Tennis Court Dimensions: Singles, Doubles, Lines and Net Height
Learn the official tennis court dimensions for singles and doubles, including court length, width, line markings, service boxes, net height and surrounding clearance.
Official tennis court dimensions are 23.77 metres long (78 feet) for both singles and doubles. The court is 8.23 metres wide (27 feet) for singles play and 10.97 metres wide (36 feet) for doubles play. The extra doubles width comes from the alleys between the singles and doubles sidelines.
Official tennis court size
The playing area is a rectangle divided by a net at its midpoint. The court length does not change between singles and doubles; only the usable width changes.
| Measurement | Singles | Doubles |
|---|---|---|
| Court length | 23.77 m (78 ft) | 23.77 m (78 ft) |
| Court width | 8.23 m (27 ft) | 10.97 m (36 ft) |
| Playing area | 195.65 m² | 260.76 m² |
For a singles match, the ball must land inside the singles sidelines. In doubles, the wider doubles sidelines are used. The long strips between those two sets of sidelines are commonly called the doubles alleys.
Tennis court lines and markings
The baseline runs across the full width of the court at each end. The singles and doubles sidelines run parallel to the net. All court measurements are taken to the outside edges of the lines, while the lines themselves form part of the area they mark.
The service lines are parallel to the net and sit 6.40 metres (21 feet) from it on each side. Together with the centre service line, they create four service boxes. A legal serve must land in the diagonally opposite service box.
The centre mark is a short line at the midpoint of each baseline. It helps players identify the correct side of the court for serving. Baseline and sideline markings are normally 2.5 to 5 centimetres wide, although the centre service line may be narrower under tennis court regulations.
Tennis net height and posts
The net is 1.07 metres (3 feet 6 inches) high at the posts and 0.914 metres (3 feet) high at the centre. A centre strap holds the net at the lower middle height.
For a doubles court, the net posts are positioned 0.914 metres (3 feet) outside the doubles sidelines. On a singles court, singles sticks are used when the net is set up for singles play. These sticks support the net at the correct singles width, with the net posts placed 0.914 metres outside the singles sidelines.
Space around a tennis court
The dimensions above describe the marked playing court, not the full area needed to build a usable facility. Players also need clear space behind the baselines and beside the sidelines for movement, ball retrieval and safe play.
Required clearance varies by venue, playing level and local construction rules. A recreational court may use less surrounding space than a tournament facility, while competition venues generally provide generous run-off areas behind the baselines and along the sides. Fences, lighting columns, benches and other obstacles should remain outside the movement zone.
Converting tennis court measurements
For planning purposes, the marked court is 78 feet by 36 feet for doubles or 78 feet by 27 feet for singles. In metric measurements, those dimensions are 23.77 metres by 10.97 metres for doubles and 23.77 metres by 8.23 metres for singles.
A court builder should confirm the required run-off space, surface slope, drainage, fencing and accessibility requirements before marking the site. Those features are separate from the official tennis court dimensions but strongly affect how safely the court can be used.
