Tennis Rules for Dummies: The Most Useful Information to Completely Understand this Sport

Tennis is a rather popular kind of sport nowadays. There are various tournaments for men, women, doubles, and mixed doubles. Considering the fact that these events can take place both indoors and outdoors, it is not a surprise that one can find tournaments being held all year round. All these events are strictly governed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). It is this body that prescribes the tennis rules. All the rules and prescriptions to be mentioned in the given article should be equally applied to men and women competitions, unless otherwise provided.

Court

The court is a rectangle with the following dimensions: 23.77 meters long and 8.23 meters wide for singles matches (10.97 meters for doubles matches).

The court should be divided into two equal parts by a net suspended a metal cable that is attached 1.07 meters above the surface to two net posts. The net should completely cover the space between the net posts, while its meshes should be small enough to keep the ball from passing through it. The net should be limited by a strap at the height of 0.914 meters in the very middle. The metal cable and the top of the net should be covered with a band. The strap and the band should of the white color.

Baselines are the lines at the ends of the court, while sidelines are its side borders.

Two lines should be drawn between single sidelines 6.40 meters from each side of the net; moreover, they should be parallel to it. These lines are known as the service lines. The area between the service lines from each side of the net should be divided into two even parts, also known as the service courts, by the center service line. This line should be parallel to the sidelines and exactly between them.

Each baseline should be evenly divided by a center mark of 10 cm long. The mark should be within the court and parallel to the sidelines.

All the lines should be of the same color that is highly contrasted to the court surface. As for the surface, it is necessary to mention that official tennis tournaments can take place on one of four surfaces:

1. Clay courts;
2. Hard courts;
3. Grass courts;
4. Carpet courts.

Ball

All the balls used in official tournaments and competitions should be certified by the ITF.

For different events, players can deal with 2, 3, 4 or 6 balls. The exact number is determined by organizers of the event. Also, it is the organizers who set the ball change policy, if any. Thus, ball changes can happen either at the beginning of each set or after a certain odd number of games. In the second case, every ball change is made 2 games before the following one to control balls deterioration during warm-up.

If a ball is blown out during play, a point should be replayed. At the same time, if a ball happens to be just soft, a point should not be replayed.

Racket

Officially approved tennis rackets should meet the following requirements:

• The frame of the racket – up to 73.7 cm long (including the handle) and up to 31.7 cm wide;
• The hitting surface – up to 39.4 cm long and up to 29.2 cm wide.

Very often, some players want to improve or advance their rackets with the help of certain additions. Here, it is obligatory to understand that any adjustment should not violate the tennis rules. So, it is prohibited to use a double strings set, to use two and more rackets in any moment of play, and incorporate any batteries into a racket to improve its playing characteristics. With this, it is legal to place certain vibration damping devices outside the pattern of crossed strings.

Score in a Game

First of all, it should be mentioned that there are standard and tie-break games in tennis.

In a standard game, the server’s score is announced first according to the following system:

• No points – “Zero”;
• First point – “15”;
• Second point – “30”;
• Third point — “40”;
• Fourth point – “Game”.

If it happens that both players/teams manage to win three points each, the score is said to be “Deuce”. The player/team who manages to win the next point is said to have “Advantage”. If the same player/team wins the second point, this very player/team is said to win a game. On the other hand, if this second point is won by the other player/team, the score is “Deuce” again. In other words, “Deuce” means that a player/team has to win two consecutive points to win a game.

Now, let us comment on a tie-break game. Here, the scoring system looks like “Zero”, “1”, “2,”, “3”, and so on. To win this game, a player must win at least seven points provided there is a two-point margin between his/her score and that of the opponent. So, the tie-break games can last for a long time until the required margin is achieved. Also, the tie-break games imply a particular serving system. The player who is to serve in the next game serves the first point in a tie-break game. The next two points are served by his/her opponent. After that, the players serve on turn one by one.

Score in a Set

There are also two scoring systems when it comes to sets. They are as follows:

• “Advantage Set” – the first player to win 6 games wins a set if he overcomes the opponent by two or more games. If necessary, the set continues until the necessary margin is achieved.
• “Tie-Break Set” – the first player to win 6 games wins a set if he overcomes the opponent by two or more games. If both players manage to win 6 games each, a tie-break game is played.
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Score in a Match

If a match consists of three sets, a player should win two of them to become an overall winner. If there are five sets, three of them are to be won to be a winner.

