The rules of tennis vary by league, governing body, tournament director and other factors. Basic playing rules remain fairly consistent from venue to venue, with those covering the serve generally staying the same across almost every format. Knowing a few basic rules will help you play a "no-fault" tennis match.
Sides
Servers must start each game and tiebreaker from the right side of the center service mark, which is the short line dividing the baseline in half. The server then alternates sides of the court for each subsequent point until the game is finished.
Service Box
Serves must land in the correct service box, which is the square bounded by the three lines nearest the net. The correct service box for a deuce court (right-to-left) service point is the square opposite and diagonal the server. This is reversed for an ad court (left-to-right) service point.
Good Serve
The serve may be hit underhand, sidearm or overhand, as long as the ball does not touch the ground after if leaves the server's hands. The server may not hit the ball twice or carry it on the strings like a lacrosse or jai alai shot. If the ball lands in the correct service box on a fly, without touching the net, the serve is considered good and the point continues. Any part of the lines creating the service box is considered part of the service box and is in play during the serve.
Fault
A serve that does not meet the above requirements is a fault. Examples of a fault are serves that land in the net, hit the net and land on either side of the net outside of the correct service box, hit the server's partner or land on the other side of the net outside of the service box. Two faults in one point create a double fault and loss of point for the server. If a player's foot touches the baseline or any part of the court during the serve, it is a foot fault and counts as one fault. If the server's foot is even with or to the incorrect side (right or left) of the center service mark, the serve is a foot fault. The server may toss the ball, then catch it without penalty. If she swings at the serve and misses, it is considered a fault.
Let
If the serve hits the net and lands in the correct service box, the ball is considered a let, and the serve is replayed. There is no limit to the number of lets that can be played before a point ends. Theoretically, a player can serve an infinite number of lets. In doubles, if the server hits either the receiver or receiver's partner or racket on a fly, the server wins the point; if the server hits the net and the ball touches the receiver's partner before it touches the ground, a let is played. In TeamTennis, the rules are modified to count a serve that hits the net and lands in the service box as a good serve, which can be played by either the receiver or receiver's partner.
Pace
The server has 20 seconds between the end of the last point and hitting the serve to start the next point. The receiver must play to the reasonable pace of the server, which is considered approximately 10 seconds from the time the previous point ended. Play shall be continuous, and the server may not use the entire 20 seconds between points to regain condition.
Member Comments