This document provides basic tennis rules for junior high tennis players, focusing on sportsmanship and call guidelines. It explains that players should call balls on their own side of the court and give opponents the benefit of the doubt on close calls. Players are expected to respect each other and resolve scoring disputes respectfully. Officials may be requested if a pattern of bad calls occurs or for other misconduct issues.

1. Basic Tennis Rules
For Great Junior High Tennis

2. Table of Contents
 Sportsmanship
 Making Calls
 Calls on Own Side of the Court
 Out Calls
 Lines are In!
 Getting an Official
 On Court Misconduct

3. Sportsmanship
 Junior high tennis often has no officials
 Respect and sportsmanship from all participants makes for
a more enjoyable experience for all

4. Sportsmanship
 Benefit of the Doubt – basic rule #1
in tennis is that your opponent
should always get the benefit of
the doubt. When unsure of your
own calls, rule in favor of your
opponent.
 Ex. – a ball lands near the baseline,
but you aren’t sure if it was on the
line or out. Based on this concept,
you hit the ball and continue the
point instead of calling it out.
 Good Faith Points – players are in
agreement prior to the point and
participate in the point
 Points played in good faith count
 Don’t stop a point to argue over
the score – corrections should be
made after the point
 Points should NOT be replayed

5. Shaking hands after the match
indicates agreement that the
match is over
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

6. Making Calls – Service Faults
 Service Fault Occurs
When:
 ball doesn’t go over the net
into diagonally opposite
service box
 Server swings and misses
 Server foot faults – steps
over baseline, center mark,
or sideline prior to hitting
the ball
 Returner (and partner) may call faults
 Partners should make calls when they have a
better viewpoint
 Returners can only call foot faults after
warning the server and attempting to get an
official
 If unsure of a call, play the point as if the
serve was good
 Server (and partner) can call faults if:
 1st serve is clearly out and the return is
missed
 2nd serve is clearly out (concedes point)
 Returned 1st serves should be played

7. Let Calls
 Any player may call a let if a serve hits the net and lands in the correct
service box
 Other lets – like a ball from another court rolling on the court – should be
called promptly, the point stopped and replayed
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Let! Let!

8. Calls on Own Side of the Court
 Players make the calls on their own
side of the court, including:
 Out calls
 Player’s own violations
 Ball bouncing twice
 Deliberate double hitting
 Player touching the net
 Ball touching the player – including
catching a ball that would have
been out
 Calls should be made promptly and
clearly
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
The ball hit
me, your
point!

9. Calls on Own Side of the Court - Doubles
 Either partner can make a call in
doubles
 Player with best view should be
the deciding call
 If partners disagree on a call,
benefit should go to the opponent
 In the picture:
 Player by the ball should have
made the call, due to the better
angle
 Partners disagreed, point should go
to the opponentsThis Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Out!
In!

10. Out Calls
 Players make out calls on their side
of the net (opponent’s shots)
 Make calls loud and clear, visually
and verbally
 Only balls clearly seen out should
be called out
 If you’re unsure, play the ball as if
it was in
 If you call a ball out, then realize
it was in, give the point to your
opponent
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Out!
This ball should be
called out because the
player is not facing the
baseline and doesn’t
clearly see it land out.

11. Lines Are In!
 Balls landing on the line are
considered in play
 If you can’t clearly see space
between the ball and line, play it
 Picture – the ball lands mostly out,
but is touching the line so it is in
play

12. Getting an Official
 Remember, sportsmanship and respect are expected, but you may find the
need to get an impartial official.
 These are often coaches and tournament directors in junior high
 Appropriate times to get an official:
 A PATTERN of bad calls
 Flagrant, repeated foot faults
 Stalling
 Needing medical attention
 A scoring dispute (after attempting to resolve it on court)
 Conflicts are reduced when you follow the #1 rule of giving your opponent the
benefit of the doubt

13. Misconduct and Point Penalties
 Certain actions can result in
penalties on court
 Misconduct includes:
 Profanity or obscenity
 Abuse of racket, balls, or
equipment
 Verbal or physical abuse of a player
 Retaliatory calls (bad calls because
an opponent makes a bad call)
 Failure to follow instructions of an
official
 Other unsportsmanlike conduct
Offense Penalty
First Offense Loss of a point
Second Offense Loss of a game
Third Offense Default of the
match
Some severe offenses may result in
immediate default of a match

14. Resources
 Rules presented above are from the Friend at Court Rules and Regulations
publication from the USTA, which include official ITF rules and the Code.
 Friend at Court 2020. (2020). Retrieved from
https://www.usta.com/content/dam/usta/officiating/2020 Friend at
Court.pdf