Server and Receiver

Competing players should stand on the opposite sides of the court. A server is a player who starts a game by sending a ball to his opponent, while a receiver is a player who tries to send the ball back to him. Although a server has a certain place to serve, a receiver may stay in any place both within and outside the court.

Choice of Ends and Service

As in many other kinds of sport, the right to serve first or choose an end of the court is decided by a coin toss. If a player wins a coin toss, he/she may choose:

• Either to serve or receive in the first game of the match (the opponent then is to choose a court end where he/she will receive during the first game);
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• A court end (the opponent then will choose either to serve or to receive in the first game);
• Granting the opponent with the right to choose between the two variants mentioned above.

Change of Ends

The players should change ends after the first, third, and every following odd game of every set. Also, the players should change ends after the set with an odd number of games. If there is an even number of games in the set, the change of ends happens after the first game of the next set.

When it comes to the tie-break, the players should change ends after every six points being played.

Service

Immediately before the start of a service movement, a server should have both his/her feet behind the baseline (to explain, this line should be between him/her and the net) and between a supposed continuation of the center mark and the sideline.

The server should throw on the ball by hand in any direction and hit it with the racket before he touches the court surface. The service movement is said to be over when the racket touches the ball or if it fails to do it. If a player is one-handed, he may use the racket to throw on the ball.

Serving Procedure

When it comes to a standard game, the serving procedure manifests itself in the fact that the server takes places outside different halves of his court end on turns. Every game should be started from the right side.

In the tie-break, serving should be made outside the different parts of the court end beginning with the right side.

The service is said to be successful if the ball passes over the net and lands within a diagonally located court part before the receiver sends it back.

Faults during Serving

A foot fault is a violation of the tennis rules. It can be announced if the server during the serving movement:

1. Change his/her position by walking or running;
2. Touches the baseline or the court with any foot;
3. Touches the surface behind the imaginary continuation of the sideline;
4. Touches the surface behind the imaginary continuation of the center mark.

Also, there is a service fault. It is announced in the following cases:

1. The server fails to hit the ball;
2. The ball hits fixed equipment of net posts before landing;
3. After serving, the ball touches either the server or his partner, their wear or any other objects in their hands.
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However, it is necessary to understand that the service fault is not announced if the server throws on the ball but decides to not hit it and catches the ball with a hand. The same is when the server lets the ball touch the court surface.

If the first service happens to be a fault one, the server may make the second try immediately after the first one and from the same court half.

When to Serve and Receive

The player may not serve if the receiver is not ready. With this, the receiver should adapt to the server’s rational tempo and be ready to receive within a reasonable span of time after the server takes his position. If the receiver feels he is not ready to receive, he should make a corresponding and timely signal.

Let

Not every unsuccessful action in tennis result in the loss of points. In some cases, the unsuccessful service can be followed by the let. To be more exact, this happens if the ball after the service touches the net, metal cable or band and lands in the correct area or reaches the receiver, his partner or their wear and belongings. Also, the serving when the receiver is not ready should result in the let.

Scoring and Losing Points

Every serving can result in scoring and losing points for both players even despite the fact that the most professional players score many points while serving. So, the points are lost when:

• The server makes two consecutive service faults i.e. double fault;
• The receiver fails to hit the ball before it touches the ground for the second time provided the first touch was successful;
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• The receiver sends the ball back but manages to hit the court;
• The receiver touches the ball before it bounces from the court.

Logically, each of these mistakes results in the fact that the opponent earns points.

Mistakes

In tennis, mistakes made by players can be either forced or unforced. The mistake is forced when the receiver is not able to send the ball back after serving because the service was exceptionally good. On the other hand, unforced mistakes are said to be bad because they are made by players when they and seem to control the ball completely and are out of any pressure.

By the way, the court speed parameters significantly influence the number of unforced mistakes being made because the slow surfaces provide players with more time to prepare for the hit and to take the necessary position. As a result, a player makes few mistakes.

Court Officials

All the disputes arisen should be settled by the referee. His decisions are said to be final and unfaltering.

A chair umpire is to decide on all the questions concerning everything that happens on the court. If the players want to contest his decision, they have the right to call the referee.

Line umpires and net umpires supervise everything that is going on near their areas of responsibility and take decisions concerning the foot fault or net touches. Their decisions are subject to a chair umpire’s control.

Main Tournaments

As it has already been mentioned, there are various tennis tournaments and competitions that unity the best players, both men and women, from the whole world. Thus, the list of the most prestigious events looks as follows:

• Australian Open;
• French Open;
• Wimbledon;
• US Open;
• Davis Cup;
• Fed Cup;
• and numerous ATP World Tours.