Lawn Tennis Rules

The lawn tennis rules and regulations presented in the article should help understand the game in
a better manner. One can follow the game with interest by obtaining proper knowledge of these
rules.
The sport of tennis is meant for those who are ready to spend a great deal of time and effort on
getting trained and for those who aim to become professional players. This demanding sport
require extremely high level of fitness. The rules for this sport are enlisted below. For beginners
these forms the guidelines proves to be helpful at the time of implementing whatever they know
about how to play lawn tennis properly. Whether it is a doubles or singles match also has bearing
on the rules invoked and applied. It also affects the playing area of the tennis court in use. The
tennis court is 78 feet in length and 36 feet in width. Dividing the court in two halves makes it 39
feet x 36 feet. There are 4.5 feet wide strips along the length of a tennis court. These strips are
used only for the doubles/mixed doubles games. It means, the dimensions of playing area for
singles matches is 39 feet x 27 feet (36 feet for doubles).
Basic Rules for Lawn Tennis
Understanding the rules for tennis is quite easy and not at all difficult in comparison to playing
this demanding sport. The basic lawn tennis rules are presented in this article.
Scoring Rules for a Single Point
The server has to serve from a point behind the baseline. The ball after serving should fall in the
box, on the opponents side, that is diagonally opposite from the server's position. A service is
considered wrong if it falls outside this box. A service is ruled out faulty if it falls on the server's
side after hitting the net. The situation in which a player commits two faults one after the other is
referred to as double fault; a point is awarded to the opponent in case a double fault is
committed. A correct service leads to a rally i.e. exchange of shots. In a single's game a shot is
considered valid if it falls within the tennis court which excludes the 4.5 feet strips that runs
along the length of the court. However, these strips are part of the tennis court in case of a
doubles game.
Rules for Scoring in a Match
A tennis match is played in a 'best of 3 sets' or 'best of 5 sets' format. The men's
matches are generally played in a 'best of 5 sets' format, while the other format is
used for women.
Set
To win a single set, one has to win at least 6 games. However, the difference of
games won by the winner and loser of a given set should at least be 2. It means
that a set cannot be won at '6-5'; upon reaching a situation in which both players
win 6 games each, the tie-breaker is employed. It is necessary to score minimum of

7 points in order to win a tie-breaker. Again a difference of 2 points is needed for

winning the tie-breaker.
Game
A game is won by winning 4 points. Winning the first point takes a player's score to
15. The score of 15 is followed by 30, 40 and game. The scoring pattern is a bit
weird in a sense that it doesn't incorporate the pattern of 1, 2, 3 and game. If the
score is at 40-40, it is a tie which is referred to as 'deuce'. In order to win a game
after the deuce, one has to score a point referred to as 'Advantage' to the winner of
the shot. The player who gains the 'advantage' can win the game on the very next
point. If the opponent scores a point while one has reached/gained advantage, the
scores are reset to 'deuce'.
Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament played on lawn/grass. The rules for
last i.e. the 5th set played in a Wimbledon match are different from those employed
in other tournaments. There is no tiebreaker used if the score for the 5th set stands
at 6-6 games. It means that if the difference of 2 games (4-6 or 6-4) in the 5th set is
not attained, the set can continue as long as it takes. Hope, the article covers all the
basic tennis rules for understanding this game. There are many other aspects of the
sport of tennis which makes it interesting to play and watch. Understanding the
basic lawn tennis rules should help you enjoy the game in a better manner.
FOR BEGGINNER
For those of you who do not know much about tennis or are just beginning to learn
the basics, we'll cover everything from the equipment to the playing part. First
though, we will only mention the obvious points, like you do need a tennis court (or
somewhere similar to play), a person to play with, a tennis racket, and a ball.
Initially, a net is optional if you are just learning to hit the ball to the other person,
but for any real game, it would be a necessity, and these items are all available at
any local sports store, or for rent at a recreation area for a minor fee.
Tennis Equipment
The balls used in tennis can either be yellow, green or white. Though, in almost all
official matches, yellow balls are used. The racket used is around 27" in size. The
strings of the racket should have all its stitches attached and unbroken, and cannot
have any energy source attached which can affect the play. Neither can the strings
have more than one set of stringed patterns on the racket. Shorts and a T-shirt for
men, and shorts/skirt and a T-shirt/top for women is the normal dress worn in tennis
matches. Generally, tennis outfits are white because they reflect the sun better, and
are thus cooler. Although, in the past decade, many famous tennis players have
been wearing other colors too. It is best to wear what is comfortable for you while
playing, whether it is tight or loose. As far as shoes are concerned, proper tennis
shoes should be worn, as jogging and walking shoes are not the best bet for playing

