“Sometimes I have ideas about pairings that I think will work, but it doesn’t work out or my players will disagree,” Fish said. “I don’t think any of us have all the answers.”
Hu agrees that it is largely a process of trial and error, and noted how he and Andy Nguyen came to play together.
“We didn’t start out as playing partners,” he recounted. “But then at [the ITA Northeast Regionals in October] they put us together and we had a big win over Dartmouth’s No. 1 team. From then on, it was clear we had some chemistry and the coaches decided to put us together for the year.”
Fish detailed some of the characteristics that can make pairings effective.
“It’s a lot like a volleyball team,” Fish explained. “There’s setters and then hitters. So Denis hits the ball very sharply, but then Casey has an enormous serve. Together, Denis plays bigger when backed up by Casey and Casey plays bigger because of Denis’ ability to place the ball. It’s a lovely combination.”
MacMaster echoed Fish’s sentiments about why he and Denis Nguyen are so successful.
“Denis has the angles and the power, and it helps me at the net to have consistent power behind me,” he said. “He really sets the point up for me to finish it off.”
But this setter-finisher dynamic is not the only way to be a strong tandem. Hu said he and Andy Nguyen’s success is attributable more to their consistency.
“What makes a good doubles team is a team who forces the opponent’s hand,” he argued. “If you put a lot of returns and first serves in, you’ll grind the other team down. It’s the biggest thing Andy and I are good at. Andy is great at the net and on returns. On my serve, it’s easy to win games because he’s very comfortable at net.”
PARTNER TRUST
But the fact that two players are physically complementary does not automatically equal success; a degree of mental compatibility and trust is crucial to success.
“Nicky and I have plays where I’ll tell him where he should serve and what I’m going to do,” Andy Nguyen explained. “He knows what I’ll do, and he reacts accordingly. It’s very instinctive, and there’s a flow and level of trust there. I know I can depend on him, and we can pump each other up when the other isn’t playing well.”
Confidence and trust, says Hu, are crucial to the success of doubles pairings, and that close relationship extends off the court.
“Getting along well makes a big difference,” Hu said. “Andy and I get along really well. Off the court, we hang out together sometimes. We relate because of our Asian heritage, and I help him with his Chinese homework sometimes. All of that plays into our chemistry.”
Others agree that such off-court rapport contributes to good chemistry come game time..
“All of the guys get along really well. If you don’t get along off the court, it’s really tough to have faith in your partner when you’re down a break point,” MacMaster noted. “You have to call where to serve and return, and you have to have the faith and trust that he will hit the right ball.”
According to Fish, the teamwork and relationships that doubles builds for the team has been key to the Crimson’s overall success.
“Doubles is a marvelous instrument for making your team better,” Fish said. “It teaches the guys the importance of how to support a teammate in a direct way, and brings out much more of their humanity. Our team dynamic is a very delicate spider web. If one guy is getting a foothold, he pulls everyone in that direction and makes our whole team more courageous and ultimately successful.”
—Staff writer Justin C. Wong can be reached at justinwong@college.harvard.