What Are the Rules of Tennis?

Discover the rules of tennis, from how to score to what the foot fault rule is. Get a complete tennis 101 guide and brush up on the sport before your next match.

The Basics

Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent’s court. The object of the game is to maneuver the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. The player who is unable to return the ball will not gain a point, while the opposite player will.

The court

Tennis is played on a rectangular court. The court is divided in half by a net. At the center of each end of the court is a baseline. The outer edges of the sidelines are the doubles sidelines. Additional lines that run from the baseline to the net are known asthe service lines, and review lines are added in some cases.. The areas from each baseline tothe opposite sideline and from the service line tothe net are called the singles sidelines, and theseare used when singles matches are played.. The lines perpendicular to the sidelines are calledthe tramlines or alleyways..The parts of the court between any two tramlines are called theservice courts; when returning service, players stand within these areas..The center line divides each service court into two square boxes where servers muststand during service games; they are usually referred to as “deuce” and “advantage” boxes,or simply as “deuce” and “ad” boxes..

The umpire or referee sits in a chair at one end ofthe court..When necessary, an assistant umpire or assistant refereemay also be present, sitting in a chair outside ofthe court..In most professional and top-level amateurevents, there is also a second umpire or referee who sitsin a booth near the entrance to the players’ locker roomon the other side ofthe net from wherethe main umpire or referee sits..This second official is responsible for calling foot faultsand maintaining accurate scorekeeping during long rallies; he or she also has responsibilityfor overruling line calls by other officials when necessary.

The ball

In tennis, a ball is hit over a net into the opponent’s court. The players (or teams) start on opposite sides of the net. One player serves the ball, and the other player returns it. The rally continues until one player fails to return the ball within the rules.

A tennis ball is a green or yellow felt-covered rubber ball. It is about 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) in diameter and weigh ounces (57 grams).

Tennis balls are hit with a racket. A racket is a strung frame of lightweight metal or other material stretched over an oval hoop. The strings may be made of nylon, gut, or other materials.

The players

A tennis game is played between two players, who take turns hitting a ball into each other’s half of the court. The object of the game is to hit the ball over the net and into your opponent’s court in such a way that they cannot hit it back or stop it from bouncing inside their court. A player scores a point when their opponent is unable to return the ball, or if the opponent hits the ball out of bounds.

The game can be played on either hard courts (such as concrete or asphalt), clay courts (made of crushed stone and shale), or grass courts ( natural turf). The surface of the court affects how quickly the ball bounces and how much spin can be put on it.

Players use rackets to hit the ball, and must stand inside of their respective service boxes when serving. Each player is allowed one “serve fault” per game, meaning they can miss their first serve without penalty. After that, they must make sure their second serve lands inside of the opposite service box, or they will lose the point.

The first player to score four points (and have a two-point advantage over their opponent) wins a “game.” A player wins a “set” by winning six games, again with a two-game lead over their opponent. A player wins a “match” by winning two out of three sets (or three out of five sets for men’s matches).

The Scoring

A tennis match is played with the best of three or five sets. The match is decided by the first player to win two sets. If the score is tied at one set all, a tie-break is played. A tie-break is a sequence of points played until one player or team gains a seven-point (or six-point for WOMEN’S DOUBLES) lead.

Points

In tennis, a player scores a point by winning a rally (a sequence of consecutive strokes). If the serving player wins the rally, he or she gets a point and the right to serve again. If the receiving player wins the rally, no point is earned but that player’s opponent loses the right to serve. The first player to score four points in a game wins that game.

Except when both players have won three points each and are tied at 40-40, one point always separates the players. That one point is called an advantage; if it is the server’s turn to score next, then he or she is said to have “advantage in.” If it is the receiver’s turn to score next, then that player has “advantage out.”

When players reach deuce (or tiebreak), whoever scoresala two consecutive points wins advantage and, thus, can win outright by scoring another point. When this happens at 40-40 in regular play (or 30-30 in some accelerated scoring formats), it is officially called an “advantage set,” while any other time it remains “advantage.”

Games

A tennis match is composed of a sequence of games, with each game consisting of points played. A game comprises a sequence of points played with the same player serving. A set comprises a sequence of games played with service alternating between the games, ends when one player or team has won enough games to win the set, and is decided by someone winning enough games to have a two-game lead over their opponent.

