Tennis serve rules: sides, two serves, lets and foot faults
TenisRaketi Editör Ekibi · Updated October 2026
Short answer
Every game starts with a serve from the right half, from behind the baseline into the diagonal box; you switch halves after each point. You get two serves, and two faults make a double fault. A let does not cancel an earlier fault. Tossing and not hitting is not a fault; swinging and missing is.
In this guide
The serve starts every point, and its rules are the ones people mix up most. This guide covers where you serve from, where it must land, how many serves you get, lets and foot faults.
Which side do you serve from?
Every game starts with a serve from the right half. After each point you switch to the other half: right, left, right, left… In a new game you start from the right again, whatever the score. In a tie-break the first serve is from the right too, then the halves alternate every point.
Just before serving you stand still behind the baseline, between the imaginary extensions of the centre mark and the sideline. You release the ball by hand in any direction and hit it before it bounces. A player who can use only one arm may release the ball with the racket.
On court: Start every game from the right and switch after each point. Do not rely on "even score, right side"; it does not always work.
ITF Rule 16; Rule 17.
Where must the serve land?
The serve must clear the net and land in the service box diagonally opposite, before the receiver returns it. The service boxes are the same in singles and doubles: the alley is out on a serve in doubles too. A serve that touches a line of the box is in.
ITF Rule 17; Rule 12.
Two serves and a double fault
You get two serves. If the first is a fault, you serve again from the same half without delay. If the second is a fault too, it is a double fault and you lose the point.
A serve is a fault if:
- It does not clear the net or lands outside the correct box.
- You swing and miss the ball.
- You foot fault while serving.
- The ball hits a net post, a singles stick or a permanent fixture before it bounces.
- The ball hits you or, in doubles, your partner.
ITF Rule 19; Rule 20; Rule 24 (a).
Is it a fault if you toss and don't hit?
It is not a fault. If you toss the ball and decide not to hit it, you may catch it with your hand or racket, or let it bounce; it is not a fault. But if you try to hit it and miss, it is a fault.
On court: If the toss is bad, do not swing; catch it and toss again. Swing and miss and it is a fault.
ITF Rule 19 (b), Case 1.
What is a let? Does it cancel a fault?
A let is a serve that touches the net and lands in the correct box; that serve does not count and is replayed. It is also a let if the serve touches the net and then hits the receiver or their partner before bouncing, and if you serve before the receiver is ready.
A let does not cancel an earlier fault. If your first serve was a fault and your second is a let, you hit a second serve again. However many lets there are, the number of serves you have does not change.
Lets outside the serve (another ball rolling onto court, for example) are different: the whole point is replayed and starts with a first serve.
On court: After a let, remember which serve you are on.
ITF Rule 22; Rule 23.
Watching on TV: Some events and leagues use the "no-let" option the ITF allows: a serve that clips the net and lands in the box stays in play. Most professional events keep the let rule. (October 2026)
What is a foot fault?
During the service motion it is a foot fault, and the serve is a fault, if you:
- Change position by walking or running (small movements of the feet are fine).
- Touch the baseline or the court with either foot.
- Touch the area outside the imaginary extension of the sideline.
- Touch the imaginary extension of the centre mark.
Having one or both feet off the ground while serving is fine. In singles you may not serve from behind the part of the baseline between the singles and doubles sidelines; in doubles you may (the 2026 edition spells this out).
ITF Rule 18, Cases 1–2.
If the receiver is not ready
The server must not serve until the receiver is ready, and the receiver must play to the server's reasonable pace. A receiver who tries to return the serve counts as ready. If the receiver shows they were not ready, the serve cannot be called a fault; it is a let.
ITF Rule 21; Rule 22 (b).
If the serve hits a post or your partner
On a court with singles sticks, a serve that hits a singles stick is a fault, even if it then lands in the correct box. In a rally the same shot is good. A serve that hits the server's partner before bouncing is a fault too.
ITF Rule 19 (c) and (d), Case 2; Rule 25, Case 1.
Frequently asked questions
Which side do you start serving from?
The right half, in every game. You switch halves after each point and start from the right again in a new game.
Does a let give you two serves again?
No. A let only replays that serve; it does not cancel an earlier fault. A let on your second serve means you hit a second serve again.
Is missing the ball on a serve a fault?
Yes, if you swing and miss it is a fault. If you toss and decide not to hit, catching the ball or letting it bounce is not a fault.
What is a foot fault?
Touching the baseline or the court, or the imaginary extension of the sideline or centre mark, or walking or running during the service motion. It counts as a fault.
What is a double fault?
Both the first and the second serve are faults. The server loses the point.
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