NCAA Tennis Rules

Tennis is one of the eight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports played during the spring season. Both the men’s and women’s divisions of NCAA tennis emphasize “learning, balance, spirit, community, fair play and character.” The NCAA follows a strict set of rules to which all players must adhere; these ensure that the game will be played with integrity.

  1. Basic Rules

    • A tennis game consists of a series of exchanges between two (singles) or four (doubles) players using rackets to hit a ball back and forth across a net. After the ball has been hit by one player, his opponent must return the ball after no more than a single bounce back over the net to the opposite side of the court. Otherwise, a point is awarded to the player.

      A player can also lose a point when the returned ball is called out of bounds; the receiving player hits or returns the ball in play before it bounces on his court during the opposing player's serve; the player or his racket touches the net; or the player hits the ball before it has crossed the court or has passed over the net.

    Service

    • A “serve” is performed the same way. During service, the server and his opponent must stand diagonally opposite each other. The server then tosses the ball upward and hits it with his racket. If the service is at fault (for instance, the server’s foot stepped into the baseline or the court; he mishit the ball; or the ball did not cross or lands in the wrong side of the court) he is given another chance to serve. Two consecutive faults are not allowed, and they automatically translate into a point for his opponent.

    Scoring

    • In order to win a game, the player must score four points which are reflected as “15” for the first point, “30” for the second, “40” for the third, and “game” for the fourth and final point. If both players have accumulated three points, the score is called a “deuce.” The point scored after a deuce is called the “advantage.”

      If a player with the “advantage” loses a point to his opponent, the score is once again at “deuce.” Any player who gains the advantage and follows it with another point will win the game.

      The first player to win six games, provided that there is a two-game margin, wins a "set." A tennis match can be played either in best-of-three- or best-of-five-sets series, depending upon the type of tournament being played.