Tennis rules for beginners: scoring, serving, tiebreaks and faults

Tennis looks simple from the stands, but the scoring confuses almost every new player. Why 15, 30 and then 40? What is deuce, and when do you play a tiebreak? This guide covers the tennis rules for beginners that you actually need on court: how points, games and sets are scored, how to serve legally, what counts as in or out, and the small habits that make a friendly match run smoothly. It follows the Rules of Tennis published by the International Tennis Federation (ITF); in any tournament, the current ITF rules, the event’s own regulations and the umpire or referee have the final word.

If you are looking for somewhere to play in the city, start with our guide to tennis in Kota, which covers clubs, courts and coaching.

The court and the basics

• Tennis is played as singles (one against one) or doubles (two against two). The ball must be hit over the net and land inside the court on the other side.
• A full-size court is 23.77 metres long. The singles court is 8.23 metres wide; doubles adds a tramline on each side, making it 10.97 metres wide.
• The net is about 0.914 metres (3 feet) high at the centre and a little higher at the posts, where it is about 1.07 metres.
• Each side has two service boxes in front of the net, divided by the centre service line. Serves must land in the box diagonally opposite.
• In open play the ball may bounce once on your side before you return it, or you may hit it in the air (a volley). The only exception is the serve, which must bounce before the receiver plays it.

How scoring works: points, games and sets

Tennis has three layers of scoring. Points make games, games make sets and sets make the match.

Points within a game

The scores in a game are called:

Points won	Called
0	love
1	15
2	30
3	40
4	game (if two clear)

The server’s score is always called first. “30-15” means the server has won two points and the receiver one. “15-all” means one point each.

Deuce and advantage

When the score reaches 40-40, it is called deuce. From deuce a player must win two points in a row to win the game. The next point won gives that player advantage (“advantage server” or “advantage receiver”). If they win the next point too, they win the game; if they lose it, the score goes back to deuce. A long game can go back and forth through deuce many times.

Some events use no-ad scoring to save time: at deuce, one deciding point is played and the receiver chooses which side to receive on. Professional doubles commonly uses it. If you are playing a local event, check which method applies.

Games and sets

A set is won by the first player to win six games, with a lead of at least two games (6-4, 6-3 and so on). If the score reaches 5-5, the set continues to 7-5. At 6-6, most sets are decided by a tiebreak.

A match is usually the best of three sets. Men’s singles at the Grand Slam tournaments is played as the best of five. Local events and coaching matches often use shorter formats, such as a single set or a “pro set” to eight games, so ask the organiser.

The tiebreak

The standard tiebreak at 6-6 works like this:

1. Points are counted normally: 1, 2, 3 and so on (zero is still called zero or love).
2. The player whose turn it is to serve serves the first point from the right side.
3. After that, service changes every two points, starting from the left side.
4. Players change ends after every six points.
5. The first player to seven points with a two-point lead wins the tiebreak and the set 7-6.

Some formats use a longer tiebreak. A ten-point tiebreak (first to ten, two clear) is used at 6-6 in the final set at the Grand Slam tournaments, and a match tiebreak to ten points often replaces a final set in doubles and in many club and junior events.

Serving rules

The serve starts every point and has its own rules.

• Position. Stand behind the baseline, between the centre mark and the sideline. Serve the first point of every game from the right half of the court, then alternate sides after every point.
• Direction. The ball must land in the service box diagonally opposite.
• Two attempts. If your first serve is a fault, you take a second serve. Two faults in a row is a double fault and you lose the point.
• Foot fault. Your feet must not touch the baseline or the court inside it before you hit the ball. Stepping on the line is a fault.
• The let. If the serve clips the net and still lands in the correct box, it is a let and that serve is replayed. It does not count as a fault.
• Who serves. One player serves for the whole game, then service passes to the opponent. In doubles, the four players serve in a fixed rotation, one game each.

Before the first game, players usually spin a racket or toss a coin. The winner chooses to serve, to receive or to pick an end, and the other player gets the remaining choice.

In, out and losing a point

You lose the point if:

• the ball bounces twice on your side before you hit it;
• you hit the ball into the net or outside the court;
• you touch the net or the opponent’s court with your racket, body or clothing while the ball is in play;
• you hit the ball before it has crossed the net to your side;
• the ball touches you or your clothing, unless it is a fault serve;
• you throw your racket at the ball, or carry or double-hit the ball deliberately.

A ball that touches any part of the line is in. In doubles the tramlines count as in during rallies, but the serve must still land in the singles service box.

Changing ends

Players change ends after the first, third and every following odd-numbered game of each set. In a tiebreak, they change ends after every six points. At the end of a set, players change ends only if the total number of games in that set was odd. This shares out the effects of sun and wind, which matter on Kota’s outdoor courts in the afternoon.

Doubles in brief

• The doubles court includes the tramlines once the serve is in play.
• Each team decides who serves first in its service games; the order then stays the same for the whole set.
• The receiving team chooses who receives in the right and left courts, and keeps that arrangement for the set.
• Partners do not have to take turns hitting the ball. Either player may play any shot in a rally.

Etiquette in friendly matches

Most club and practice matches have no umpire, so players call the lines on their own side. A few habits keep games fair:

• Call the score aloud before each serve, server’s score first.
• Call balls on your side honestly. If you are not sure whether a ball was out, it is in.
• Make out calls quickly and clearly, with a word or hand signal.
• Wait for a rally on the next court to finish before retrieving a stray ball.
• Agree the format (sets, tiebreak, no-ad) before you begin.

Rules beginners often get wrong

• “The ball on the line is out.” It is in.
• “You can volley a serve.” You cannot; the serve must bounce first.
• “A let means you lose your first serve.” A let is replayed and the server keeps the same attempt.
• “At deuce, one more point wins.” Under normal scoring you need two in a row.
• “Tiebreaks are first to seven, full stop.” You need a two-point lead, so 7-6 is not enough.

Learning the rules on court

The fastest way to learn is to play short scored games with a coach or a more experienced partner who calls the score aloud. Start with service games only, then add tiebreaks. Warm up properly before you play, following our warm-up exercises before sports routine, and work on your movement with the split step and recovery steps in our badminton footwork drills, most of which transfer well to tennis. Good court shoes matter on hard courts; see how to choose sports shoes. In summer, plan play for the early morning or evening and follow our advice on playing sports in Kota heat.

When you are ready for competition, our guide to sports tournaments in Kota explains how to find and enter events, and the All India Tennis Association (AITA) publishes the national calendar and rankings for registered players.

For more sport-by-sport help, browse all our Kota sports guides.