Tennis is simple. Hit the ball over the net and hit the ball in. If you can do that more then your opponent, you win. Even though there are a plenty of rules, beginners only need to know the basic rules in order to play a match.
The Tennis Court
When you step on a tennis court for the first time, don't be alarmed by all the lines. Stand at the farthest horizontal line from the net and you will be on the baseline. You'll see some train tracks leading to the net and two boxes. If you are playing singles, you can't hit the ball in the doubles alley. When you play doubles you can.
Serving
Whether playing singles or doubles, you can't begin the match without a serve. The player who serves first will stand next to the little line on the baseline, or center stripe, and serve the ball to the opponent on the opposite side. The ball must land within the service box. You have two chances to get the ball in. If you don't, you've double-faulted, which is a lost point.
Receiving
When your opponent serves the ball to you, and it's in, you need to return the ball over the net. If you are playing singles, the ball must land within the singles lines. If you're playing doubles, the ball can land within the singles lines as well as the doubles lines or train tracks. This keeps the point going until someone makes a mistake.
How to Keep Score
In tennis, you will normally play the best two out of three sets, meaning you need to be the first player to win two sets. Each set consists of games and you need to be the first payer to win six games to win the set. If the set is tied at five games each, the player who wins the next two consecutive games wins the set. If the set is tied at six games each, a tie breaker is played. The person who serves first, serves one point. After that, the serves are rotated every two points. The first person to win seven points by at least a margin of two is the winner of the set. Each game starts at zero, or love. The player serving will call out the score with his point total first and opponent's total second. If the server wins the first point, he would say 15-love. The scoring progresses to 30, 40 and game point. If the game is tied at 40-all, the player to win by a margin of two points wins the game.
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