Tennis is a fairly easy game to learn the rules and regulations of how to play. Some of them are a little quirky but they are easy enough to understand and learn.
Most disputes that occur when playing are about the ball landing in or out of the court designated marked areas.
How To Start
Commencing a match is easy, either a coin toss or the spin of a racket is used to determine which player will serve first and which end of the court they wish to start at.
The server must then serve each point played from alternative sides of the baseline until the game is won. At no point must the feet of the server move in front of the baseline prior to hitting the ball. The player may land inside the court once the ball has been struck.
If the first serve fails to land in court they can take the advantage of a second shot. If this fails also to land in court then a double fault is called and he forfeits the point.
If the server hits a first serve and the ball clips the net and then into the service area then a let is called and the shot can be taken again without penalty. If the ball hit the net and falls into the server’s side of the court twice he loses the point.
The receiver of the serve may stand anywhere they wish on the court to return the ball.
A Rally
Once a serve has been made and landed in court then a subsequent rally ensues. This can be an unlimited amount of shots until either player plays a winner or a mistake is made.
Points are scored in units of one (named 15,30 and 40). A player needs to amass 4 points to win a game. If a game gets to 40-40 this is known as deuce and then either player must score two consecutive points to win the game. If they win one point but lose the second then the score goes back to deuce.
To win a set a player must win 6 games by a clear margin of 2 games. In a men’s game the best of 5 sides is played for, in a woman’s match it is best of three.
The opening sets will go to a tie break if the set is levelled at 6-6 all in games. A tiebreak is played where players play first to 7 points.
The final set (2 sets all in a men’s game, 1-1 in a women’s) has no tie breaker and players are required to win by two games with no limits.
(Other Rules)
If a player touches the net, unfairly distracts his opponent or impedes in any way then they automatically lose the point.
The ball just has to touch any part of the line to be called in, outside the line the ball is called out.
In a competition match the balls are changed every 6 games with the umpire saying “New Balls.”
A player will lose a point if they fail to return the ball in either the correct areas of the court, hit’s the net and bounces back on his side of the court or fails to return the ball before it bounces twice.
These are almost all the rules that a player must adhere to play the game correctly.
If you are new to tennis and want to improve your overall game then individual coaching lessons might well suit.
For more information and to book a court at Rushcutters Bay Park Tennis Courts, contact our friendly team today!
