Commonly Asked Tennis Questions

With all the odd scoring and numerous rulesfixture before landing on the opponent's side of the
surrounding tennis, it's no wonder that peoplecourt.
sometimes confuse the rules. To that end, we'veQ: When should players change what side they are
created this article to help you to know the answer toplaying on?
some of the most commonly asked questionsA: Players should switch sides of the court after every
regarding the game of tennis. All rules discussed in thissix points and after a Tiebreak. During the tiebreak, the
article reflect the stance of the International Tennischange must be made immediately with no opportunity
Federation, a governing party of the sport.for break or delay.
Q: What happens when the ball bounces off of a lineQ: What's a foot fault? How can one be called for a
on the court?foot fault?
A: When a ball bounces off of a line on the court, it isA: A foot fault occurs when a player's feet are at rest
generally considered to be a bounce on the inside ofbefore hitting the ball, but they are moved before the
the court that it is protecting. If your opponent hits a ballshot so that a foot hits one of the following positions:
right around the outside line, and you cannot for sure- the court, including the baseline
determine that the ball is out, general rules stipulate that- any part of the imaginary extension of the outer
the opponent should be given the benefit of the doubtmark
and they should receive the point.- anywhere beyond the imaginary extension found
Q: What happens if I hit a ball that hits the net post oroutside of the singles guideline or the doubles guideline,
another court entity and then bounces onto thedepending on the match type.
opponents side of the court?To avoid being called for a foot foul, you should ensure
A: If you hit a ball off of either the net post, the scoringthat your server is relaxed and stationary. This means
device, or any other outside entity besides the netthat you should avoid any type of serve that involves
before bouncing onto your opponent's side, you losemore than one foot's movement to avoid being called
the point due to the fact that the ball hit a permanentfor the foul.