How to Play Tennis: Rules, Scoring and Tiebreaks
Updated
Tennis is played by two players (singles) or two teams of two (doubles), who hit a ball over a net with rackets. A point starts with a serve and ends when someone fails to return the ball legally. Points make games, games make sets, and sets make a match.
The rules below follow Wikipedia's articles on tennis scoring, the serve and the tennis court.
The court
A tennis court is a rectangle divided in two by a net. It is 78 feet (23.77 m) long, 27 feet (8.23 m) wide for singles and 36 feet (10.97 m) wide for doubles.
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| Net | 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high at the posts and 3 feet (0.914 m) in the center |
| Service line | A line 21 feet (6.40 m) from the net; the service boxes lie between it and the net |
| Center mark | A short mark at the middle of each baseline |
| Doubles alley | The lanes at the sides of the singles court, in play only in doubles |
How a point starts: the serve
- One player serves and the other receives. After every game, the serve passes to the other player or team.
- The server stands behind the baseline, between the center mark and the sideline. In the first point of a game the server stands to the right of the center mark, then switches sides each point.
- The server tosses the ball in the air and hits it so that it clears the net and lands in the diagonally opposite service box.
- A serve that lands long or wide of the box, or does not clear the net, is a fault. After one fault the server gets a second serve. Two faults in a row are a double fault, and the receiver wins the point.
- A serve that touches the net but still lands in the right box is a let. It is replayed and is not a fault.
The server's feet must not touch the baseline or the extension of the center line or sideline. A serve that lands in the box and is not touched by the receiver is an ace.
Playing the rally
- Hit the ball before it bounces twice, and keep it inside the lines. A ball that touches a line is in.
- You may not hit the ball twice in a row, and in doubles neither may your team.
- The first player or team that cannot make a legal return loses the point.
Scoring a game
| Points won | Call |
|---|---|
| 0 | Love |
| 1 | 15 |
| 2 | 30 |
| 3 | 40 |
| 4 | Game |
The server's score is called first, so 40-15 means the server has three points and the receiver has one. Tied scores are 15-all and 30-all.
A game goes to the first player with four points and a lead of at least two. At three points each the score is deuce, and so is every later tie. Win the next point and you have the advantage. Win the one after that and you win the game, but lose it and the score returns to deuce.
The origin of 15, 30 and 40 is obscure. Wikipedia says the system is believed to be medieval French.
Sets and the tiebreak
A set goes to the first player to win six games with a lead of at least two, such as 6-4 or 7-5. At 6-5 one more game is played. If the player ahead wins it, the set ends 7-5. If the other player wins it, the set is tied at 6-6.
At 6-6 a tiebreak decides the set. The first to reach seven points, with a lead of at least two, wins it.
- The player whose turn it is to serve serves the first point, from the right-hand (deuce) court.
- The other player then serves two points, and from there each player serves two points in a row.
- Players change ends after every six points.
Outside the tiebreak, players change ends after every odd-numbered game.
Winning the match
A match is played over three sets (win two) or five sets (win three). Five sets is usually used only in men's singles at Grand Slam tournaments.
Rules that vary
- The last set: some events skip the tiebreak in the final set and play an advantage set, which goes on until one side leads by two games. Some play a ten-point match tiebreak instead of a third set.
- No-ad scoring: the first player to four points wins the game, with no deuce. It is used in doubles at professional tournaments and in exhibition matches.
Tennis in your browser
Browser tennis keeps the swing and drops most of the scorekeeping. Most games below describe timing, swipes and rallies, not 15-30-40 scoring.
- 3D Tennis hits or slices with a swipe. It has a training mode and the four Grand Slam tournaments, and its instructions say all the rules of tennis also apply.
- Tennis Mania is played with the mouse, and its description gives a short target: the first person to get to 3 wins.
- Tennis Hero is a one-button game. You tap to time your shots, serve by holding and releasing when the power bar is full, and play three opponents for a gold medal.
- Tennis Guys combines tennis physics with swipe controls.
- Mini Tennis Club is a 3D game played with the mouse or a touch, with practice before a tournament and new characters to earn.
- Funny Tennis can only be played against bots. You can win the tournament and play with new characters.
- Masters Tennis adds power-ups and funny transformations, and has a 2-player mode. Move with A and D or the arrow keys, jump with W or Up, hit with V, L or X, and smash with B, Z or K.
- Retro Tiny Tennis and Mini Tennis 3D are rally games that get faster the longer you last, and in Retro Tiny Tennis one mistake ends the run.
- Tennis Dash has you move a cat left and right to hit balls that come from different directions. The game is over after three misses.
Tennis Hero warns against over-powering the serve. In real tennis, too, a serve that lands long is a fault.
More sports are in the sports games category, and volleyball and darts are in sports games online. For a second player on the same keyboard, see 2 player games on one keyboard. Baseball has its own count in how to play baseball.
Tennis FAQ
How do you score in tennis?
Points go love (0), 15, 30, 40 and game. You win a game with four points and a two-point lead, a set with six games and a two-game lead, and the match by winning two or three sets.
What is deuce in tennis?
A tie at three points each, and any later tie in the same game. The player who wins the next point has the advantage and must win the one after that to take the game.
How many sets are in a tennis match?
A match is played over three sets or five. The winner is the first to take two sets in a three-set match, or three in a five-set match.
What is a let in tennis?
A serve that touches the net but lands in the right service box. The serve is played again.
Can you play tennis by yourself?
A real match needs an opponent. In the browser you can: Funny Tennis can only be played against bots, and Tennis Dash is a solo rally where you try to beat your own high score.
Four points make a game, six games make a set, and the rest of tennis is keeping the ball inside the lines.
