Tennis Rules: Scoring, Tie-Breaks, Serve and Line Calls

Tennis has one rulebook worldwide: the ITF Rules of Tennis, updated every year. This guide follows the 2026 edition and gives the rule number for every point, so you can settle a debate on court. Where something is only a custom, for example how you call lines without an umpire, we say so and name the source.

The tennis court and the net

Under Rule 1 the court is 23.77 m long. It is 8.23 m wide for singles and 10.97 m for doubles; the strips between the two sidelines are the doubles alleys. The net is 0.914 m high in the centre, held down by a strap, and 1.07 m at the posts. The service lines are 6.40 m from the net, and the centre service line splits that area into two service boxes on each side.

The lines are part of the court: all measurements are taken to the outside of the lines, and a ball that touches a line is good (Rule 12).

Tennis scoring: points, games, sets and matches

Points (Rule 5a). A game goes love, 15, 30, 40, game, and the server's score is called first. At 40-40 the score is "deuce". The player who wins the next point has "advantage"; win the following point too and you take the game, lose it and you are back at deuce. After deuce you need two points in a row.

Sets (Rule 6). You win a set with six games and a two-game lead. In an "advantage set" play continues until one side leads by two games. In a "tie-break set", which is the norm today, a tie-break is played at 6-6. Which one applies must be announced before the event.

Matches (Rule 7). A match is best of three sets (two sets to win) or best of five (three sets to win).

The tie-break

The tie-break (Rule 5b) decides a set at 6-6. Points are counted 0, 1, 2, 3 and so on. The first player or team to seven points with a two-point lead wins the tie-break and the set, recorded as 7-6. At 6-6 in the tie-break play continues until someone leads by two.

• The player whose turn it is to serve serves the first point, from the right half of the court (Rule 17).
• The opponent then serves the next two points, starting from the left. After that, each side serves two points in turn.
• In doubles the serving order of the set continues: the next player in the rotation serves.
• You change ends after every six points (Rule 10), without a rest (Rule 29a).
• The player or team who served first in the tie-break receives in the first game of the next set.

Shorter formats: no-ad, short sets and the match tie-break

Appendix VI of the ITF rules lists approved alternatives. Club leagues and social doubles use them all the time, so agree on them before the first serve.

• No-ad scoring. At deuce one deciding point is played. The receiver chooses whether to receive in the right or the left half. In doubles the receiving pair may not swap positions for that point, and in mixed doubles the player of the same gender as the server receives.
• Short sets. The first side to four games with a two-game lead wins the set, with a tie-break at 4-4 (or at 3-3 if the organiser chooses). A short set tie-break to 5 points, with a deciding point at 4-4, can also be used. We call these "short sets" rather than any brand name.
• Match tie-break (7 or 10 points). At one set all, a tie-break replaces the deciding set. The 10-point version is the common one: first to 10 with a two-point lead, so 10-9 is not enough. The original serving order continues and there is a set break of up to 120 seconds before it.
• Final set tie-break (10 points). In the deciding set, a 10-point tie-break is played at 6-6.
• Change of ends in a tie-break. Instead of every six points, players may change ends after the first point and then after every four points. TTF Masters tournaments in Türkiye use this in every tie-break (Madde 23).
• No-Let. A serve that touches the net and lands in stays in play.

Each federation picks its own mix for amateur play:

Planning a doubles evening at your club? The free tennis round robin generator builds fair rotations for short sets or timed rounds.

Serving rules

Where you stand (Rule 16). Before you start the motion, stand still with both feet behind the baseline, between the imaginary extensions of the centre mark and the sideline. Then release the ball by hand in any direction and hit it before it touches the ground. Underarm serves are legal.

Alternate sides (Rule 17). Serve from behind the right half first, then alternate halves. The ball must cross the net and land in the service box diagonally opposite.

Foot fault (Rule 18). During the service motion you must not:

1. change position by walking or running (small foot movements are allowed);
2. touch the baseline or the court with either foot;
3. touch the area outside the imaginary extension of the sideline;
4. touch the imaginary extension of the centre mark.

Jumping is allowed: one or both feet may leave the ground (Case 2). New in the 2026 rulebook, Case 1 makes clear that in doubles the server may stand behind the baseline between the singles and the doubles sideline; in singles that is a foot fault.

Service faults (Rules 19 and 20). The serve is a fault if you break Rules 16, 17 or 18, if you miss the ball, if the ball hits a permanent fixture, a singles stick or a net post before it bounces, or if it hits you or your partner. After a fault you serve again from the same half. Two faults in a row lose the point (Rule 24a). If you toss the ball and decide not to hit it, you may catch it: that is not a fault.

Receiver ready (Rule 21). The server waits until the receiver is ready, and the receiver plays to the server's reasonable pace. A receiver who tries to return the serve is considered ready.

If the serve hits the receiver. A serve that hits the receiver, or the receiver's partner, before it bounces wins the point for the server, even if it was going long (Rule 24i, Case 7), unless it touched the net first, in which case it is a let.

Lets: when a point is replayed

Service let (Rule 22). The serve is a let if it touches the net, strap or band and is otherwise good, or if it is served before the receiver is ready. Only that serve is replayed, and a service let does not cancel a previous fault: a let on the second serve means one more second serve.

Other lets (Rules 23 and 26). If a ball rolls onto the court, a bird is hit or something outside your control hinders you, the whole point is replayed with a first serve. A deliberate hindrance by your opponent wins you the point. A ball that was already lying on your side when the point started is not a hindrance (Rule 26, Case 4).

