Tennis looks simple from the stands: two players, a net, a ball, and a rally that ends with a winner and a loser. But for a beginner, the sport’s scoring system — with its love, deuce and tiebreaks — can look like a secret code. The good news is that the rules of tennis are actually straightforward once you understand a few core ideas.
This guide explains the basics of tennis for beginners: the court and equipment, how points, games, sets and matches are scored, the rules of serving, and the most common questions new players ask. By the end, you will know enough to follow a match on television — or walk onto a court and play one yourself.
The court and the equipment
A tennis court is a rectangle split in half by a net. The dimensions are fixed by the rules:
- Length: 78 feet (23.77 metres) for both singles and doubles
- Width: 27 feet (8.23 metres) for singles; 36 feet (10.97 metres) for doubles — the extra space on each side, called the alley, is only used in doubles
- The net: 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 metres) high at the posts and 3 feet (0.91 metres) high in the middle
- Service boxes: each half of the court is divided into two service boxes by a centre service line, and a service line runs parallel to the net — these are the targets for the serve
Courts are played on three main surfaces — hard courts, clay and grass — and the surface changes how the ball bounces. Grass is fast with a low bounce, clay is slow with a high bounce, and hard courts sit somewhere in between. The four Grand Slam tournaments each use one surface: the Australian and US Opens are on hard courts, the French Open on clay, and Wimbledon on grass.
As for equipment, the essentials are a racket and balls. Modern rackets are usually made of graphite composites, and professional rules limit them to a maximum length of 29 inches (73.7 cm). Tennis balls must be between 6.54 and 6.86 cm in diameter and weigh between 56 and 59.4 grams. Beginners do not need anything special to start: most clubs and public courts provide equipment, and a mid-range racket is fine for learning.
How scoring works: love, 15, 30, 40
Tennis is scored in a nested structure: points make up games, games make up sets, and sets make up the match. The unusual part is how points are counted.
Instead of counting 1, 2, 3, tennis calls points love, 15, 30, 40:
- 0 points — “love”
- 1 point — “15”
- 2 points — “30”
- 3 points — “40”
- 4 points — game, provided you lead by two
If both players reach three points (40–40), the score is called deuce. From deuce, a player must win two points in a row to take the game: the first one gives them the advantage (called “ad in” if the server is ahead, “ad out” if the receiver is), and the second wins the game. If the player with the advantage loses the next point, the score returns to deuce.
The server’s score is always called first. So “30–15” means the server has two points and the receiver has one. The origins of the strange numbers are debated — the most popular theory traces “love” to the French word l’œuf, meaning “egg”, which resembles a zero.
Winning a set: games and tiebreaks
A set is won by the first player to win six games with a lead of at least two. That means 6–0, 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 and 6–4 all win the set, but 6–5 does not — the set continues until someone leads by two games, producing scores like 7–5 or 8–6.
To stop sets from going on forever, a tiebreak is played when the score reaches 6–6. In a standard tiebreak:
- The first player to reach 7 points wins the tiebreak — and the set — provided they lead by at least two points
- Players change ends after every six points
- One player serves the first point, and from then on players serve two points each in turn
If a match reaches the final set, most professional events use a 10-point tiebreak at 6–6 instead of the usual 7-pointer. All four Grand Slam tournaments — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open — adopted the 10-point final-set tiebreak, meaning a deciding set can no longer stretch into the endless marathons of the past.
A match is won by taking the majority of sets. Nearly all professional matches, and every women’s match, are best of three (first to two sets). The one exception is men’s singles at the Grand Slams, which remain best of five (first to three sets) — one of the sport’s great endurance tests.
The serve: rules and faults
Every point starts with a serve, and the serve has its own detailed rules:
- The server stands behind the baseline and must hit the ball diagonally into the opposite service box — first into the right-hand (deuce) box, then alternating with each point
- The server gets two attempts per point. A serve that lands in the wrong box, hits the net and lands out, or is a foot fault (the server’s foot touching the baseline or court before contact) is a fault
- Two consecutive faults make a double fault, and the point goes to the receiver
- If the serve touches the net but still lands in the correct box, it is a let — the serve is replayed with no penalty
- The same player serves an entire game, then the serve passes to the opponent for the next game, alternating for the rest of the match
- Players change ends after every odd-numbered game (and after the first game of each set)
One of the most common beginner mistakes is a foot fault — stepping on or over the baseline before striking the ball. It is worth practising the toss and the contact point, because a reliable serve is the single biggest advantage a club player can build.
