Playing a Game, Set, and Match
Singles is a match between two players. Doubles is a match among four players—two on each team. Mixed doubles is a match pairing a man and woman on one team against a man and woman on the other team. One-up, one-down wheelchair tennis pairs a wheelchair player with an able-bodied player competing against a team also composed of a wheelchair player and an able-bodied player.
After a 10-minute warm-up, the players decide by spinning a racket or flipping a coin who will serve first and on which end of the court they will begin the match (for more details, see Singles Rules). The server has two chances to put the ball in play, and the point is played out. After the serve, players may hit the ball before or after it bounces once on the court. Points are won when the opponent hits into the net or outside the boundary lines.
One player serves an entire game, which may last from 4 points to an infinite number of points. The first point of every game always begins on the right side of the baseline. The server alternates serving the first point from the right side of the baseline and the second point from the left side. The receiver also moves back and forth from right to left to return the serve (in singles; for information specific to doubles, see Doubles Rules).
A set is won when one player has won at least 6 games and is ahead by at least 2 games. The final score in a set would be 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6, and so on. Note that this win-by-two rule varies depending on the level of play; in many cases, tiebreakers are used instead. For more specific information regarding scoring, see the Scoring section.
A recreational player wins a match by winning 2 out of 3 sets. Male professionals must win 3 out of 5 sets in a few big tournaments and 2 out of 3 in most other events, whereas female professionals must win 2 out of 3 sets in all tournaments. When time is limited, pro sets might constitute a match. An 8-game pro set is won by the player who wins at least 8 games and who is ahead by at least 2 games. Players change ends of the court when the total number of games played at any time during a set is an odd number.
In most matches, players are responsible for keeping their own scores and for calling their opponents’ shots out of bounds. No sound from a player means the ball is in, and play continues. Balls that hit the lines are in play. Shouting “out” means the ball landed outside the boundary line and the point is over.
Tennis: Steps to Success Jim Brown,Camille Soulier