In social doubles shouldn't a net player volley away from the opposing net player?

Hmmm. First I must ask what is this innovation called "social doubles?" I don't see it mentioned as a special game in the rules. Even women's doubles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles get no special status in the rules. Doubles is just doubles.

OK, in social doubles there is no title at stake, so winning isn't important. But that doesn't mean that playing to win isn't important. Indeed, there is no other fair and honest way to play a game.

Ironically, however, the term "social doubles" is often just euphemism for "It's evil to try to win."

Now why would any TENNIS player think that? It makes no sense. If you don't like the idea of competition, of there being a winner and a loser, then tennis is not the game for you.

There are plenty of other things you can do that are not games. Games are about winning and losing. That's what makes them exciting.

This mental virus - that you can play "just for fun" and not want to win - forces much related thinking off logical track, too.

There is no rule about where you must stand. The rules say only that your shots must land with the opposition's lines. Indeed, the rules don't say that you must hit around an opponent who decides to stand right in the best spot for you to volley the ball (through the Hole). To the contrary, the rules rule out any means of hindering a player's shot. They also say that if you get hit, it's your fault, and YOU therefore are the one who loses the point.

You don't have to position at the net. So, if you don't like shots coming near you, go back to the baseline.

Or I should stand inside the service box to make it immoral for my opponent to hit a serve in, right?

Who needs a racket? Just go out there and stand in the way of your opponent's shots. Get real close to the net so they can hardly hit around you without blowing their shot.

How sporting.

Now, if you are at net and see the opposing net player about to slam the ball, and if you concede the point by doing the Move toward your alley ... and get hit, then you do have reason to gripe. That opponent was aiming at you, not the Hole, so he or she did something wrong.

But otherwise, they were within the rules and their moral rights.

Just don't look back to watch your partner hit the ball: watch that opposing net player instead so that you're facing the right direction when the ball comes. And learn the Move to concede the point. Then you won't have any problems.

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