23.77 × 8.23 / 10.97 m · Singles & doubles · open court
Tennis
The original racket game — power, spin and nerve over the net.
Beginner trap: Two serves, and a net-cord serve that lands in is replayed.
01 Court
- 23.77 m long; 8.23 m wide for singles, 10.97 m for doubles.
- Net: 0.914 m at the centre, 1.07 m at the posts.
- Service lines sit 6.40 m from the net; the centre service line divides each half into two service boxes.
- All lines are the same contrasting colour. A ball touching a line is in.
02 Serve
- Stand at rest with both feet behind the baseline, then toss the ball and strike it with the racket before it hits the ground.
- Serve from the right half when your points total is even, the left half when odd.
- The ball must pass over the net and land in the diagonally opposite service box.
- Two serves: a fault on the first gives you a second. A serve that clips the net and lands in is a let — replayed without cancelling a previous fault.
- Foot fault: touching the baseline or court with either foot, or stepping outside the sideline's imaginary extension, during the motion.
03 Rally
- Return the ball before it bounces twice in a row on your side.
- A return that touches the net or posts and lands in the correct court is good; hitting around the net post is allowed.
- Deliberate hindrance by your opponent wins you the point; accidental interference means the point is replayed.
- In doubles, after the return either partner may hit the ball.
04 Score
- Games use 15 / 30 / 40 / Game. At 40–40 (deuce) you need Advantage and then two consecutive points to win the game.
- A set goes to the first to 6 games with a 2-game margin. At 6–6 a tiebreak is played: first to 7 points with a 2-point lead.
- Matches are best of 3 or best of 5 sets.
- Change ends after the 1st, 3rd and every subsequent odd game of each set, and every 6 points in a tiebreak.
05 Faults
- Service faults: breaking the service rules, missing the ball on the swing, the ball hitting a fixture or post before landing, landing outside the correct box, or touching the server or partner.
- Two consecutive service faults lose the point.
- In rallies: touching the net or the opponent's court while the ball is live, hitting before the ball crosses the net, a deliberate double hit or carry, or both partners touching the ball in doubles.
06 Terms
- Deuce — 40–40.
- Advantage — one point ahead after deuce.
- Let — a point or serve replayed, e.g. a net-cord serve that lands in.
- Ace — a serve the receiver never touches.
- Break point — a point that would win the receiver the server's game.
International Tennis Federation (ITF) — Rules of TennisChecked Oct 2026