Small children might find it difficult to play on a full-sized tennis court. Standard tennis courts measure 78 feet long, 27 feet wide for singles and 36 feet wide for doubles. Several tennis variations allow children to play on smaller courts and with different equipment. The Special Olympics provides rules for short version tennis, and the International Tennis Federation, or ITF, provides rules for three different phases of mini tennis. These tennis versions follow all standard tennis rules with a few exceptions.
Court Size
According to the Special Olympics short version tennis rules, players play only within the service lines of the court. The service lines—21 feet from the net on each side—serve as the short version court’s end lines, making a 42-foot-long court. In phase one of ITF mini tennis children ages 5 to 7 can play on a half court within the service lines, or they can play on an even smaller, quarter-sized court. To make a quarter court, set up a mini tennis net perpendicular to the court’s real net. Use the service line and the net as sidelines, and the court’s singles or doubles sidelines as end lines.
In phase two of mini tennis, children ages 7 to 9 can play on a three-quarter court measuring 59 feet long and about 21 feet wide. To set up a three-quarter court, you’ll need tape to create temporary boundary lines.
In phase three of mini tennis, children ages 8 to 10 can begin playing on the full court.
Equipment
Special Olympics short version tennis requires a ball that is larger and slower than standard tennis balls. Mini tennis uses a different ball for each phase. In phase one, children use a red foam ball that moves much more slowly and bounces much less high than a standard ball. In phase two, children use an orange, low-compression ball that does not bounce as quickly as standard tennis balls. In phase three, children use a green, low-compression ball that moves more quickly than the balls used for phases one and two of mini tennis, but still not as quickly as a real tennis ball. In all phases of mini tennis, players can use smaller and shorter rackets than standard rackets.
Scoring
Children might not be able to play full best of three or five set matches. Children playing short version tennis or mini tennis can play the best of three 4-game sets, or one 8-game set. Children can also play to a previously determined number of points, such as 11, 15 or 21 points.
Serving
In quarter-court mini tennis, players can serve from anywhere within their side of the court. In short version tennis or half-court mini tennis, players must stand behind the service line to serve. The serve must travel to the opponent’s service box diagonally opposite the side the server served from. In three-quarter court or full-court children’s tennis, players must stand behind the end line to serve.
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