There’s hardly a sport more riveting than tennis.

The longer we watch the pros on TV though, the harder and more exhausting it looks. Maybe you are taken in by both the challenge it poses and the fact that tennis has several health benefits.

Though getting the hang of this sport may take some time, you’ll want to brush up on the rules of tennis first. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know.

Basic Rules of Tennis

To learn how to play tennis, let’s begin with the basic tennis rules.

The object is to keep the ball within bounds. During gameplay for doubles, these are the outer white lines.

If you are playing singles, notice the inside lines running parallel up the sides of the court. This is where you must keep the ball in play.

This is not the case for serving, however. Stand behind the baseline (the parallel line farthest from the net) and hit the ball over the net. It must bounce once in the service box before the opponent can hit it.

The service boxes are the smaller squares close to the net. If you miss the service box, you get a second serve. If the ball hits the net, it’s called a “let” and you get another chance to serve.

Under no other circumstances can you touch the net, not even by accident with your racket. You’re not allowed to lean over the net and hit the ball, either.

Understanding Tennis Score

Tennis score can feel like a foreign language to anyone vaguely familiar with the sport.

If you’ve ever heard anyone use the term “love,” it means zero. The goal is to win four points in a game. Instead of one, two, three, and four, you count like this: 15, 30, 40, and “game.”

Once a player wins the game, he or she needs to win five more to win the set. There are two or three sets in every tennis match.

Equipment

Now that you know how tennis score works, we can move on to equipment. Like any sport, it will require some investment if you’re serious about learning how to play tennis.

Aluminum-framed rackets are less expensive than other types. This is the way to go if you aren’t sure you want to commit yet.

No matter how much you decide to spend, it sure would be fun to learn a few tennis swings, wouldn’t it?

To learn a tennis backhand and other tips for playing tennis, click here.

Learn the Rules of Tennis Today

The rules of tennis can seem intimidating for anyone who’s never played. Figuring out how tennis score works can be especially confusing.

However, once you give it a few tries, you’ll find yourself catching on to the tennis rules quickly. Besides, taking the time to learn how to play tennis will certainly be worth it if you discover you love the sport.

To find more tips for playing tennis and other sports, keep exploring our site.