Copyright © 2026 OyList. All Rights Reserved.
Share
Items26
1
Bob Bryan
Bob Bryan, the left-handed half of the Bryan twins, gave the most successful men's team of the Open era its big serve and forehand power from the ad court. With his brother Mike he won 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles and Olympic gold in London in 2012, and their chest bump after big points became doubles' best-known celebration. A lefty-righty pairing like theirs puts forehands on both outside lanes.
More about Bob Bryan2
Mike Bryan
Mike Bryan was the right-handed twin with the sharpest reflexes at the net, often finishing points with volleys and poaches after Bob's serve. Together they were ranked world number one for years, and Mike added two more Grand Slam titles with Jack Sock in 2018 while Bob was injured, taking his total to 18 men's doubles majors, the Open-era record. Watch their matches for how a team communicates between points.
More about Mike Bryan3
Todd Woodbridge
Born
Todd Woodbridge was the sharpest volleyer of the 1990s, with quick hands and a superb return. As half of the Woodies with Mark Woodforde he won 11 Grand Slam men's doubles titles, six at Wimbledon, plus Olympic gold in 1996, and he added more majors later with Jonas Björkman. His career shows how a specialist can adapt to a second partner without losing his edge.
More about Todd Woodbridge4
Mark Woodforde
Born
Mark Woodforde was the left-handed craftsman of the Woodies, using spin, angled returns and clever lobs to set up Todd Woodbridge at the net. The pair won 11 Grand Slam men's doubles titles together, including five Wimbledons in a row from 1993 to 1997, and Olympic gold in Atlanta. He is a good model for club players who lack pace but read the court well.
More about Mark Woodforde5
Peter Fleming (tennis)
Born
Peter Fleming was John McEnroe's partner in one of the great teams of the late 1970s and 1980s, providing a solid serve, steady returns and the patience to let McEnroe's touch finish points. They won seven Grand Slam men's doubles titles, four at Wimbledon. Fleming's own line, that the best doubles team in the world was McEnroe and anybody, undersold how much his consistency mattered.
More about Peter Fleming (tennis)6
Daniel Nestor
Born
Daniel Nestor was a left-hander with a heavy, swinging serve and one of the best returns in doubles. He won all four Grand Slam men's doubles titles with different partners, took Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000 with Sébastien Lareau, and was the first player to win 1,000 doubles matches on the ATP Tour. Succeeding with so many partners is a skill in itself.
More about Daniel Nestor7
Leander Paes
Born
Leander Paes was the best net player of his generation, with lightning reflexes and acrobatic volleys. He won 18 Grand Slam titles, eight in men's doubles and ten in mixed doubles, across more than two decades and with many partners, and he played at seven Olympic Games. His partnership with Mahesh Bhupathi reached all four men's doubles finals in 1999.
More about Leander Paes8
Mahesh Bhupathi
Born
Mahesh Bhupathi supplied the power to Leander Paes's touch: a big serve and a strong, flat return. In 1997 he became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam title, in mixed doubles at the French Open, and he went on to win 12 majors in men's and mixed doubles. His mixed doubles record shows how a strong server can anchor a partnership.
More about Mahesh Bhupathi9
Max Mirnyi
Born
Max Mirnyi, nicknamed the Beast, was a tall serve-volleyer who covered the net with long arms and volleyed with authority. He won six Grand Slam men's doubles titles and four in mixed, and took Olympic mixed doubles gold in 2012 with Victoria Azarenka. His career is a clear example of how height and reach translate into doubles success.
More about Max Mirnyi10
Nicolas Mahut
Born
Nicolas Mahut is a classic French serve-volleyer whose best tennis came in doubles. With Pierre-Hugues Herbert he completed a career Grand Slam in men's doubles in 2019 and won the ATP Finals twice, built on quick exchanges at the net. Outside doubles he is remembered for losing the longest match in tennis history, an 11-hour first-round match at Wimbledon in 2010 against John Isner.
More about Nicolas Mahut11
Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Born
Pierre-Hugues Herbert brings a strong kick serve, athletic net coverage and a willingness to poach that suits partners who serve and volley. With Nicolas Mahut he won all four Grand Slam men's doubles titles, completing the set at the 2019 Australian Open, and two ATP Finals. Their partnership is worth watching for its constant movement and fake poaches.
More about Pierre-Hugues Herbert12
Rajeev Ram
Born
Rajeev Ram is a serve-volleyer with soft hands who has thrived in doubles well into his thirties. With Joe Salisbury he won the 2021 Australian Open and three consecutive US Open titles from 2021 to 2023, and he took Olympic mixed doubles silver with Venus Williams in 2016. His serve placement, rather than raw speed, is a lesson for club players.
