• Public tennis courts are widely available for amateur and recreational play.tennis net image by Warren Millar from Fotolia.com
  
  Tennis is a game that attracts a wide variety of participants, from serious athletes to children and recreational players. Outdoor courts are a common sight in parks and on school campuses. While it can be enjoyable just to bounce a ball back and forth over the net, learning the rules and regulations of tennis is important for any player's development.
  
  

The Players

• Tennis may be played by either two or four players. When one player occupies each side of the court, it is known as a singles game. When there are two teams of two, it is a doubles game. Both types of games begin with a coin toss or, more commonly, a racquet toss, to determine which player or team will serve, and which will receive first. Once sides are chosen, the players may take positions anywhere on their side of the net.
  
  

The Court

• Tennis courts are divided into sections by white lines, which are either painted or laid down in chalk. The two boxes closest to the net, which measure 21 feet long and 13 and 1/2 feet wide, are known as the service boxes. The rear edge of the court, known as the baseline, is 39 feet from the net. The net itself must be 3 and 1/2 feet tall and it must be leveled by means of a tensioner attached to one of the net posts. The court surface should be clean and dry before play begins.The doubles alley is the name given to the additional 4 and 1/2 feet of court width beyond the inner, or singles, sideline. This part of the court is used for doubles play, but is considered out of bounds during singles play.
  
  

Serving

• The server starts by taking a stationery position to one side of the court behind the baseline. Play begins when the server strikes the ball overhand into the opposite service box. If the ball touches the net but continues into the service box, it is a "let" and the server must redo the serve. If the ball fails to land in the service box, it is a fault. Two consecutive faults result in a point for the receiving player or team. After each point, the server once again serves, alternating between the two sides of the court. In doubles play, the teammates on the serving team switch positions so that the same player serves an entire game.
  
  

Play

• Once the server has made a legal serve, the receiving team must return the ball to any part of the server's court with a single racquet strike after only one bounce. The back-and-forth play, known as the volley, continues until a player fails to make a legal return, either by hitting the ball into the net, hitting it out of bounds, or failing to return it after it strikes the court on his or her side of the net. In doubles play, either player may return a volley to any part of the opponent's court at any time. Balls that touch the net but fall into the opponent's court are considered legal returns. In addition, balls that strike the sideline or baseline are considered in bounds.
  
  

Scoring

• Tennis is scored by the server, who announces the score prior to each serve. The opening score is Love-Love (representing zero points for either side). If the server wins the first point, the score becomes 15-Love. If he wins the second point, his score increases to 30-Love. If he wins the third point, the score becomes 40-Love. If he wins the next point, he wins the game. Thus, a player must score at least four points to win.
  
  However, a player must win by a margin of two points. A tie score of 40-40 is called "deuce". Once a player scores a point after deuce, the server announces a score of "advantage in" (if the server scored the point) or "advantage out" (if the receiver scored the point). This represents game point for the player who is one point ahead. The score may return to deuce any number of times before a player gains an advantage and also scores the game point.
  
  After the completion of a game, the old receiver becomes the new server and a new game commences. In regulation tennis, a set consists of either player winning six games, with a margin of at least two games. An amateur match usually consists of a player winning two sets; however, on the professional men's tennis circuit, a player must win three sets to be awarded the match.