Tennis rules: the basics for beginners

This guide puts the basic rules of tennis on one page: the court, the score, the serve and when you lose a point. Each topic has its own guide with the detail. The source is the 2026 edition of the ITF Rules of Tennis, the official rules of the game.

Quick answers: the most confused situations

• The ball just touched the line: It is in. More
• You caught a ball that was going out: The point is your opponent's. More
• The serve hit you before it bounced: The point is the server's. More
• You volleyed a slow serve: The point is your opponent's. More
• Your racket crossed the net after the shot: Fine; but if it touches the net, you lose the point. More
• The ball went around the net post and landed in: It is good. More
• First serve a fault, then a let on the second: You are still on your second serve. More
• You tossed the ball to serve but did not hit it: Not a fault. More
• Who serves in a tie-break: After the first point, the serve changes every two points. More
• A ball lands in the alley in singles: It is out. More
• You put the vibration dampener in the middle of the strings: Against the rules; it may only sit outside the crossed strings. More
• A string broke during the match: Unless the event forbids it, you may play on with the same racket. More
• Both doubles partners hit the ball: The point is your opponents'. More

Court and lines

The court is 23.77 m long; 8.23 m wide for singles and 10.97 m for doubles. In singles the two outer strips, the alleys, are out. The service boxes are the same in both. The lines are part of the court: a ball that touches a line is in. All the measurements and lines are in the court guide.

How is the score counted?

Points in a game go 0, 15, 30, 40, and the fourth point wins the game. 40-40 is deuce; from there you need two points in a row to win the game. The first to six games with a lead of at least two wins the set, and at 6-6 there is a tie-break. A match is usually won by taking two of three sets. The detail is in the scoring guide.

How do you serve?

You serve from behind the baseline into the service box diagonally opposite. Every game starts from the right half, and you switch halves after each point. You get two serves; if both are faults (a double fault), you lose the point. If the serve touches the net and lands in the right box, it is a let and that serve is replayed. The detail is in the serve guide.

When do you lose a point?

You most often lose a point when:

• You do not return the ball before it bounces twice.
• Your shot lands outside the correct court, or hits something before it bounces.
• You, your racket or anything you wear touches the net while the ball is in play.
• The ball touches you or anything you wear, other than your racket.
• You hit the ball on your opponent's side, before it has crossed the net.

All the confusing cases are in the Whose point? guide.

What changes in doubles?

In doubles the alleys come into play, but the serve still goes into the service box without the alley. One player of the team serves each game, and the order holds for the whole set. On the receiving side the players also take turns, point by point, to return the serve. After that either player may hit the ball, but not both of them. Serving and receiving order, where each player may stand and what happens when the order gets mixed up: see the doubles guide.

Racket, strings and ball

A racket may be up to 73.7 cm (29 in) long; a vibration dampener may only sit outside the crossed strings, and if a string breaks you may play on with the same racket unless the event forbids it. The detail is in the racket and string rules guide. The ITF approves three ball types; the one for fast courts is bigger. Ball types and court pace are in the ball guide.

Time, breaks, coaching and officials

Up to 25 seconds are allowed between points, 90 at a change of ends and 120 between sets. No extra time is given to recover condition; a medical time-out is 3 minutes. Coaching is never allowed during a point. The line umpire, or the chair umpire if there is none, decides whether a ball was in; on clay the mark is checked. The detail is in the match guide.

Which rules apply: ITF, national federations, ATP and WTA

The rules of tennis are set by the International Tennis Federation (ITF); national federation tournaments and club leagues are played under them. The ATP, the WTA and the Grand Slams play by the same rules and add their own regulations on top: a shot clock, coaching, electronic line calling and so on. In these guides the main text is the ITF rule; if something is different in the match you watch on TV, it is noted at the end of the section under "Watching on TV". All the professional differences in one place are in the ATP, WTA and Grand Slam differences guide.

Each section ends with the rule it rests on, for example ITF Rule 24 (i), Case 8. Cases are the worked decisions the ITF gives to explain a rule.