Frank Peer Beal invented paddle tennis, a variation of tennis, in Michigan in 1898. This sport follows many of the same rules as tennis, with only a few exceptions. The game requires a shorter and narrower court, and a specialized tennis ball with reduced internal pressure. Because the ball does not bounce nearly as high in paddle tennis as in traditional tennis, players must develop different strategies to win points. The United States Paddle Tennis Association, the governing body for the sport in this country, provides rules of the game that set the standard for competitive paddle tennis.
Court and Equipment
The standard paddle tennis court measures 50 feet long and 20 feet wide. Unlike the standard tennis court, paddle tennis courts do not have doubles alleys. Singles and doubles players use the same court. The court has a restraint line 12 feet from the net on each side of the net. Players may not advance beyond that line until the receiver hits the ball. Paddle tennis players use a tennis ball with reduced pressure and a solid paddle with no strings that measures no more than 9½ by 18 inches.
Serve
A coin toss determines which player or team gets to serve first. The server must stand behind the baseline and serve the ball underhanded out of the air or off of a bounce. The serve must travel over the net and land within the service area diagonally opposite the serving position. The server gets only one opportunity to make a good serve before each point. In singles paddle tennis, the server must let the receiver's return bounce once before hitting it back.
Play
As in tennis, players keep the ball in play by returning it over the net before it bounces twice. Players lose points when they fail to return the ball or hit the ball out of bounds or into the net. Scoring in paddle tennis follows the same rules as tennis. Players must win four points to win a game, and six games to win a set. Players must win the best of three or five sets to win the match.
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