Tennis Rules
The game of tennis is played in an area called the tennis court. The tennis court is a rectangular, flat surface with dimensions of 78 feet (length) by 27 feet (width). Different kinds of surfaces are used as tennis courts in different tournaments across the world. A net divides the entire tennis court into two equal parts enabling the players to play against each other. The players are supposed to hit the ball into the opponent’s court in such a manner that the opponent is not able to return the ball within the permissible limits of the tennis court, thus enabling the first player to score a point over his opponent.
The winner of the game of tennis is decided via accumulation of more number of sets in a particular match. Numerous games form a part of a “set” with the player winning more number of games wins the set. Men’s play a best of 5 set match whereas Women’s play best of 3 set match. The player who wins the most number of sets is ascertained the winner of the match. Every player is given a ranking which is commensurate to his recent performance in various tournaments.
Tennis match is officiated by a set of people called the umpires. There is chair umpire, who is in charge of officiating the match. This umpire has the responsibility of conducting the match as per the prescribed guidelines and rules. The chair umpire is assisted by line umpires, who keep an eye on whether the ball has been hit within the tennis courts permissible playing lines or not. Apart from these, there is also a net judge, whose responsibility is to check whether the ball has not touched the net while the player is serving. Over the years with the advancement in technology, the line umpires are replaced with sensors which give out loud beep sound; the moment the ball hits the area outside the permissible use.
