Tennis is a sport that is played on a court that has several lines and boxes. These lines and boxes may seem incongruous to the outsider but hold deep significance and meaning to the participants. 

It may be a tad challenging at first to get a grasp on the rules and regulations of the sport, but once understood, it is quite simple.

The sport is played across different conditions, and no two surfaces are the same. While traditionally, tennis was played on the lawns of the aristocrats of England (which is why it is called lawn tennis), it has now moved beyond grass to also be played on clay and hard surface courts.

Wimbledon is the only major tournament that is still played on grass. The other majors, including the US Open and Australian Open, are played on hard courts, while perhaps the most challenging of them all — the French Open — is played on a clay court at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris.

The different courts have distinctive surfaces, which force players to adapt and adjust their games accordingly. While clay surfaces take a toll on the body due to their slow and unpredictable nature, playing on hard courts is not that challenging since the bounce and carry can be predicted to a large extent.

However, playing on grass, which is the conventional surface for tennis, is quite distinctive from playing on either clay or hard courts. The ball comes on much quicker on grass, which results in a fast-paced game. The bounce is also unpredictable due to the skid that the ball generates.

Despite the nature of the surfaces changing across the world, the dimensions of the tennis court remain the same, as do the lines and boxes marked inside them. 

According to the International Tennis Federation (ITF), a tennis court has to measure 23.77 metres in length in any part of the world. However, the width of the court changes based on whether a singles game is being played or doubles. 

The width, quite naturally, differs for doubles (10.97 metres) and singles (8.23 metres). This is because of the presence of four players on the court in the former and two in the latter.

Similarly, several lines and boxes are marked inside a court that allow participants to know where to aim for. It also helps the chair umpires to make their decisions unreservedly and without any bias. These lines and boxes are explained in detail as under:

Baseline

If you view a tennis court from above, you will see a couple of horizontal lines running parallel to the end of the court on either side. These lines are called the baselines, and this is where the extent of the game begins and ends, at least from an umpiring point of view.

Players must serve from outside the baseline for it to be legal and attempt to hit the ball into the opponent’s half. They cannot serve from inside the baseline.

At the same time, during a rally, if they hit the ball outside the baseline, it is considered as out, and a point is awarded to their opponent.

Sideline

When a tennis court is viewed from above, four vertical lines are visible running alongside its length. Both these lines are called the sidelines and are marked for the singles and doubles games, respectively. The sideline on the inside is the final point in a singles game, while the one on the outside is the same for doubles.

While the length of the sidelines remains the same as that of the court, the lane created by the two is 1.37 metres wide. The lane takes prominence only in singles matches. In doubles matches, even if the ball falls into the lane, it is considered to be in play, whereas it is not considered so in singles.

Service Line

In each half of the tennis court, a serve line or service line is drawn 6.40 metres away from the net. This is the line till which a player is allowed to serve. 

If their serve falls outside of this area, it is marked as a fault on the first occasion and a double fault on the second consecutive occasion. The player concedes a point when they commit a double fault.

Service Area

The service area in a tennis court is the area which is guarded by the service lines in each half. The mid-points of the two service lines in each half are joined by another line, and this forms the area where the player must serve. However, the service area holds significance only during the service and not afterwards.

Interestingly, players cannot serve directly straight into their opponents’ half; they have to do so in a diagonal manner. If their serve exceeds the service area in front of their opponent by landing out of the service lines, it is called a fault. If it happens two times in a row, it is called a double fault, and a point is conceded.

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