Server and Receiver

One of the important rules for playing tennis: To determine who serves first, one player will spin the racket and the opponent would choose up or down, up meaning the letters fall upright and down meaning the letters are facing down. The player who wins the call has the option of whether to serve first or which side of the net to be on first.

To better understand the rules of tennis, let's have an example: If player A wins the call and opts to serve, player B will have the choice of courts. Player A stands behind the baseline to the right of the center mark, and serves the ball into Player B's right service court. Player A is allowed to serve twice.

Faults

Any disobedience of tennis rules is considered to be a fault. Other possible faults are as follows: If you swing and miss the ball; If you hit the ball into the net; If the ball bounces into the service court but hits the net post or any other permanent fixture. Stepping on or over the baseline before the racquet hits the ball is considered to be a "foot fault". However, you may step on or over the line after your racquet has come in contact with the ball. A tip from the pros: it is absolutely legal to lean over the line without touching it during a serve.

The Let Service

A "let" service may be called when, on your service, the ball skims over the top of the net, but continues into the service court of your opponent. Let service may also be called when you serve the ball into the opposite service court before your opponent is ready. Let service is not considered a fault, and will not count as one of your two serves. Further, if you toss the ball and catch it without swinging, it will not count as a serve and you may serve again as per the rules for tennis.

After the first point is won, the player serves from the left of the center mark for the second point, and must serve the ball into the opponent's left service court. After the next point, the player moves back to the right again and is the server all through the game, changing the position after each point is played. The receiver or opponent can select any position they want.

If the receiver tells the server that he or she is not ready, but attempts to return the service and fails, the receiver is considered ready and the server scores a point. A point will also be called against the receiver if he or she strikes a service during the server's volley, before the ball has had time to bounce. Once the ball has been served, the server or the receiver can hit the ball either on a volley or following a bounce.

There are other circumstances in which a player can lose a point after service. This may happen if a player's racquet or article of clothing touches the net, if a player hits the ball more than once, if the ball touches a player or clothing, if a player plays the ball before it passes over the net, or if a player tosses his or her racquet at the ball and hits it.

A ball is considered playable if the ball lands on either the baseline or sideline, if a player returns a ball that has hit the top of the net and landed on the proper court and if a returned ball hits the net post but lands in the proper court. The player using the court where the ball lands will determine whether the ball is in or out.

There are concrete and fundamental rules in the game of tennis, although these may vary slightly in professional tournaments and championships.