Just wondering if my experience in registering for tournaments so far is common. I have always put partner required for doubles, and most of the time they don't find me one. With tennis and table tennis, people would normally play singles and doubles. With badminton people often only play singles or doubles, so I can imagine they would be more likely to already have a doubles partner when they register.
Usually, tournament organizers will be happy to match you. It helps if you're playing in a division with many players, and if another discipline at the same level is played beforehand; a singles player who was kicked out of the tournament early may decide in the moment to play doubles too, or an injury in a prior division will leave somebody without a partner. Still, the tournament organizers need to find someone in the right discipline and the right skill level, and that someone isn't always present. Just mathematically, if there are usually 0 to 3 free players, then your chances of getting a partner are not much better than a coin toss. Since a major part of doubles is coordinating with your partner, more than 90% of players enter with a partner already, and that's a conservative estimate; usually the number will be more like 97%. Most will have will played in prior tournaments, specifically trained beforehand, and have a general idea of how the their partner moves, selects shots, and communicates. At lower levels, not everybody is able to play standard tactics and properly communicate, so if you don't come with a partner you know, you may get one who's not easy to play with. Also, not every doubles pairing works well. A frontcourt player with a backcourt player works; so does two singles players who like to run, but two slow players with great smashes, or two front-court mixed doubles players, is usually not a recipe for success. Some players want to analyze after every rally, and others are irritated if their partner talks during intervals. Some players have a great defense, but no jumping power, so they both play a rather defensive game; others go all-out in attacking. The good news is that tournaments are an excellent venue to find a partner. If you are paired with somebody and it works well, you can ask them to register together at the next tournament. Also, a tournament is a great place to chat with other players (barring COVID-19 regulations); maybe those sitting around you on the stands or eating in the cafeteria, or waiting in a queue, or your singles opponents. You can also ask the players you regularly play with in a club setting to enter with you.
