Tennis rules

The rules of tennis are simple to understand, but within the context of a match, they become part of a complex strategy. Let's take a look at the main rules and how they work.

1. Objective of the game

  • The objective of tennis is to hit the ball over the net and make it bounce in the opponent's court in a way that they cannot return it. Points are earned when the opponent fails to return the ball to the court or commits an error.

2. The court and layout

  • The tennis court is rectangular, measuring 23.77 meters in length and 8.23 meters in width for singles, while for doubles it is wider, 10.97 meters.
  • The court is divided in half by a net that is 91.4 cm high at the center and 1.07 meters high at the sides.
  • The outer lines mark the boundaries of the court, and within these, there are additional lines that define the service boxes, where the ball must land after the serve.

3. Serving

  • Each point begins with a serve. The player stands behind the baseline and must hit the ball into the opponent's diagonal service box.
  • The server has two attempts to deliver a valid serve. If both attempts fail, it's called a double fault, and the opponent wins the point.

4. Scoring

  • The peculiar scoring system starts at 0 (or love), and progresses to 15, 30, 40, and finally game. If both players are at 40, it's called deuce, and a player must win two consecutive points to win the game.
  • The first player to win 6 games, with a two-game advantage, wins the set. A match is usually played best of three or best of five sets.

5. Faults and lets

  • If the ball lands outside the boundaries of the court, it's called a fault, and the opponent wins the point.
  • If the ball hits the net but lands in the opponent's court during a rally, the point continues. However, if this happens on a serve, it's called a let, and the server must repeat the serve.

These are the main rules governing tennis. Although they may seem complicated at first glance, once familiarized, they contribute to making the game highly strategic and exciting.

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