Tennis has many governing bodies, depending on in which league or tour you are playing. The International Tennis Federation, or ITF, is the worldwide governing body of the sport, but different countries, scholastic leagues, private associations and professional tours all have their own rules, regulations and scoring systems. Understanding basic tennis rules and scorekeeping systems will help you get started playing what many call "the sport for a lifetime."
Basic Rules
One of the main tenets of tennis rules is that players make their own calls, relying on the honor system to guide fair play. Play starts when one player serves by tossing up a ball, then hitting it into the opponent's court before it bounces. The serve must land in the appropriate service box. The receiver lets the serve land and then returns it, and the two players play out the point. The point ends when the ball bounces twice, hits the net and does not go over, lands outside the boundary lines or hits a player on the fly, or if one player touches the net during the point.
Line Calls
If a player does not see whether a ball lands in or out, he should give the point to his opponent. If a player disputes his opponent's call, he can ask the opponent if he is sure. If the opponent verifies the call, the player may not argue or continue to discuss the call. If a player calls a ball out, then realizes it was in, he may play the point over, allowing his opponent another chance to win the point. This only applies to points when the player who made the bad call hit the ball back into play. If the player who made the incorrect call did not return the ball in bounds, he should give the point to his opponent.
Scoring Formats
Matches use a variety of scoring formats. Players can play best-of-three or best-of-five sets, or play Pro Sets, which consist of eight or 10 games won. In some matches, players must win a set by two games. In others, they play a tie-break if they are tied after a certain number of games. In some matches, players use a match tie-break in lieu of a final set to shorten the time it takes to play matches. Players win games using a scoring format that generally requires a player to win 4 points, leading by 2.
Scoring Disputes
It is the server's responsibility to call the score before each point. If players disagree on the score, they should discuss each point in that game to try to come to an agreement. If the dispute concerns the set score, players should try to recalculate the number of games played, starting with which player served on which end of the court. If players cannot agree on the score, they must go back and start playing from the last point in the match where both players agree the score stood.
Unique Rules
Certain leagues use unique rules not recognized by the ITF or its national governing body. For example, in high school leagues, rules regarding on-court coaching, eligibility of players or lineups apply, and are different from state to state and from local conference to local conference. In TeamTennis leagues, there is no let serve. Normally, when a serve hits the net and lands in the correct service box, players play a "let," or "do over." In TeamTennis, a serve that hits the net and lands in the correct service box is considered good and in play. Either the receiver or the receiver's partner may play the ball.
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