The National Collegiate Athletic Association, also known as the NCAA, was founded over one hundred years ago to govern competition and to protect student athletes. NCAA tennis rules are maintained separately from the NCAA constitution andaq NCAA bylaws. The rules for NCAA tennis are written by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Equipment
Tennis equipment, such as rackets and balls, used in play must be regulation equipment. They must comply with the specifications of the International Tennis Federation. Only one set of strings is allowed per racket, and the stringing pattern must be uniform and flat. Only one plane of strings is allowed. During play, if a player breaks the strings they can continue to play another point with the same racket, unless the event organizers specifically prohibit it. Only one racket can be used at any time during play.
Scoring
In a standard game, a score of no points is called "Love." Scoring for the first point is called "15," second point "30," third point "40" and the fourth point is "Game." The exception to this scoring is if each player or team wins three points, then the score is "Deuce." The player or team who wins the next point is called "Advantage" and if they also score the next point, it is called "Game." During a tie-break game, the scoring is zero, 1, 2, 3, until the first player reaches 7. For sets and matches there are variations on this basic scoring system.
Serving
The player who wins the coin toss can choose which end of the court to play and whether they will serve or receive first. After each standard game, the server becomes the receiver and the receiver the server. The server must stand behind the baseline at rest before serving. Next, the server can toss the ball in any direction and hit the ball. The service is completed the moment the player's racket hits or misses the ball. A "foot fault" is called if the server changes position by walking or running, touches the baseline or court with either foot, touches an area outside the imaginary extension of the sideline or touches the imaginary extension of the center mark. A service fault is when the server misses the ball, the ball touches a permanent fixture before hitting the ground or the ball touches the server's partner.
The Return
A return is when the ball is served and the receiving player hits the ball back to the server. A good return is when the ball goes over the net into the server's court. It is also a good return if the ball touches the net, if it hits the ground within the server's court, if the ball is returned outside the net posts above or below, if it passes under the net cord between the singles stick and net post without touching the net, cord or posts. If the player's racket passes over the net after hitting the ball and the ball lands in the server's court, it is good return. There is a lot of leeway on how the ball is hit, as long as it lands in the correct court. When the ball is in play, a good return is when the ball lands in the opposing player's court. The return is not good when it touches a line. If the ball touches a permanent fixture before it hits the ground, the ball loses the point. If the ball bounces twice before it is returned, it is not a good return.
Match Time
A player wins the match when they beat the other player by two games and at least six games have been played. There are no time limits and a match can go for hours. The longest tennis match in 2010 was between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. It lasted ten hours and was called when it became too dark to see the ball, according to Donna Harman in an article published in the June 23, 2010 issue of the "Christian Science Monitor."
References
- NCAA: National Collegiate Athletic Association
- NCAA: National Collegiate Athletic Association-Playing Rules
- United States Tennis Association: Friend at Court-IntercollegiateTennis Association Rules of Tennis
- Christian Science Monitor: Wimbledon: John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut in Longest Tennis Match Ever
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