Tennis Etiquette
Also known as: tennis manners, court etiquette, unwritten rules of tennis, tennis sportsmanship, returning a stray ball, return a ball to another court, walking behind a tennis court, calling the score in tennis
Basic tennis etiquette: warm your opponent up by hitting to them, announce the score before each point when serving, and make prompt, fair calls. Wait until a point ends before walking behind a court or returning a stray ball. Then send the ball straight to a player. Shake hands at the end.
The warm-up comes first. The Code says each player should give the opponent a warm-up of five to ten minutes, hitting directly to them. Warm-up is not practice. Take all your warm-up serves before the first serve of the match, and return the opponent's serves at a moderate pace. During the match, the server announces the game score before the first point of each game and the point score before every point.
Stray balls cause most friction between courts. Each player clears balls and objects from their own end, and must honour an opponent's request to remove one. Do not walk behind another court, or ask for your ball, while their point is in play. When a ball comes from the next court, wait until their point ends. Then return it directly to a player, preferably the server. Put towels outside the net post or at the back fence, never on the net.
The rest is courtesy. Points played in good faith stand. Give the opponent the benefit of any doubt on calls. Do not hit back an obvious fault serve as if it were in play. Keep noise down for nearby courts. The Code also treats every point the same, from the first to match point. A handshake at the end acknowledges that the match is over.
Tips by skill level
Call the score out loud before every point you serve. It prevents more arguments than anything else you can do.
In the warm-up, feed the opponent rhythm balls to both wings. It is courtesy, and it also shows you their strengths early.
Example
A ball rolls in from the next court mid-rally. After the point, the player picks it up, waits for the neighbours to finish their point, and rolls it straight to their server.
Why it matters
Most tennis is played without officials, often beside other matches. Shared etiquette keeps play safe, fair and pleasant for everyone on the courts.
Common mistakes
- Treating the warm-up as personal practice and hitting away from the opponent
- Forgetting to call the score, which leads to disputes later
- Walking behind a court or asking for a ball while their point is live
- Hitting an obvious fault back hard to the server
Frequently asked questions
What is basic tennis etiquette?
Warm up your opponent by hitting to them, call the score before each point when serving, and make prompt, fair line calls. Wait for a point to end before crossing behind a court or returning a ball, and shake hands at the end.
How do you return a ball to another court?
Wait until the point on that court is over, then send the ball directly to one of the players, preferably the server. Never roll it in during their point, and do not go behind their court to fetch your own ball mid-point.
Who calls the score in tennis?
The server. The Code says the server announces the game score before the first point of each game and the point score before every point.
Sources
Related terms
- Line Calls Without Officials (The Code)In matches without officials, each player calls the balls on their own side of the net, and any doubt goes to the opponent. Calls must be prompt and clear, out loud or with a hand signal. If an opponent makes a pattern of bad calls, The Code says you may contact an official.
- Let During a RallyIf a ball from another court rolls onto yours mid-point, any player on your court may call a let as soon as they see it. The whole point is then replayed, and the server gets two serves again. Call it right away, because playing on and then asking for a let is not allowed.
- Tennis ScoringPoints in a tennis game go love (zero), 15, 30, 40, then game, and the server's score is called first. At 40-40, called deuce, a player must win two points in a row to take the game. The first to six games wins the set by two, usually with a tiebreak at 6-6, and matches are best of three or five sets.
- HindranceA hindrance is something that stops you playing a point fairly. If an opponent hinders you on purpose, you win the point. If it is accidental, like an opponent's hat or a ball falling from their pocket, the point is replayed. Stop play right away to claim it.
- Ball on the Line (Line Rule)A ball that touches any part of a line is in. Under ITF Rule 12, the line counts as part of the court it marks. In matches without officials, The Code says a ball is good unless you clearly see space between where it landed and the line.
Related guides & benchmarks
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