Tennis: rules at-a-glance

Court, net, racket, ball. Win games, win sets, win matches. The rules of youth tennis in five minutes.

Field/court setup

Rectangular court divided by a net. 78 ft long × 27 ft wide (singles) or 36 ft (doubles). Service boxes near the net. Baseline at the back.

Game length

Match length varies. Best-of-3 sets is standard at most levels (best-of-5 at men's pro Grand Slams). Each set is first to 6 games (with a 7-point tiebreak at 6-6). Matches typically run 60-180 minutes.

Scoring basics

· Game: 0-15-30-40-game (with deuce/advantage at 40-40).
· Set: first to 6 games, must win by 2. Tiebreak at 6-6 in most formats.
· Match: best-of-3 sets typical. Pro tour men's slams = best-of-5.

Calls you'll see

· Out: ball lands outside the line. The line itself is in. Player or umpire calls it.
· Let: serve clips the net but lands in the service box. Serve replayed. Other lets (cord shots in play) are increasingly being eliminated.
· Foot fault: server's foot crosses the baseline before contact. Loss of point.
· Double bounce: ball bounces twice before being struck. Loss of point.
· Carry / double hit: ball hits the racket twice or rests on strings. Loss of point.
· Ball touches body (other than racket hand): loss of point.

Three things parents most often get wrong

· Junior tennis often uses no umpires. Players make their own calls: an honor system that can break down in tight matches. Parent's job is to stay out of it.
· USTA junior tennis uses different ball colors by age (red, orange, green) for younger ages. Ball pressure matters.
· Tennis tournaments are individual and can be all-day affairs. Pack snacks, sunscreen, water. Plan to be there for a long time.

A few specifics.

Junior age divisions. USTA: 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U. Different ball pressures and court sizes for younger ages.

Red/orange/green ball. USTA’s progression for under-10 tennis. Red ball (75% slower than yellow) on a 36-ft court. Orange ball (50% slower) on a 60-ft court. Green ball (25% slower) on a full court. Yellow ball at age 10+.

Court etiquette. Wait for between-point breaks before walking behind a court. Don’t retrieve balls during another court’s point. The kid learns this at the first tournament.

Tournament structure. Most junior tournaments are single-elimination with a consolation bracket for first-round losers. The kid plays multiple matches per day at most events.

The line-call problem. Junior tennis (under HS varsity) typically has no umpire. Players call their own lines. Bad-faith calls happen and create real conflict. The right parent move when your kid believes the opponent made a bad call: stay quiet at the moment, debrief later, model not engaging the other parent.

Equipment. Racket (sized for age), shoes (court-appropriate, not running shoes), balls (provided by tournament). Stringing matters more than parents think, strings break and lose tension over weeks. Re-string every 30-50 hours of play at competitive levels.

Last updated April 2026.