How Does Tennis Work? Rules, Scoring and Match Play

Tennis is a racket sport in which players hit a ball over a net and into the opponent’s court. The aim is to make the ball land inside the required area or to force an opponent into an error. A tennis match is built from points, games and sets, so understanding that structure explains most of the sport’s rules.

The tennis court and basic objective

A tennis court is divided by a net into two sides. The court is longer than it is wide, and its marked areas determine where serves and rallies may be played. Singles use the narrower inner sidelines, while doubles use the wider outer sidelines. The service boxes near the net are used only for serves.

Players stand on opposite sides and use a racket to strike the ball after it bounces on their side. During a normal rally, the ball must be returned before it bounces twice. It must then land within the opponent’s court, including the relevant singles or doubles boundary lines. A ball touching a line is considered in.

Players can also hit a volley, which is a shot taken before the ball bounces. Volleys are legal during rallies, but the receiver must normally allow the serve to bounce before returning it. A player loses the point if the ball goes out, bounces twice, hits the net and does not cross, or if the player commits another rule violation.

How tennis scoring works

Tennis scoring has several levels. A match is made up of sets, sets contain games, and games contain points. The traditional score sequence within a game is:

• Love: zero points
• 15: one point
• 30: two points
• 40: three points

A player normally needs four points to win a game, but must lead by two. If both players reach 40, the score is called deuce. The next point gives the winner advantage, often shown as “Ad.” That player must win the following point to take the game. If the player with advantage loses the next point, the score returns to deuce.

In some formats, a deciding point is used at deuce instead. The receiver chooses which side of the court to receive from, and the player who wins that single point wins the game. This format is common in certain recreational, team and shortened competitions, but it is not universal.

Games, sets and deciding tiebreaks

A player generally wins a set by taking at least six games and leading by two. For example, a 6–4 set is complete because the winner has the required two-game margin. At 6–5, another game is played. If the score reaches 6–6, the competition rules determine whether a tiebreak is played.

In a standard seven-point tiebreak, the first player to reach seven points with a margin of two wins the tiebreak and the set. Scores can therefore go beyond 7–5, such as 8–6 or 10–8. Players change ends after the first point and then after every six points, which helps reduce the effect of wind, sunlight or court conditions.

Many major competitions use a final-set tiebreak at 6–6, but the exact format can vary. Some events use a first-to-10-point tiebreak with a two-point margin in the deciding set. Match rules should therefore be checked for the specific tournament or league rather than assumed from one format.

Most professional men’s and women’s singles matches are best of three sets, meaning the first player to win two sets wins the match. Some men’s matches at major events use best of five sets, requiring three sets to win. Local competitions may use one-set matches, short sets or match tiebreaks to fit available court time.

How serving works

Each point begins with a serve. The server stands behind the baseline and serves diagonally into the service box on the opposite side. The first serve is made from the right side of the centre mark; after each point, the server alternates between the right and left sides.

The server gets two attempts. A serve that misses the correct service box, hits the net and fails to land in the box, or lands outside the required boundaries is a fault. Two faults in a row produce a double fault, which immediately gives the receiver the point. A serve that clips the net but lands in the correct box is usually a let, so the serve is replayed without counting as a fault.

The server must not step on or over the baseline before striking the ball. The ball must be released by hand and hit before it touches the ground. The receiver may stand anywhere on the appropriate side of the court, although position is a tactical choice influenced by the server’s speed, spin and placement.

What happens during a rally

After a legal serve, the players exchange shots until one of them wins the point. A return can be hit with a forehand, backhand, volley, lob or other stroke. The ball may touch the net during a rally and still be in play if it crosses and lands within the court.

A player wins the rally when the opponent:

• fails to return the ball before its second bounce;
• hits the ball outside the correct court area;
• hits the net or another permanent fixture with the ball before it crosses;
• touches the net, net posts or the opponent’s court while the ball is in play; or
• deliberately carries, catches or strikes the ball more than once in an illegal action.

Players do not have to hit the ball after every legal bounce. They may allow it to go out, but doing so normally loses the point if the ball would have landed in. A ball that strikes a permanent fixture, such as a roof or lighting structure, is handled according to the venue’s rules.

Singles and doubles tennis

Singles is played one against one. The inner sidelines define the court, and each player covers the full singles area. Doubles places two players on each side. The wider doubles alleys are in play during rallies, while the service boxes remain the same size.

In doubles, the serving team decides which partner serves first, and the receiving team decides which partner receives first. The players keep those positions for the set, although the order changes for the next set. Serving rotates between the four players according to the established order. Partners often use planned formations, movement at the net and signals to coordinate their tactics.

Some doubles competitions use a no-ad scoring system and a deciding match tiebreak instead of a full final set. These changes shorten matches but do not represent the only way doubles tennis can be played.

How a tennis match is won

The match winner is the player or team that wins the required number of sets. Winning a point does not automatically mean winning a game, and winning more total points across a match does not necessarily mean winning the match. A player can lose more individual points overall but win the important games and sets.

This scoring structure makes serving and returning strategically significant. Holding serve means winning the games in which a player serves. Breaking serve means winning a game while receiving. A player who creates break points is threatening to win a receiving game, while a break-point conversion occurs when that opportunity is successfully taken.

Match tactics also depend on court surface. Hard courts generally offer a relatively consistent bounce, clay courts tend to slow the ball and reward movement and rally tolerance, and grass courts usually produce lower, quicker bounces. These are broad tendencies rather than fixed rules: speed, weather, ball type and court maintenance can change how a surface plays.

Common misconceptions about tennis rules

The unusual scoring terms do not mean that a player must win exactly four points to take a game. Four points are enough only when the player has a two-point lead. At deuce, the game can continue for many additional points.

Another misconception is that every set ends at 6–6 without exception. A tiebreak is common, but the tiebreak type and final-set procedure depend on the competition. Likewise, not every match is best of three sets, and some formats replace a deciding set with a match tiebreak.

Finally, a serve that touches the net is not automatically a lost point. If it lands in the correct service box, it is generally replayed as a let. If it fails to land in the correct box, it counts as a fault under the applicable rules.