One player serves throughout a game, from the first point through to the last. The server begins his or her service by standing behind the baseline and between the center line and the sideline. He or she then tosses the ball into the air and hits it with his or her racket so that it goes over the net and bounces in the diagonally opposite service court. As long as the ball bounces in this court once before it is hit again, all is good; however, if it touches any other part of either court or misses touching the court altogether, this counts as a fault and he or she loses his or her turn to serve. In order to win a point, one player must not only avoid making any faults when serving but also make sure that his or her opponent cannot return his or her serve. Additionally, once a player has put the ball into play, he or she can score additional points by hitting it in such a way that his or her opponent cannot return it within bounds.

Sets

A match is usually composed of a predetermined number of sets. A set consists of a predetermined number of games, which in turn consist of points. The winner of a game scores one point. The winner of a set scores more games than the loser, but not necessarily by two clear games: if the loser reaches six games with the score tied at 6–6 (called “six all”), for example, he loses the set 7–6 (called “seven–six”). If the player who wins the game serving at 6–5 (“five–six”), however, fails to win the next game as well, his opponent wins the set 7–5.

The first player or team to win enough sets wins the match. A match may also be won by retiring one’s opponent—that is, by causing him to exceed his allotted time for mutual decision making between points, or by claiming that he is unable to continue playing without injuring himself seriously.

A player may retire at any time during a match for any reason by simply informing the umpire; there is no penalty attached to such an act. A doubles team may retire if one of its members is injured and unable to continue playing: in such cases play continues until only one side can field two players. If play is interrupted by rain or other bad weather, it may be resumed at a later time or date if both sides agree; if one side does not agree, that side loses the match. If circumstances beyond either player’s control cause an interruption—for instance, if darkness falls before four sets have been played—the umpire may order play suspended until conditions improve; play will then resume at the same score as when it was interrupted

The Serves

In tennis, there are two types of serves- the first serve and the second serve. The first serve is usually the most powerful and is meant to go into the opponent’s service box. The second serve is a weaker shot and is meant to go to the opponent’s backhand side.

Service areas

In tennis, there are different service areas that define where a player must serve from during a point. These areas are different for singles and doubles matches.

The deuce court is the court on which the server stands when the score is 40–40 (That is, when both players have won three points each). The server can choose to serve from either the right or left service area. If the server serves from the right service area, then they must switch to serving from the left service area on the next point. If they serve from the left service area, they can stay there for the rest of the game.

The advantage court is the other court (the one that is not being used as the deuce court). The player who is serving has an advantage over their opponent because they get to choose which service area they want to serve from. If they are serving from the right side, they can stay there for as long as they continue to win points. If they lose a point, then their opponent gets to choose which side they will serve from next.

Let

A let is a lucky bounce that occurs during a tennis match. If the ball hits the net and then falls on your opponent’s side of the court, it is considered a let. The point is not awarded and the serve is not counted.

Foot faults

In tennis, a foot fault is defined as the server touching the baseline or ground in front of the center mark before serving. If this occurs, it is considered a foot fault, and the player will lose the point.
However, there are some circumstances in which a player may touch the ground in front of the center mark and it not be considered a foot fault. For example, if the player is moving backwards when they touch the ground, it is not a foot fault. Additionally, if the ball hits the ground before hitting the server’s racket, it is not a foot fault.

The strokes

In tennis, a stroke is a shot that is played. The six basic strokes in tennis are the forehand, the backhand, the serve, the volley, the overhead, and the lob.

Groundstrokes

In tennis, a groundstroke is a shot that is hit after the ball has bounce, usually from the ground. There are two main types of groundstrokes: forehand and backhand. To hit a forehand groundstroke, you must stand with your body facing the net and swing your arm across your body, hitting the ball with the sweet spot of your racket. For a backhand groundstroke, you must start with your body facing away from the net and then swing your arm across your body, hitting the ball with the sweet spot of your racket.

There are also different strokes that can be used depending on where you are on the court. If you are near the baseline, you will likely use a different stroke than if you are at the net. When you are at the net, you have a few options for strokes: volley, overhead, backhand volley, and drop shot.

