Through the years, doubles in NCAA tennis has been shortened, altered and moved. The same fate looms for doubles in professional tennis. Pro doubles commands less prize money, less attention and, arguably, less respect. Yet, tennis enthusiasts claim doubles is an integral part of the game and needs to be preserved.

What's the deal?

At the core of these conflicting messages is this reality: Everyone agrees doubles is important to the sport of tennis. It's a cherished tradition, but no one is sure just how it fits into the grand scheme of things, how it should be played or when.

Still, its popularity is not reflected in media coverage, marketing efforts or tournament purses. Doubles results rarely are reported, and even when they are, it amounts to a blurb on the sports ticker at the bottom of news programs, with the recent exception of when Anna Kournikova has participated.

Already, major stars such as Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi skip doubles. On the women's circuit, more of the bigger names participate, but women's tennis receives less media coverage overall. In addition, tournament directors are looking for ways to streamline doubles by shrinking the draws and getting rid of "no-name" doubles players. Without interest from the fans, players or media, the future of doubles is murky.

A recent Tennis.com article chronicling the struggle of doubles at the pro level said it's "a vastly poor cousin to singles," and that the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is looking for ways to solve doubles' woes.

The NCAA tennis committees have been trying to do that for years.

Division I Women's Tennis Committee Chair Claire Pollard, who coaches at Northwestern University, said, "There's been a lot of concern that doubles is becoming a lost art."

The NCAA tennis committees have tinkered continually with collegiate doubles, and tennis formats as a whole. The recent move of doubles from the end (6-3) to the beginning (3-6) of dual-format matches for Division I women was intended, among other things, to ensure doubles is played and, in a way, showcased to spectators.

"Doubles has taken a hit in our efforts to promote it," Pollard said.

More emphasis on singles

When Division I women adopted the 3-6 format, they joined Divisions I and III men in using the seven-point scoring system where winning the doubles portion of a dual match is worth just one point. The previous scoring system was based on nine points and the three doubles matches were each worth one point.

Dan Magill, who coached the University of Georgia tennis team from 1955 to 1988 and is curator of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Hall of Fame, said, "I think there's more emphasis on singles in the way college tennis has been promoted. Just look at the six singles matches in the 3-6 format. If it were up to me, I'd allow for equal play."

A considerable doubles change recommended first in 1992 that became effective starting with the 1994 Division I Men's Tennis Championships was the decision to replace the best-two-out-of-three doubles set with an eight-game pro set. The move helped shorten match length and prevent match times from running "longer than the entire Boston Marathon," Magill said.

Ann Lebedeff, women's coach at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, recalls a match between California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and California State University, Los Angeles, that lasted nine hours. She said, "Who stays for nine hours? Even the refs left."

Lebedeff, who has played professionally and coached at all levels of NCAA tennis, won a national doubles title for San Diego State University back when the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was still administering women's college athletics. "I like having doubles at the beginning," she said. "But I'd like to see the value of doubles be a third of the match.

"I'd even like to see a solution where, if you can win all three doubles matches, you win an extra point."

Magill said he would like to see a return to no-add scoring and a nine-point tiebreaker at five games all.

"I hope they don't de-emphasize doubles further," he said.

The scenarios for scoring formats are many and the perfect solution hard to find. But, according to Stan Smith, former doubles all-American at the University of Southern California and former standout pro, what type of format used is secondary to the big picture.

Doubles valued in college

The goal of the ATP is to create more interest in doubles even if that means cutting opportunities for doubles-only players. Plans are in place to force more of the top singles players to participate. The move could virtually eliminate the role of doubles specialists.

That should alert NCAA tennis players.

"College players look at pro tennis in a doubles capacity," Smith said. "So, (the opportunity to play doubles) is very important to them if they think about it."

Doubles is often the back-door route for players to ascend the pro ranks and find success on the singles circuit. In the 1990s, past college players finished at No. 1 in the year-end ATP doubles rankings four times, and at No. 2 nine times.

Case in point: Former University of Florida star Lisa Raymond was the No. 1 doubles player in the world last year. She has garnered 18 doubles titles and two singles titles. In 2000, she earned $560,474 in prize money.

Singles is arguably the tougher of the two styles to break into because of the competition from elite players who have been pro since their early teens. Even for elite players, doubles is a way to garner titles and Grand Slam hardware. Kournikova, ranked No. 9 in the world in singles and No. 3 in doubles, has amassed 12 doubles titles, including the Australian Open, but has yet to win a singles title.

With doubles played infrequently at the junior level, and quite possibly to a limited extent at the pro level, NCAA tennis has the opportunity to sustain and enhance doubles. Doubles play also reinforces the unique team aspect of NCAA tennis, different from how it's played anywhere else in the world.

"In college tennis, everyone's important on the team," Lebedeff said. "Doubles is a game that promotes someone besides you. What more than doubles promotes teamwork?"

Though Pollard said, "What happens at the top (pro level) normally filters down," most believe there's enough passion and sense of tradition to ensure its existence at the college level for some time to come.

"There are so many people who love doubles that there are things that can be done to help it," Lebedeff said.

Doubles fans, stay tuned. There may be a tonic out there for doubles' troubles.