If you want success on the doubles court, strong communication and understanding as a team are the crucial foundations according to Jamie Murray and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Collectively, the pair has won 16 major doubles titles and they sat down together to open up on tactics, their aims for the season and the challenges of changing partners in episode three of Tennis United: Crosscourt.
“I always want to be in a stable partnership because to have that continuity and direction, the easier it is to build that partnership,” Murray said. “The success of the team is how much you can come together.”
“The biggest thing when I am picking someone to play with is how I vibe with them on an energy and communication level,” Mattek-Sands said. “No matter what then, if you are down and out you can always give yourself a second chance at any point in the match if you are at least communicating.”
On advice for Murray, Mattek-Sands added: “Sometimes you get a little bummed on your mistake and it is those moments when I am playing against you that I am looking for. If someone misses and they just turn around, you are like ‘damn that didn’t matter to him, he is coming at me the next point.”
The ATP and WTA are teaming again in 2021 for Tennis United: CrossCourt, a continuation of the award-winning digital content series originally released during the 2020 suspended season. The reimagined project marks the first major co-branded initiative to debut since the two Tours integrated marketing operations earlier this year.
Tennis United: CrossCourt goes behind the scenes of life on Tour through a series of intimate one-on-one conversations between ATP and WTA stars. Spanning eight short-format episodes, players explore a range of largely untouched subjects from within and beyond sport, offering fans a raw perspective on the experiences, pressures and privileges that make up life in professional tennis.
The complete episode list:
• Episode 1: Relationships (Gael Monfils & Elina Svitolina)
• Episode 2: Coaching (Felix Auger-Aliassime & Jennifer Brady)
• Episode 3: Doubles (Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Jamie Murray)
• Episode 4: Parenthood (Fabio Fognini & Elena Vesnina)
• Episode 5: Travel (Belinda Bencic & Grigor Dimitrov)
• Episode 6: Discipline (Hubert Hurkacz & Iga Swiatek)
• Episode 7: Locker Room (Andrey Rublev & Aryna Sabalenka)