More about Rajeev Ram13
Joe Salisbury
Born
Joe Salisbury is one of Britain's most successful doubles players, a reliable returner who sets up his partner with low, dipping returns and solid volleys. With Rajeev Ram he won four Grand Slam men's doubles titles, including three US Opens in a row, and he reached world number one. He has also won a mixed doubles major and reached the 2025 French Open final with Neal Skupski.
More about Joe Salisbury14
Jamie Murray
Born
Jamie Murray, Andy's older brother, is a left-handed doubles specialist with excellent hands at the net and a good reading of where returns will go. He won the 2016 Australian Open and US Open men's doubles titles with Bruno Soares, reaching world number one, and Wimbledon mixed titles in 2007 and 2017, the second with Martina Hingis. His poaching is worth copying at club level.
More about Jamie Murray15
Marcel Granollers
Born
Marcel Granollers, a former top-20 singles player, brings baseline solidity and clever lobs to doubles, while his partner Horacio Zeballos handles the net. They reached world number one as a team and, after losing three major finals together, won the 2025 French Open by beating Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 7-5 in the final set, with Granollers aged 39.
More about Marcel Granollers16
Horacio Zeballos
Born
Horacio Zeballos is a left-hander whose angled serve and aggressive net play complement Marcel Granollers's groundstrokes. Their lefty-righty balance took them to world number one and the 2025 French Open title, won when Zeballos was 40. Earlier in his career he beat Rafael Nadal in the 2013 Viña del Mar final in singles, a reminder of how much skill doubles players bring.
More about Horacio Zeballos17
Pam Shriver
Born
Pam Shriver, tall and quick at the net, formed with Martina Navratilova perhaps the greatest women's doubles team ever. They won 20 Grand Slam women's doubles titles together, including a calendar Grand Slam in 1984, and a run of 109 consecutive match wins. Shriver also won Olympic gold in 1988 with Zina Garrison, and her volleying and poaching remain a model.
More about Pam Shriver18
Gigi Fernández
Gigi Fernández was an aggressive serve-volleyer and one of the best net players in women's doubles history. She won 17 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, most of them with Natasha Zvereva, and two Olympic gold medals with Mary Joe Fernández, in 1992 and 1996. Her matches show how relentless pressure at the net can unsettle any returner.
More about Gigi Fernández19
Natasha Zvereva
Born
Natasha Zvereva paired steady returns and lobs with sharp volleys, and her partnership with Gigi Fernández dominated women's doubles in the 1990s. She won 18 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, 14 of them with Fernández, and two mixed titles. Her ability to fit alongside different partners made her one of the most complete doubles players.
More about Natasha Zvereva20
Cara Black
Born
Cara Black, from Zimbabwe, was a quick, instinctive volleyer who could make a partner's serve look better than it was. She became world number one in doubles and won Grand Slam titles in women's and mixed doubles, including three Wimbledon women's doubles titles and a career Grand Slam in mixed. Her partnerships with Rennae Stubbs and Liezel Huber are fine examples of a net player and a server working together.
More about Cara Black21
Lisa Raymond
Born
Lisa Raymond was one of the best returners in women's doubles, with flat, low returns that set up her partners at the net. She won Grand Slam titles in both women's and mixed doubles across more than a decade, reached world number one, and took Olympic mixed doubles bronze in 2012. Her consistency with many different partners shows how much one strong returner adds to a team.
More about Lisa Raymond22
Sania Mirza
Born
Sania Mirza had one of the most powerful forehands in women's doubles, and from the baseline she could hit through teams at the net. With Martina Hingis she won three women's doubles majors in 2015 and 2016 and reached world number one, and she also won three mixed doubles majors. She remains India's most successful woman tennis player and retired in 2023.
More about Sania Mirza23
Kateřina Siniaková
Born
Kateřina Siniaková is the leading women's doubles player of the 2020s: fast at the net, excellent at reading returns and able to win with different partners. With Barbora Krejčíková she won a career Grand Slam and Olympic gold in Tokyo, and with Taylor Townsend she completed a second career Grand Slam at the 2026 US Open. She also won Olympic mixed doubles gold in Paris in 2024.
More about Kateřina Siniaková24
Taylor Townsend
Born
Taylor Townsend, a left-hander, brings rare touch and an all-court singles background to doubles: she serves and volleys, chips returns and loves to finish at the net. With Kateřina Siniaková she won Wimbledon in 2024 and then completed a career Grand Slam at the 2026 US Open, coming from a set down in the final. She is a good player to watch for left-handed angles and volleying technique.
More about Taylor Townsend