this game. As opposed to running shoes, tennis shoes are made to withstand sideto-side movement and not just forward steps. Women, because they generally arch
higher than men, should take care to get shoes with more arch support. Socks
should be thick and absorbent in order to absorb sweat and thereby prevent
infections such as athlete's foot or other various infections. Shoes may differ
according to the kind of surface the game is being played on. Surfaces are usually
clay court, grass court, hard court, or even wooden court.

Some other important things about the equipment - The grip must fit right or it will
hurt. To measure the correct grip size: hold out the hand that you will be holding the
racket with, hold it palm-side up and measure from the crease to the tip of the ring
finger, and that is the measurement around the handle. Generally, this is around 4
inches in diameter. Of course it is usually a bit bigger for men and older players
than for women and younger players. It is important to maintain the grip, because
should it wear out, it could be dangerous.
Tennis Court
A standard tennis court is 78 feet long and 27 feet wide. This dimension is used for
a singles match. For doubles, the length remains the same, while the width
increases to 36 feet. The court is divided equally into two halves by the net, making
each side the dimension of 39 feet long and 27 feet wide for singles, and 39 feet
long and 36 feet wide for doubles. The net is in the center of the court supported by
2 poles on either side, which cannot be more than 6 inches in diameter. The height
of the net is three and a half feet at the sides, while at the center it is three feet.
The net needs to start from at least three feet outside the sideline, both for singles
and doubles. Since a lot of running and retrieving is involved during play, there
should be ample space around the playing court too. A total area of 120 feet in
length and 60 feet in width is ideal.
Tennis Scoring
A tennis match consists of either best of 3 or best of 5 sets. A player needs to win at
least 6 games, with a difference of 2, to win a set. In case both players end up
winning 6 games each, a tiebreak comes into effect. In a tiebreak, the first player to
win 7 points wins the tiebreak. Again, this needs to be won with a difference of 2
points. Among the major tournaments, only Wimbledon does not enforce this
tiebreak rule, if it is the deciding set.
For the games, the scoring of points goes like - 1st point: score reads 15, 2nd point:
score reads 30, 3rd point: score reads 40, and the 4th points wins you the game.
Again, a game can only be won if the point difference is at least 2. For example, if
both players are 40:40 (deuce), then they continue playing till one player has won 2

points more than his opponent.

Rules of Tennis for Beginners
Coming to the rules of tennis, first, let us assume that we're talking about a singles
match being played. The winner in the coin toss gets to decide whether he wants to
serve or choose the side of play. The first serve needs to be taken from the right half
of the court, from behind the baseline, and the ball needs to be tossed in the air for
the serve. No part of the foot should touch the baseline until the serve is complete.
The receiver has to stand on the diagonal side on his half of the court, though he is
allowed to stand behind or inside the baseline too, whichever he chooses fit. The
serve should land in the service box, which is the square area just after the net on
the opposite side of the court. The serve needs to be retaken if it lands outside the
service box or into the net. This is called a fault, and a double-fault results in the
loss of a point. After this serve has been returned, players can then hit and return
the ball after one bounce in their side of the court, or even directly without letting it
bounce. The next serve is taken from the left side of the court, and this sequence
continues till the end of the game.
A point is won if the opponent cannot return the ball, the opponent hits the ball into
the net on his side, the opponent's return goes outside the sideline or the baseline
on your side of the court, if you hit the ball and the opponent cannot get to it, and
even if the opponent touches the net or comes into your side of the court. After this,
20 seconds is the maximum time allowed for the server to start the next point. Balls
that land on any part of a sideline or baseline are considered to and play continues.

