Tennis Rules
Have you ever been unsure of the rules during your tennis match? Whether you play for fun or you’re in a competitive league, USTA provides you with articles discussing everything about how tennis scoring works. When you want to learn how to play tennis, for singles or doubles, we help solve your problems with answers to your questions related to tennis rules and regulations.
Plus, we provide answers surrounding the rules of tennis serves. If there’s an issue weighing on your mind from a match you’ve played recently, one of our articles will help answer your question.
The following fields filters the results.
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While you might not be playing at the French Open, the same techniques that Officials use can help you check your own clay-court ball marks. Read More
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Test your knowledge of different parts of the tennis court with this quiz from the USTA Officiating department. Read More
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During my singles match, my opponent hit her first serve into the net. The ball ended up in the middle of the service box but my opponent did not make an attempt to move it. Read More
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If a let is called in between my first and second serves, am I allowed two serves to start that point over, or is it still only a second serve? Read More
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Can our opponents make a call on my doubles partner illegally hitting the ball before it crosses the net on a volley? Read More
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Can the server start behind the baseline and cross the center service mark during his service motion? Read More
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In my last singles match, we somehow forgot to change sides and realized that we were in the middle of the fourth game, when we should have changed sides after the third game. What should we do? Read More
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During our doubles match, a ball grazed my partner’s head as he ducked out of the way for a shot he thought was going out. Luckily, it didn’t change the trajectory of the ball. Can we still win the point? Read More
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After a long rally, I served to the ad side and lost the point. Before I served my next point, I realized my opponents received from the wrong side. What do we do now? Read More
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During my doubles match, both my partner and I went for a ball. Our racquets clashed, but I was able to make contact with it and hit a winner. Our opponents claimed that they won the point because our racquets hit each other. Were they correct? Read More
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If my racquet crosses over the net during a follow-through, do I automatically lose the point or is that allowed? Read More
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If you win the coin toss prior to a match and defer to your opponent, what are they allowed to decide? Read More
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Does the length of a tiebreak game determine who serves at the start of the next set? If someone wins a tiebreak 7-5 versus a 15-13 tiebreak, does it change? Read More
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Who gets the point if my shot hits the overhead light and lands on the opponent's side of the court? Read More
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I threw my racquet at a return and amazingly, the ball hit the racquet and went over the net for a winner. Is this a legal hit? Read More
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What is the bounce rule when able-bodied players play doubles with wheelchair players? Read More
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I was playing in my local league singles match, and after a really long rally, we forgot the score. My opponent, who was serving, said it was 40-15, but I thought the score was 30-30. What is the proper procedure figuring out what the score should be? Read More
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During a match, my opponent broke his strings returning a first serve fault. Luckily, he had a backup racquet which he ran over to get. When he returned, we weren’t sure if I was now serving a first or second serve. What is the proper procedure? Read More
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In a tennis match, is serving underhanded acceptable? USTA answers the question whether serving underhand is against the rules or not. Get your answer here. Read More
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