Tennis Rules

1. Court & Equipment

• Court size:

  • Singles: 78 ft × 27 ft

  • Doubles: 78 ft × 36 ft

• Net height: 3 ft at center, 3.5 ft at posts.

• Ball: Yellow or white, pressurized or approved type.

• Racquet: Must meet ITF size and material standards.

2. Starting Play

• Coin toss or spin of racquet decides who serves first and which side to start.

• The server always starts from the right-hand side of the baseline.

3. Serving

• Serve must be struck behind the baseline and diagonally across into the service box.

• Ball must land in the correct service box without touching the net post or outside lines.

• Two attempts are allowed:

  • Fault: Ball doesn’t land in service box, hits net (without landing in), or foot faults.

  • Double fault: Both serves missed → receiver wins point.

• A serve that touches the net but still lands in the correct box = let serve → replay without penalty.

4. Rally & Scoring

• After the serve, players rally until one commits a fault.

• Scoring sequence: 0 (love), 15, 30, 40, game.

• If both players reach 40 = deuce. To win: must get two points in a row (advantage, then game).

• Set: First to 6 games, win by 2 (e.g., 6–4).

• Tiebreak at 6–6 (first to 7 points, win by 2, in most formats).

• Match: Best of 3 or 5 sets (depends on tournament).

5. Faults During Rally

• Ball lands outside boundary lines.

• Ball hits net and does not go over.

• Ball bounces twice before being returned.

• Player touches net, posts, or crosses into opponent’s court before ball is dead.

• Player hits ball before it crosses the net.

• Player carries/catches ball on racquet (illegal shot).

6. Special Rules

• Let during rally: If play is interrupted (e.g., ball rolls onto court), point is replayed.

• Foot faults: Server must not step on or over baseline before striking ball.

• Doubles play:

  • Same rules, but wider court (alleys included).

  • Teams alternate serving each game, players alternate serving order.

• Change of ends: Players switch sides after odd-numbered games (1, 3, 5, etc.).

7. Code of Conduct

• Players must call their own lines if no officials (opponent gets benefit of doubt).

• Continuous play rule: max 25 seconds between points, 90 seconds between changeovers.

• Unsportsmanlike conduct (abuse, delay, racket smashing) may result in penalties.