Volley: A volley is a shot that is hit before the ball bounces on the ground. It is usually hit when you are close to the net.

Overhead: An overhead is a high lob that is hit when you are near or at the baseline. It is used to lob over your opponent who is near or at the net.

Backhand volley: A backhand volley is hit with your backhand while you are volleying near or at the net. It can be used as a defensive stroke to keep the ball in play or as an offensive stroke to try and win the point outright.

Drop shot: A drop shot is an offensive stroke that is hit soft and low over the net so that it dies short into your opponent’s court. It can be difficult for your opponent to reach in time and return it, giving you an easy winner!

Volleys

Volleys are shots hit before the ball bounces, while it is still in the air. Volleys are usually hit inside the service box at the midpoint between you and your opponent (the “volley line”). If you are volleying from further back, it is called a “running volley”. You can also volley from behind the baseline, but this is not common.

Smashes

In tennis, a smash is a forceful shot hit with an overhand motion and an open racquet face, generally used as a offensive stroke to finish off the point. It returns the ball high over the net into the opponent’s side of the court.

A smash is usually hit when the opponent has hit a weak or low return, such as a soft defensive lob, and is unable to get out of position quickly enough to defend their court. A smash can also be used as an offensive weapon when an opponent is near the net and attempting to volleys your shots. If you are far back from the net, a smash may also be used as a defensive shot; for example, to save yourself from having to run all the way up to the net to volley your opponents’s next shot.

The main objective of hitting a smash is to hit it hard and low over the net so your opponent cannot reach it. The speed and power of your smash will depend on how much momentum you can generate with your swing.

The Rules

Learning the rules of tennis is a necessary part of playing the game. The official rules are set by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and while many of the rules are basic and easy to understand, others can be more complicated. In this article, we’ll give a brief overview of the key rules of tennis, so you can be sure you know everything you need to before your next game.

Foot faults

In tennis, a foot fault is a violation of the rule that the player’s feet must not touch the baseline or court before the ball is hit. If the foot fault is called, the server loses the point.

There are two types of foot faults:

1. A player may not touch the baseline or court with their feet before serving. This rule applies to both the server and receiver.

2. A player may not touch the baseline or court with their feet before hitting a return shot. This rule only applies to the receiver.

If a foot fault is called, the server loses the point.

Double faults

A double fault occurs when a player hits the ball into the net on their second serve. This results in them losing the point. If both players hit a double fault, then each player gets one more chance to serves. However, if both players hit another double fault, then the score is decided by a sudden death point. This means that whichever player wins the next point, wins the game.

service lets

In tennis, a “let” is a play that has to be replayed because of some problem with the prior play. There are different kinds of lets, but the most common type is the “service let.”

A service let occurs when the server hits the ball into the net, hits a line before the ball bounces, or serves from the wrong part of the court. If any of these things happen, the receiver can call a let and the point is replayed.

Lets are important because they give both players a fair chance to win points. Without them, serving would be an advantage because servers would have more chances to hit winning shots.

If you’re playing tennis with someone who doesn’t know about lets, you can still call them. The other player might not like it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!

service winners

In tennis, a service winner is a shot that the server hits that results in an immediate point. It can be hit with any stroke, but is most often seen with an ace, which is a serve that no one can return. service winners are important because they put the server ahead in the game, and make it more difficult for the opponent to catch up.

There are two main ways to hit a service winner. The first is to hit the ball so that it lands inside the service box and is not touched by the receiver. This can be accomplished by hitting the ball with pace or by using spin. The second way to hit a service winner is to hit the ball so that it goes out of bounds before the receiver can touch it. This can be done by hitting the ball with topspin or slice.

Service winners are an important part of tennis, and can be used to win games and set points. If you are serving, try to hit a few service winners each game to give yourself an advantage.

receiver’s rights

In tennis, the receiver is the player who has the opportunity to return the serve. The receiver can be either the server’s opponent (singles) or partner (doubles). Once the ball is in play, the receiver has several rights, including:

-The right to return the ball into the other player’s court
-The right to let the ball bounce once before returning it
-The right to hit a winning shot on any return

If the receiver does not have these rights, then it is said that he or she is “forced” to return the ball.