Sport guide
Platform tennis
Platform tennis is an outdoor winter doubles game played with perforated paddles and a sponge-rubber ball on a small raised deck surrounded by tight wire screens, which stay in play after the ball bounces. The deck is often heated so snow and ice can be cleared. It is played mainly in the north-eastern United States.
Importance 2 out of 5Importance rating
At a glance
- Also known as
- Paddle (US), Platform paddle
- Court
- 13.41 m × 6.096 m (44 ft × 20 ft)
- Played with
- A paddle and a ball
- Formats
- Doubles, Singles
- Governing body
- American Platform Tennis Association
- Origin
- Devised in 1928 in Scarsdale, New York, USA
The court
Formats
- Doubles
- Singles
How it is played
Platform tennis is a doubles game played outdoors on a small raised court enclosed by wire screens: the ball may be played off the screens after it bounces inside the court. Scoring follows tennis, with games, sets and tiebreakers, but each server gets only one serve.
Explore platform tennis
- RulesServe, scoring, the screens and faults and losing the point, each point from the official rules
- CourtsCourt size 13.41 m × 6.096 m (44 ft × 20 ft), drawn to scale
- Organisations3 organisations, from American Platform Tennis Association to national federations, by region
Related sports
Sources
- Official Rules of Platform Tennis, American Platform Tennis Association, Web page; no edition stated (site copyright 2010-2026)platformtennis.orgOfficial rulebook or governing body (tier 1 of 5)
- What is Platform Tennis?, American Platform Tennis Association, Web page; no edition statedplatformtennis.orgOfficial rulebook or governing body (tier 1 of 5)