Tennis Serve Rules

Learning how to serve properly is crucial to becoming a better tennis player. In fact, many experts say that the serve is the most important shot in the game. In this blog, we discuss the most basic tennis serve rules for beginners.

• Where you should stand – The server begins every game by serving behind the right-hand court’s baseline. If you are the server, you need to make sure that the ball lands on the diagonally opposite service box. You need to stand between the center mark and the imaginary continuation of the sideline. Servers swap sides after every point.
  
  
• Faults – The server has two chances to make the ball go in. If it lands outside the service box or it is unable to clear the net post or net, it’s considered a fault. If the ball touches the line, the ball gets in. After a fault, you can try to serve again, but if it results in another fault, it becomes a double fault and your opponent gets the point.
  
  
• Foot fault – Servers must stand behind a baseline, between the sideline and center mark. If your feet touch the ground within the baseline, the wrong side of the imaginary sideline extension, or the wrong side of the center mark before striking the ball, then a ‘foot fault’ occurs and the point goes to your opponent.
  
  
• Let – A let occurs when the ball clips the net and bounces inside a service box. If it happens, you can serve again. If the ball hits the net and lands outside the service box, then it is a fault.
  

• Toss – You need to toss the ball in the air with your arm, not the racket. Moreover, you must hit the ball before it makes contact with the ground. You cannot walk or run when hitting your serve, but you can move with your feet, just not in front of the baseline.