Rules of Tennis Simplified

General rules

• Tennis is played with one person (singles) or two people (doubles) standing on either side of a net. The object is to hit a ball over the net with a racket, keeping it in play. When someone hits the ball out of play or into the net, a point is scored. The ball can only bounce once per side but must be hit over the net.

Serving

• The server stands at the baseline (the line farthest back) and serves from one side of the center notch to the front box on the opposite side of the center line on the other side of the net. The server alternates sides, beginning on the right, and has two chances to get the ball in play. Players alternate serving by game.

Keeping the Ball in Play

• When playing with one player per side, a ball is considered out of play if it first bounces past the baseline, or in or beyond the alleys that run along each side of the court. When playing with two players per side, a ball landing in the alleys is considered in play.

Game Scoring

• Games are played to four points but must be won by two. The first point is called 15, the second 30, the third 40 and the fourth is a victory. The intervening point in a game that reaches 40-40 is called an advantage. The score is read with the server's score first.

Set Scoring

• A player wins a set when she wins six games, but she must win by two games. If a set reaches 6-6, a tiebreaker is played. In amateur tennis, the first player to win two sets wins the match.

Tiebreaker

• In a tiebreaker, the player whose turn it is to serve serves one point, then the players alternate, serving two points each. Points are sequential, and the first to seven with a margin of at least two wins.