Tennis is a popular racket sport played between either two or four players. It can be played on a variety of surfaces including clay, sand and hard courts. Regardless of where tennis is played, the rules of the game remain the same.
The Court
Outdoor tennis courts can be made of either a hard, clay or grass surface. The court is rectangular in shape, 78 feet long and 27 feet wide for singles matches and 36 feet wide for doubles matches.
The net divides the court in half and is attached to two posts, both 3-1/2 feet high. The net should be fully extended across the court and needs to be 3 feet high at the center.
Service
Each point begins with a serve, in which one player stands behind the endline and hits the ball to his opponent on opposite side of the net. If the server hits the net with his shot or steps over the service line, a fault is called. The server will then have a second attempt to serve. If, on the second serve, another fault is committed, the opponent gains a point. Players switch service after each game.
Game Rules
Tennis matches can be played by two or four players. Rules for singles or doubles matches are mostly the same except doubles use a wider court.
Once the ball is in play, players then go back and forth attempting to return their opponent's shot. If a player is unable to return the ball within the boundary lines of his opponent's side of the court, the opponent gains a point. If the ball bounces twice inbounds on a player's side of the court, the opponent scores a point.
Scoring
Tennis scoring can be slightly complicated. Tennis matches are divided into games and sets. A player needs four points to win a game. If the game is tied at three, a player must win by two points to win the game. Points in tennis are referred to as "15," "30," "40" and "Game" for the first, second, third and fourth points respectively.
A player needs to win six games to win a set and must win by two games. If the set is tied at five, the first player to seven wins the set. A tennis match can be played best of five sets or best of three. Generally, in professional tournaments, men play best of five while women play best of three.
Member Comments