During the rally: in, out, let and hindrance
Once the serve is in play, the rules of the rally are simple. The basic principles:
- The ball must land inside the court — but a ball touching any part of a line is in. Only a ball that lands entirely outside the lines is out
- Each player may hit the ball after it has bounced once on their side, or before it bounces (a volley). If the ball bounces twice, the point is lost
- You may not touch the net while the ball is in play, and the ball must not be hit before it has crossed onto your side of the net
- If the ball hits an opponent’s body or clothing before it bounces, you win the point
- You must hit the ball with the racket in your hand — you cannot throw the racket at the ball, and you cannot catch or carry the ball
- Deliberately distracting your opponent, or making a noise that interferes with their shot, is called hindrance and loses the point
In professional tennis, line calls are handled by officials. Most tournaments now use electronic line calling, which replaces human line judges with cameras and automated audio, removing most “in or out” controversy. Where human line judges still operate, players can challenge a call, and the replay system — such as Hawk-Eye — decides the final word. Players are typically allowed up to three unsuccessful challenges per set, with successful challenges retained.
Doubles: the extra rules
Doubles follows the same scoring system with a few additions:
- The alley — the extra 4.5 feet of court on each side — is in play, making the court the full 36 feet wide
- Partners alternate service games: if player A serves the first game for their team, player B serves the team’s next service game, and so on
- The receiving team must keep a fixed receiving order throughout a set — one player receives serves into the deuce court, the other into the ad court. The order can be changed at the start of a new set
- Both partners may position anywhere on their side, and either partner may hit the ball at any time during a rally
Many doubles events, including at the Grand Slams, use a match tiebreak — a 10-point tiebreak — in place of a full deciding set when the match reaches 6–6 in the final set, which keeps matches from running too long.
Etiquette and pace of play
Tennis is a sport built on respect between players. A few unwritten rules matter as much as the written ones: call your own lines honestly in casual play, give the benefit of the doubt to your opponent, and never walk behind a court while a point is being played.
At the professional level, the pace of play is strictly managed. Players have 25 seconds between points, 90 seconds at changeovers and two minutes at set breaks. Coaching from the sidelines is not permitted during play in most events, and players are expected to manage their own tactics.
Frequently asked questions
Why is zero called “love”?
The most widely accepted explanation is that it comes from the French word l’œuf (egg), because an egg looks like a zero. The term has been part of the sport’s vocabulary since the 19th century.
Can the ball hit the line?
Yes. The lines are part of the court, so a ball that touches any part of a line is in play. Players often say “if it’s close, it’s in”.
How long is a tennis match?
There is no time limit. A best-of-three match typically lasts between 1.5 and 3 hours, but matches can be far longer — the longest professional match on record lasted over 11 hours (Wimbledon 2010, John Isner versus Nicolas Mahut, 70–68 in the final set). The 10-point final-set tiebreak rule means such marathons are now extremely unlikely.
What is the difference between a let and a fault?
A let is a serve that touches the net and lands in the correct service box — the point is replayed. A fault is any serve that does not land in the correct box, or a foot fault; two faults lose the point.
Who invented the tiebreak?
The tiebreak was devised by American official James Van Alen in the 1960s and was first used at Wimbledon in 1971. Before that, sets could run indefinitely.
Getting started: three tips for beginners
- Master the basics first: focus on getting the ball in play consistently before worrying about power. A rally of ten gentle shots teaches you more than a hundred wild winners
- Learn to serve properly: a dependable serve — not a fast one — wins more points at club level than any other shot. Work on the toss and a smooth motion
- Play by the score from day one: the scoring system looks intimidating, but it becomes automatic within a few sessions. Practising with real games, including deuce and tiebreaks, is the fastest way to learn
Key takeaways
- Tennis is scored in points, games, sets and matches: love–15–30–40, then deuce and advantage, with games won by two clear points
- A set goes to the first player to six games by two; at 6–6 a tiebreak (first to 7 by two, or 10 in the final set at the Slams) decides it
- Most matches are best of three sets; only men’s singles at Grand Slams are best of five
- Serves must land diagonally in the correct service box, with two attempts allowed; the server changes after every game
- A ball touching any line is in; touching the net, double-bouncing the ball or hindering your opponent loses the point
