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Tennis Rules – Learn How To Play Tennis

Tennis Rules

Tennis is one of the few sports that is introduced to kids at a very early age. Due to the simplicity of this sport, anyone can play it. However, there are a couple of rules to ensure a fair game. I am sharing every single tennis rule in this article that will help you learn how to play tennis.

Watching a game of tennis on your TV screen as a mere uninterested spectator is a simple task; you watch two players hit the ball back and forth over the net. However, you understand what those to and fro moves mean if you are a true tennis enthusiast.

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How To Play Tennis

There are two types of games; a singles’ match or a regular game between 2 players and a double’s match, which is also called a team match. The game of tennis is played when one player strikes the ball on the court towards the other player. Similarly, the second player hits it and throws it back.

This game of hitting the ball to and fro goes on until one player misses the ball, which results in the other player earning a point. Tennis is played in matches; one match has 3 or 5 sets, a single set consists of 6 games. One game has 4 points, so the first player to score 4 points wins the game.

Requirements

In order to play a game of tennis, there should be a minimum of two players. A game played between two players is called a single’s match, and a game played between four players is called a double’s match. Moreover, each player needs to have their own racket. The flat surface of the racket should not be more than 15 inches long. Moreover, players need a single tennis ball which should be 2 ½ inches in diameter. Lastly, a game of tennis can be played anywhere, but the players do need a net for partition of the playing section.

Objective

The main objective of a game of tennis is to make a maximum number of points before the opponent. A game starts with one player making a serve and hitting the player towards the other player who strikes it back. This back and forth striking of the ball continues till one player loses a ball or makes a foul move which earns the other player a point. The player who makes the serve in the first game keeps serving until the whole game is complete.

Scoring

A game of tennis has 4 points. This pointing system of tennis is as stated; 0 point is called Love, 1 point is 15, 2 points are 30, 3 points are 40, and the 4th point is game. When the score between two players is tied, it is called “all”, for instance, “30-all”. A game of tennis can only be won if one team or player wins the set with a 2 points lead.

If the score gets tied at 40-40, it is called a deuce. In the case of a deuce, one player must make consecutive 2 points to win that game. When the player who is making a server wins a deuce point, it is called an “Ad-In”, but when they do not win the second deuce point, it is known as “Ad-Out,” and the game goes back to deuce. In case a tie of 6-6 games occurs, then the players must play a tie-break game to decide who gets to win. In a tie-break game, a player must win 7 points with an advantage of 2 points in order to win the tie-break game.

How To Win Tennis

To win a match of tennis, first, you need to understand a few things. In a match of tennis, there are 3 or 5 sets. In each set of tennis, there are 6 games. Each game comprises 4 points, meaning the first player to make 4 points wins the game. However, the game can only be won if the player has a 2 point advantage. For instance, if one player makes 4 points, then the other must have 2 points for the first one to win. Therefore, to win a set of tennis, a player needs to win at least 4 games as winning 3 games will result in a 3-3 tie.

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Rules Of Tennis

Here is the list of main tennis rules:
▹ The first tennis rule is that each player has to stay on their side of the net and can not touch the net under any circumstances.
▹ If the ball touches the net, it is considered an out.
▹ When a player strikes a ball towards their opponent’s side of the net, the ball must land within the limits of the lines on the court. If the ball goes out of bounds, then the player who played that move will lose a point.
▹ Before striking the ball, the player must wait for the ball to cross the net and enter their side.
▹ The ball must be struck back with the racket; the players can not touch it with their hands.
▹ Each player can only strike the ball once.
▹ Both players must strike the ball after it bounces once. If the ball makes two bounces on the court, the player will lose a point.
▹ A game of tennis must be started with one player making a serve. To decide, which player gets to make the serve, either a coin is flipped, or a racket is spun.
▹ The team who calls correctly gets to make the serve, and the other team gets to pick the side of the court that they want to play on.
▹ Any verbal abuse results in a penalty.
▹ Penalty is also given when the ball hits a player.

FAQs

How do you start playing tennis?
According to the tennis rules, a game of tennis is started when a coin is flipped to decide which player gets to start the game. Then the selected player strikes the ball first towards the other player, also known as making a serve. The second player hits the ball back, and this continues till a player earns a point.


Does one person serve the whole game of tennis?
When a player wins the toss and gets to make a serve, then that said player will make the serve for that whole game. Once that game is over and the second game starts, then it is the turn of the other player to make a serve, and this goes on for the whole set.