When you lose the point

Rule 24 lists the cases. The most common ones:

• the ball bounces twice on your side before you hit it;
• your shot lands outside the correct court, or hits a permanent fixture such as the fence, a light or the roof before it bounces (Rules 13 and 24d);
• as receiver, you hit the serve before it bounces;
• you, your racket or anything you wear touches the net, the posts or the opponent's court while the ball is in play. The ball stays in play until the point is decided, so touching the net after a winner but before its second bounce still loses the point;
• you hit the ball before it has crossed the net. Following through over the net after hitting on your own side is allowed (Rule 25e);
• the ball touches you or your clothing, not your racket;
• you throw your racket at the ball, or deliberately carry or double-hit it;
• in doubles, both partners touch the ball.

Two situations that are good returns, not lost points: a ball that clips the net cord and lands in, and a ball hit around the outside of the net post that lands in the court (Rule 25).

Changing ends and time between points

You change ends after the first, the third and every following odd game of each set (Rule 10). After a set with an odd number of games you change ends; after an even number you change after the first game of the next set.

Rule 29 sets the clock: up to 25 seconds between points, up to 90 seconds at a change of ends, and up to 120 seconds between sets. After the first game of each set and during a tie-break you change ends without a rest. The warm-up is a maximum of five minutes unless the organiser decides otherwise.

If you discover a mistake, points already played stand (Rule 27). Serving from the wrong half is corrected immediately. If you are at the wrong ends, you switch as soon as you notice; the 2026 rulebook clarifies that a fault served before the discovery does not stand, also in a tie-break.

Doubles serving and receiving order (Rules 14–15)

The pair serving first in a set chooses which partner serves the first game; the other pair chooses for the second game. Partners then alternate for the rest of the set (Rule 14). On the receiving side, each pair decides who receives the first point of its first receiving game, and the partners alternate points for the rest of the set (Rule 15). Both orders may be changed at the start of a new set.

After the return of serve, either partner may hit the ball, but one player may not play alone against two. The server's partner and the receiver's partner may stand anywhere on their own side of the net (Rule 26, Case 5).

Unwritten rules: playing without an umpire

Most club, league and friendly matches have no umpire. The ITF rules do not say who makes the calls then, so players follow customs. The best-known written summary is the USTA's The Code, published in Friend at Court 2026. It is a custom guide, not part of the ITF rules.

• Call your own side (§5). You call every ball that lands on, or is aimed at, your side of the net. In doubles either partner may call (§9).
• Benefit of the doubt (§6, §8). If you cannot call a ball out with certainty, it is good. You may not ask to replay a point because you did not see the ball.
• A ball 99% out is 100% good (§7). Call it out only if you clearly see space between the ball and the line.
• Calls must be prompt and audible or visible (§15, §17).
• Concede your own touches (§19). If the ball touches you, you touch the net, or the ball bounces twice on your side, you say so: your opponent cannot make that call.
• The server announces the score (§31): the game score before the first point of a game, and the point score before each point. In a score dispute, count what you agree on and replay only the disputed points (§32).
• Warm up your opponent (§3). The Code suggests five to ten minutes of hitting to each other, not practice; in events, the five-minute maximum of Rule 29e applies.

Federations agree on the principles but differ on details. These are customs or federation guidelines, not ITF rules:

• You call "out", then see the ball was good.
  • USTA The Code: the point goes to your opponent (§12).
  • Germany (DTB): on courts other than clay the point is replayed, unless your opponent's shot was a winner; on clay you lose the point.
  • France (FFT): you lose the point.
  • Italy (FITP): you lose the point (Appendix II, Rule 5.3).
• Foot faults.
  • USTA The Code: the receiver may call a flagrant one, but only after a warning and an attempt to get an official (§24).
  • Germany (DTB): only officials, never the receiver.
  • France (FFT): not specified in the FFT guide for players.
  • Italy (FITP): called by the referee on court (Appendix II, Rule 8).
• Ball marks on clay.
  • USTA The Code: you need not show the mark, and your opponent may not cross the net (§21).
  • Germany (DTB): your opponent may cross to look.
  • France (FFT): your opponent may ask to see the mark and cross the net.
  • Italy (FITP): players may check the mark only on clay (Appendix II, Rule 6.3); crossing the net is not addressed.

Before a friendly, agree on four things: the format (sets, short sets or a match tie-break), advantage or no-ad, who brings new balls, and how long you warm up. Most arguments start because nobody asked.

Test yourself and find your next match

Take the free tennis rules quiz: ten questions from the 2026 ITF rules, with the answer and the rule number after each one. Not sure where your game stands? The tennis level test places you on the PFM D–C–B–A scale. In the PFM – Play For More app you set your tennis level, find players at your level, join open matches and book courts at clubs that use PFM. Get the app or see clubs using PFM.

Sources

• ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, International Tennis Federation: Rules 1–29 and Appendix VI
• 2026 amendments to the Rules of Tennis, International Tennis Federation: Rule 18 Case 1 and Rule 27
• Friend at Court 2026, The Code, United States Tennis Association (USTA), pages 37–43
• Wettspielordnung 2026, Deutscher Tennis Bund (DTB), §55
• Richtlinien für das Spiel ohne Schiedsrichter, Deutscher Tennis Bund (DTB), as of 9 November 2025
• Règlements sportifs, Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT), 2024 edition, Art. 9, 11, 12
• Charte des tournois, annexe 1 « La partie non arbitrée », Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT)
• Regolamento Tecnico Sportivo 2023, Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel (FITP), Art. 1.4.3 and Appendix II
• Masters Tenis Turnuvaları Talimatı 2026, Türkiye Tenis Federasyonu (TTF), Madde 23