Rules & Scoring of Tennis

While learning the fundamentals of playing the game are important, it's also important to know the rules of tennis. Those wishing to start playing tennis are sometimes daunted by the strange scoring system. No matter what your level of experience, having a grasp of the finer points of rules and scoring in tennis can help you gain a deeper enjoyment of the game.

  1. Scoring

    • Only players serving the ball can score points in tennis. Non-servicing players who would otherwise score a point instead gain possession of the ball for serving. Serving players score points when the receiving player hits the ball out of bounds, is unable to return a volley after the second bounce or hits the ball so it touches the net. Ball that hit the line are considered in bounds. Serving players' scores are read first. The first point is 15, the second point is 30 and the third point is 40. Players with a score of zero are said to have a score of "love." If both players have 40 the score is "deuce" and a player must win by two points to capture a game.

    Winning

    • Tennis is a sport where multiple games are played to determine a winner. The first player to win six games and be ahead of the other player by two games wins the set. The first player who wins two sets wins the game--unless you are playing in a Grand Slam, where a player must win three sets to win the game.

    Serving

    • A coin toss before the game determines the initial server. The server serves the ball from behind the court's baseline. Servers serve odd numbered points on their own left side, while serving even numbered points from the other side. The ball must land in the service area (the area between the net and the first line behind the net on the course) opposite the server. If the server fails to do either of these things, or touches the net, he receives a fault. After two faults the server forfeits her serve to the opposing player.

    Doubles

    • Four players can play tennis as well as two. Doubles matches can be between two teams of two men, two women or one man and one woman. The outer vertical lines of the court are the boundaries rather than the inner vertical lines. In mixed-gender doubles matches, players must serve to the player of the same gender.