Rules and Regulations of Tennis

Tennis Gear

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.

The Court

The tennis court must be 78 feet long, from baseline to baseline, and 27 feet wide for singles and the
same 78 feet long, but 36 feet wide for doubles. A net that is 3 feet high at the center and 3 1/2 feet
high on both ends is strung across the middle of the court, attached by net posts. The court has service
box lines on both sides of the net to signify the two service courts on each side. The service box lines
extend 21 feet from the net and are parallel to the net. A line down the middle of the court, on both
sides of the net, which extends from the net to the service box line, separates the court's right and left
sides. The right-hand side of the court is the "deuce" side, and the left-hand side is the "ad" side. Lines
also differentiate the singles court from the doubles 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.

Playing a Point

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

The word "love" means zero points. The first point is "15"; the second, "30"; the third point is "40"; and
the fourth, "game." The server always calls his score first. If the game ties at 40/40, the score is "deuce."
The next point played will be advantage in, shortened to "ad in," meaning the server is ahead one point,
or advantage out, shortened to "ad out," meaning the receiver is ahead one point. The next point will be
either game for the player leading or deuce again. Players must win six games to gain a set, and a set
needs to be won by two games. A set tied at 5-5 is won by a player who takes the next two games. If the
set goes to 6-6, a tiebreak is required. Tiebreaks are scored in points as "zero," "1," "2," "3," and so on
until a player scores "7." The tiebreak also needs to be won by two points. Matches typically comprise
the best of three sets, or the best of five.

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