If you want to win in doubles, you have to serve and volley, right? Try telling that to Paola Suarez and Virginia Ruano Pascual, who won the women's doubles at the U.S. Open. They have become the top-ranked team in the world by employing a style that many consider too defensive for doubles. They don't serve and volley, and they play most of their points with at least one player at the baseline.

While staying back all the time is rarely a winning strategy, it's clear that these two baseliners are successful at doubles. Here's how you can learn from their example:

Play from your strengths: Serving and volleying is an advanced style of play, and many players simply haven't mastered the skills necessary to pull it off, especially beginners and intermediates. Don't force yourself to compete using the weakest part of your game simply because it's considered the proper way to play doubles. If you're not yet comfortable following your serve to the net, adapt your baseline game to doubles. You'll find it necessary to use more short angles and lobs, but your best bet is to rely on the strongest parts of your game to win points.

Come in on your own terms: Suarez and Ruano Pascual know that they have to go to net at times, but they try to do it in a way that works for their games. In women's professional tennis, service returns are generally stronger than serves, so following serves to net can be a losing strategy. Instead, these two players set up their trips to the net with their ground strokes. This is often a winning play at the recreational level, as well.

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