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Rules

Beach tennis: rules

Beach tennis is played on sand, usually as doubles, and the ball is never allowed to bounce: every shot must be hit in the air and sent over the net into the opponents' court. Games use tennis scoring with a deciding point at deuce, sets go to six games, and a match tie-break to ten points replaces a third set.

Importance 3 out of 5Importance rating
RacketWiki EditorsVerified 25 October 20261 source

Serve

  • The server stands at rest behind the baseline, within the sidelines extended, releases the ball by hand in any direction and hits it before it touches the groundSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rule 17 · tier 1
  • There is no second serve, and in mixed doubles the men must serve underarmSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rule 18 · tier 1
  • A serve that touches the net or band and carries on over the net is in play; there is no service letSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rule 22 · tier 1
  • Both teams must stay out of the prohibited service return zone, which runs 3.0 m back from the net on each side, until the serve has been hitSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rule 9 and Appendix I · tier 1
  • The serve is a fault if the server foot-faults, misses the ball, or the ball hits a permanent fixture, the net post, the server or the server's partnerSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rules 19 and 20 · tier 1

Scoring

  • Games are scored love, 15, 30, 40, game; at deuce one deciding point is played (no advantage)Source: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rule 8a · tier 1
  • A set goes to the first team to win six games with a two-game lead; at six games all a tie-break game to seven points is playedSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rules 7 and 8b · tier 1
  • A match is the best of three sets, but at one set all a match tie-break to ten points, with a two-point lead, replaces the final setSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rules 6 and 7 · tier 1

Losing the point

  • A team loses the point if the ball touches the ground inside the court on its side of the net, so every shot must be played in the airSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rule 24b · tier 1
  • A team loses the point if its return lands outside the correct court or hits a permanent fixture or the net post before landingSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rules 24c and 24d · tier 1
  • A player loses the point by touching the net, the posts or the opponents' court while the ball is in play, by hitting the ball before it crosses the net, or if the ball touches them or anything they wear or carry other than their racketSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rules 24f, 24g and 24h · tier 1
  • A team also loses the point if both partners touch the ball on the same returnSource: ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2023, Rule 24j · tier 1

Sources

  1. ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, World Tennis (formerly the International Tennis Federation), 2023 (effective 1 January 2023), as amended by the ITF 2026 amendmentsitftennis.comOfficial rulebook or governing body (tier 1 of 5)