The modern game of tennis has its origins in 13th century Europe as a game of the royal court, though it rapidly became a game of people worldwide. In 1913, the International Lawn Tennis Federation was formed to govern the sport for the 14 participating countries. As of 2011, the International Tennis Federation governs 205 participating national tennis associations and directly overseas major competitions, such as the grand slams.
Court
The court used in an international tennis match must be 78 feet long and 27 feet wide for a singles match and the same length but 36 feet wide for doubles. The center of the court is divided in half across its width by a net that is exactly 3 1/2 feet tall. The mesh used on the net must be small enough that it is impossible for the ball to pass through.
Serving
Before an international match begins, players face off in a coin toss to determine who will serve and receive and who will be on which side of the court. When delivering the ball, the server must stand behind the baseline. The ball is tossed from the server's hand and must be hit into the diagonal receiver's area without it touching the ground on the server's side of the net. A fault is called on the service if the server misses the ball, hits the net or fails to land the ball in the receiving area. Two consecutive faults results in the loss of a point. It is not a fault if the ball is served, hits the net and lands in the receiving area, however. This is called a let and the service is repeated without penalty.
Receiving
The receiver may stand anywhere on his side of the court in preparation for the service. Once a legal service has been made, the receiver must hit the ball back over the net and have it land within the legal playing area. The ball can make contact with the net, net sticks or posts and still be counted as a legal return as long as it lands over the net. The ball is legal even if it lands on the out of bounds line.
Game
Both teams begin a game with no points, commonly called "love." The first scored point for a player is known as 15, the second is 30, the third is 40 and the fourth is game point, but a player must win by two points to win a game. If both the server and receiver reach 40, it is called "deuce," and an advantage is declared for the player that scores the next point. If that player scores again, he wins the game. If the opponent scores, the game returns to deuce and continues until there is a winner. At the end of a game, the server and receiver change duties.
Set and Match
A tennis match is divided into the best of three or five sets. To win a set, a player must win six games, but play follows the rule of two that is used in a game. If a player does not win the set by two games, play continues until one player does, or a tiebreaker is used to determine the winner of the set.
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