The tennis rules for beginners are not so scary.
You might have landed on this page in the search for tennis rules. Fortunately, you have landed on the right page with your first click.
Most people get a bit overwhelmed when it comes to learning a new set of rules in any sport. But this quick guide will get you to hit in the right direction.
If you have friends who play tennis, you can ask them to run through the rules by playing a couple of matches. Once you have played the matches, you will feel more confident with the game, and will understand it better.
However, if you don’t have any friends, you have The Sports Mag. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about tennis rules and how to play them.
Tennis Rule
Tennis is a game that is played as singles or doubles. And for both, the rules are a little bit different. Before we go into different games, let’s first look at the general tennis rules.
🎾General Rules Of Tennis
- The ball must land within lines for the play to continue.
- If the player hits the ball too hard out of the bound, the player loses a point.
- Players or teams are not allowed to touch the nets or post and cross to the other player’s side.
- Players can hit the ball once to return it.
- Players must return the ball after the ball crosses the net.
- The player needs to return the ball before it touches the ground twice.
- Any ball that bounces on the line is considered a legal ball.
- The serve must bounce first before receiving the ball.
While this is for general rules. From here onwards, the rules will change depending on whether you are playing singles or doubles.
Read more: Ping Pong Rules
🎾Equipment
- A Racket: A racket is compromised with a handle, a frame woven through strings. The racket’s frame should not be more than 32 inches long and 12.5 inches wide. In addition, the surface mustn’t be more than 15.5 inches long and 11.5 inches wide. Furthermore, you can’t have any other additional element on the racket except for the element that prevents vibration and reduces wear and tear.
- A Ball: The balls used for playing tennis generally come in white or yellow. They weigh around 2-2.1/16 ounces and measure 2.5 inches in diameter.
🎾Scoring
- Games: Each game has four points. A player wins the game if they have completed the four points with a two-point advantage.
- Points: The points are distributed in an increment like Love (0), 15, 30, 40, and game.
- Sets: A set consists of 6 games. A player wins the match if they reach the 6 games first with at least two points lead.
- Advantage Set: Advantage set is when both the players reach 6 games each. This is when the game is decided by playing an advantage set. The players win the game if they complete the four points with two points advantage over the other player.
- Deduce: Deduce occurs when both the players are at 40-40. In such a case, a player must win two consecutive games.
- Matches: A match is usually played with 5 sets, where a player wins by winning 3 sets.
- Tie-Break Game: If the game score is 6-6, it has reached a tie-break. When that happens, the match is decided by a tie-break game. In a tie-break game, the winner needs to complete seven points with a two points advantage.
Read more: Ping Pong Vs Table Tennis
What Does The Line Mean?
- Baseline: The baselines serve the boundary of the court. These are the two extremist lines lengthwise. They are also the lines from where players serve behind.
- Center Mark: The center mark divides the court into two halves. They also determine where players should stand before serving.
- Center Line: The center line divides the two service boxes into two distinctive left and right service boxes. When players serve the ball, they try to land the serve in the line for a better one.
- Net: The net stands 3 feet and 6 inches high. The net ensures that the players hit the ball to a certain height. If a player hits the ball, they give away points.
- Service Line: The service line is the line from where the player serves the ball. A player is not allowed to serve the ball inside the service line.
- Singles Line: The single lines are the innermost lines running lengthwise. It determines the boundary of space for single players. If the fall falls beyond the line, it is called an out.
- Doubles Line: Doubles lines are the outermost lines running lengthwise. These lines determine the space used for doubles.
Read more: Basketball Rules
Winning A Game Of Tennis
As a general tennis rule, there are a maximum of three sets for women and five sets in tennis matches. To win the match, you must win a certain number of sets. Thus, the first person to win 6 sets with an advantage of two sets wins the game.
There you have it!
Now you know what the tennis rules look like. It’s super simple and easy. The only thing left is for you to start playing.
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