In a doubles match, all players serve turn-by-turn each game. That means, the same player gets to
serve again every fifth game. Just like in singles, the first serve is taken from the right half of the
court, and then the left. The two players in the serving team thus switch sides every point, while
the players in the receiving team do not, which means that the player receiving each serve
changes for every point. Once the serve is taken and returned, players can then go to any part of
the court, hit the ball after one or without a bounce, and any player from each team can return the
ball, meaning, from then on, no sequence needs to be followed in the course of the point.
Tennis is a great sport that can be either played as a pass-time, form of exercise, or even
professionally. All the basic tennis shots need to be practiced day in and day out in order to get
better and move on to a competitive level. If we take a look at all the past and present
champions, they took up this sport as beginners when they were kids, and years of practice got
them to where they are/were.
MASTERING KICK SERVE

Like any sport, tennis is also ruled by some strict rules and regulations. Any tennis
player found guilty of breaching these rules is subject to disciplinary action by the
governing body of the court where the match is being played. It is expected that all
the players know the tennis rules before they go to play professional tennis,
anywhere in the world. For the entire set of tennis rules, you may have to grab a
copy of the official tennis rules and regulations dossier, of the International Tennis
Federation (ITF). The ITF has a 'Rules of Tennis Committee', which helps it make and
implement these rules. Let us have a look at some of the rules and regulations in
this article.
Rules and Regulations of Tennis
The rules of tennis extend from court rules all the way to the tennis rules of the
game during play. Below is a relatively cropped-up list of tennis rules and
regulations, some general and some game related. We will not go into the details of
the rules governing the tennis court dimensions, the fixtures on court and the sizes
and lengths of various things. We will just get to business and see the rules that you
should know as a tennis player.

Tennis Gear
As with most sports, when playing professional tennis, the tennis players are expected to wear
proper tennis shoes. This rule was made to protect the tennis court from blemishes and tread
marks. Black-soled shoes are not allowed on the court, as they may leave blemishes on the court.
Tennis Rackets
A tennis racket is only legal if it has all the stitches attached and unbroken, does not have any
energy source attached that can affect the play and does not have more than one set of stringed
patterns on it. Vibration dampening devices are only allowed if they are placed outside the crisscrossed string pattern.
Service or Court
The player that wins the toss is expected to choose either the side from where he prefers playing
or the serve. If the toss winner chooses to serve, the other player automatically gets the choice of
court side. When a server is serving in a game, the receiver is allowed to stand outside the court
lines if he wishes to do so. The players are supposed to change court sides on the completion of
every odd game, i.e. the first, third, etc.
Service
All serves that fall in the opponent's service box and are served from behind the out-of-bounds
lines are counted as good serves. In lawn tennis, a server is allowed to make underhanded serves.
The service can only be counted as legal when the opponent is ready to receive it. The server
loses the point if he makes a double fault on his serve (that is, he cannot get a good serve despite
having two chances to do so).
Continuous Play

The game of tennis once started must be in continuous play till the match ends. Twenty seconds
are allowed between points and ninety seconds are given for players to change ends at the end of
a game. At the conclusion of each set, a maximum of 120 seconds are given to the players.
Scoring
In a standard game of tennis, the scores are called out keeping the server's scores first. When
both players are on zero, it is termed as a love all start. Having no points are referred to as love
while the first, second, third and fourth points are called out as 15, 30 40 and Game respectively.
When both the players have won three points, the score is termed as a Deuce and a deuce extends
the game by one additional point. That is, after a deuce comes Advantage (awarded to whichever
player wins the points) and after advantage comes Game. An advantage game reverts back to
deuce if the player fails top convert his advantage into a game. In other words, a player must win
two consecutive points after a deuce to win a game.

Other Miscellaneous Rules

There are many other rules and regulations, but mentioning all of them is impossible for the
scope of an article. Some miscellaneous tennis rules are listed below:
* All tennis players must show courtesy and respect towards all the on-court and off-court
judges. If this rule is found to be breached, the player can be punished with anything ranging
from a fine to a suspension, depending on the severity of the breach.
* All players are expected to empty their pockets before the game begins, so that anything left in
the pockets does not serve as a distraction for either of the players.
* Before the start of each tour season, all tennis players are asked to submit to a drug test. During
the season though, any player can be asked to submit to a random drug test, despite having been
cleared in the 'start of the season' drug test.
Basic Tennis Shots
Here is a list of some common shots in tennis that every tennis player should be aware of.
* Serve
* Forehand
* Backhand
* Double-handed Backhand
* Top Spin
* Slice
* Drop Shot
* Volley
* Lob
* Overhead Smash
I hope my synopsis is a good enough 'first glance' look at tennis for you. However, if you are a

serious tennis lover and these tips are inadequate for your thirst of knowledge, you might want to
refer to the compilations given out by any of the major tennis federations around the world.