The United States Tennis Association touts tennis as "the sport of a lifetime." Not only can you still get on the court and enjoy a morning of tennis with friends playing tennis at age 85, you still can compete. There are senior tournaments going as high as the "Senior Slams." Even at age 85, the rules of tennis remain basically the same, with a few exceptions.
The Court
The court maintains the same dimensions whether you are 18 or 85. As a single player, you must cover an area 39 feet from net to baseline and 27 feet from sideline to sideline. Playing doubles adds 4 1/2-feet to each sideline in the form of alleys. The two service boxes extend 21 feet from the net with the service "T" dividing them in half from the net to the service line. Anything inside on orthe line is considered "good" and in play.
Basic Match Scoring
Seniors play a best-of-three match. This means the player or team that is the first to win two out of three sets is the winner. The first team to get to six games in each set, winning by at least two games, wins the set. Each game is won by the team winning the point after "40" by at least two points. The score in a game assigns "15, 30, 40" as the names of the first three points. If the score is 40-40, players are at "deuce" and must win the next point to "ad" and then the following point to win the game, otherwise it goes back to deuce.
Score Adjustments
Tournaments for seniors must consider the element of health and safety for seniors. Many senior tournaments do not use the "ad" scoring, since games can go back and forth to deuce indefinitely. "No ad" scoring means the point after deuce wins the game. The receiver can choose on which side to receive the serve. Additionally, if the set reaches six games a piece, a tiebreaker is played. The first to five points wins. The first server serves one point followed by two points for each server after that. This scoring adjustment also is used by many younger leagues for the sake of time.
Time Between Points
Players are allowed 25 seconds between points and 90 seconds on changeovers to rest. Between points consists of the time the last ball is struck to end one point and the first serve is struck to start another. This time includes gathering the balls, toweling off and getting into position. Changeovers are used to switch sides after every odd game. Players can drink water, sit down and rest for a minute and a half. These are the rules, though most tournament referees and match umpires are lenient under extreme heat conditions and make allowances for players as long as play remains "continuous." Those 85 years of age might not gather balls as quickly. As long as they are moving toward starting the point and not obviously delaying the game, no violations occur.
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