GAMEPLAY

Each player or team has a maximum of one bounce after the ball has been hit by their opponent to return the ball over the net and within the boundaries of the court. When a player then fails to return the ball into the correct court, the opponent wins a point. 

The aim of tennis is to win enough points to win a game, enough games to win a set, and enough sets to win a match. 

STARTING THE MATCH

Before warming up with your opponent, either player or team will spin their racquet and the winner of the spin will have some options to choose from. They can choose one of these 3 options:

  • To serve or receive

  • Select preferred side of the court

  • Defer their choice to their opponent – but the opponent cannot defer back

Once the winner of the toss chooses one of the options above, the opponent has the remaining choice. 

POINT SYSTEM

Tennis has a different point system than most sports. Before we go into detail, here is your guide to scoring a game:

  • 0 points= Love

  • 1 point = 15

  • 2 points= 30

  • 3 points= 40

  • Tied score= All

  • 40-40 = Deuce

  • Server wins deuce point = Ad-In*

  • Receiver wins deuce point = Ad-Out*

*We play NO-AD scoring, meaning, if a game gets to deuce, the player who wins the next point wins that game.

WHO WINS?

  • In order to win the game, a player must win at least four points. If you are up 40-30, 40-15 or 40-love, and win one more point, you win the game.

  • SETS
    Best two out of three fast sets (sets go to 4 games), no-ad scoring, with a 10-point tiebreak for the third set. If one of the first two set scores gets to 3-3, a 7-point tiebreak will be played to decide the set.

SWITCHING ENDS

Players or teams switch ends of the court on odd games. This means that after the first game is completed, players switch sides, as well as every two games after that.

TIEBREAK SET

In a normal set, a player or team needs to win 6 games to win a set. If the score gets to 4-4 (4-all), one player must win the next two games to win the set. If play gets to 5-5, one player needs to get to 7 in order to win the set. However, if the score reaches 6-6 (6-all) in the set, a tiebreak game is played.

SCORING A TIEBREAK GAME

In a tiebreak game, the next person who was due to serve will start the tiebreak game, and serve one point from the DEUCE side of the court. The following two points will then be served by the opponent starting on the AD side. In doubles, the player on the opposing team due to serve will serve these points.

Players or teams switch ends of the court every 6 points (e.g. when the score is 4-2, 3-3, 5-1, 6-0), and to score this tiebreak game, you use, “zero” “one”, “two”, “three”, etc. The first player or team to win 7 points (by two) wins the tiebreak. This means the score can end up being very high (e.g. 15-13) or as low as 7-0 through 7-5. 

Whoever wins the tiebreak game, wins the set by a score of 7-6. 

SERVING AFTER A TIEBREAK SET

Since the set is an odd-numbered score (7-6), whichever end of the court the players or teams ended up on when the tiebreak game finished, they will need to switch sides to start the next set. Whoever started serving the tiebreak game will be receiving serve in the first game of the next set. 

SCORING A MATCH

The most common format used to play a tennis match is best-of-three tiebreak sets. This means that if you don’t win the first two sets, the third set will decide the match! This third set will be played as a 10-point tiebreak, instead of playing additional, regularly scored games.