Tennis Rules - Tips on How To Play Tennis
Tennis is a great game, but it is easy to get bogged down by all of the tennis rules and terminology. To make things easier for you, here is a list of tennis rules, sweet and simple, so they are easy to learn, remember and understand.
Tennis Rules - Starting the Game
- The game starts with a coin toss.
- The winner of the coin toss decides whether they will serve or which side of the court they will play on.
- The winner must choose either to serve or pick a side, they can't do both.
Tennis Rules - Serving
- The server stands behind the baseline, in between the center mark and the sideline.
- The ball has to go over the top of the net on a serve.
- Your serve must reach the service box on the other side of the court.
- If the serve drops outside of the service box, you get a second chance to serve.
- You get two chances to serve. When you miss a serve, it is called a "fault."
- You cannot serve the ball before your receiver is ready.
Tennis Rules - When You Lose the Point
- If you fault on two serves in a row.
- If you don't return an opponent's legal shot before it bounces twice.
- When your ball goes outside the lines.
- If you, your clothing or your racquet touch the net or ground on your opponent's side.
- If you get hit by the ball.
- If you hit the ball before it goes all the way over the net.
- If you hit the ball more than once.
- If the ball returns to the other side of the net on its own. (So a huge gust of wind
cannot act as a doubles partner.)
Tennis Rules - Receiving the Ball
- You can stand wherever you want when receiving a serve, but the tennis ball cannot be allowed to bounce into the service box.
- If the serve is good, you must hit the ball back to the server.
- The serve receiver has to let the ball bounce one time before hitting it back.
- If you hit the ball before it bounces, the server gets the point.
Tennis Rules - Playing the Game
- Play keeps going until a player misses the ball, or until the ball goes out or hits the net.
- In singles play, the players switch sides (left to right) after each point.
- The players switch to the other end of the court after every odd-numbered game.
Tennis Rules - Doubles Play
- The serving order and sides of the court are decided before each set.
- Receiving sides or serving orders can be rearranged prior to starting a set.
- No replays are necessary if the order gets mixed up. Just correct the error and continue playing the game.