from the left.
Their opponents win the next rally. The opponents’ score becomes 1, so the opponent already in the left service court serves. Maya and Leila keep their service-court positions for receiving.
Use the scorer as a team-score reminder
LoveAll shows which side is serving and whether the score calls for the left or right court. It does not track the four players’ individual positions. Agree the first server and receiver before starting, then keep track of who has switched.
A useful habit is to say the score aloud before every serve. If something looks wrong, agree the correct score and positions before the next rally.