Tennis has long been a solitary sport, with individuals competing in singles alongside doubles teams during team meets. TeamTennis, often referred to as Team Tennis, was created in the 1970s to provide a more team-like experience for players of this often singular activity.
Co-ed
The format for TeamTennis pits teams of men and women against each other, with points scored during women's and men's singles matches, women's and men's doubles matches and one or two mixed doubles matches, at the discretion of the local league. Each team must field at least two men and two women.
Match Scoring
A TeamTennis match is scored using the total number of games won during the individual matches, not the number of matches won. For example, if team A wins the men's singles 6-0, loses the women's singles match 4-6, and loses the men's doubles match 4-6, they would actually be leading in the overall match by a score of 14-12. This allows those players who lose their individual matches to contribute to their team's success.
Set Scoring
Sets are first to five games, with a nine-point tie-break played at 4-4.
No-Ad Scoring
TeamTennis uses the no-ad format of game scoring. If players play six points and are tied three-all, the receiving player chooses the side for the next point, which decides the game.
Substitutions
Unlike virtually every other tennis match format, TeamTennis allows players to substitute during matches. For example, if a women's doubles team is struggling and starts out 0-3, another woman from their team can come into the match and replace another player. The player who leaves, however, can not re-enter that match later. This adds to the strategy of the overall match, and avoids forfeits because of injury.
Lets
In TeamTennis, if a server hits the net and the ball lands in the correct service box, the ball is considered in play (unlike in regular tennis), and either player on the receiving team can play the ball.
Coaching
Coaching is allowed during TeamTennis matches.
Super Tiebreaker
In the event that after the final match finishes, the two teams are tied in total games, a super tiebreaker is played, using the tie break format of teams playing until one team has won seven points. If the super tiebreaker reaches 6-6, the final point will be played with a gender-to-gender serve. A super tiebreaker is counted as one game toward a match score.
Another feature of TeamTennis is that if the team with fewer total games at the end of regulation (e.g., the match score is 45 games to 40 has won the last game of the match, the match continues in order to allow the trailing team a chance to tie the match score and bring the team to a super tiebreaker. If the trailing team in the previous example can win the next five games and bring the score to 45-45, the two teams play a super tiebreaker. If the leading team can win one game before the trailing team gets to 45-45, the match is over.
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