The document provides an overview of basic tennis gameplay rules for junior high tennis, including: - The singles court dimensions and doubles alleys. Scoring is no ad with the first to 4 points winning a game. - Doubles partners must decide their serving and returning order, which stays the same for the set. Partners rotate after each point is played. - Tiebreaks occur at 6-6 in a set, with the first to 7 points winning as long as they are ahead by 2 points.

1. Basic Tennis Gameplay
For Junior High Tennis

2. Table of Contents
 The Court
 Tennis Scoring
 Tie Breaks
 Starting a Match
 Singles Gameplay
 Doubles Gameplay
 Doubles Gameplay Rotation
Simulation
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed
under CC BY-NC-ND

3. The Court
Singles – baseline to baseline; inside singles
sidelines
Doubles – add doubles alleys to singles court
Service Box – does not extend during doubles
play

4. Scoring
Tennis Scoring
No Point Love
First Point 15
Second Point 30
Third Point 40
Tied 40-40 Deuce
Fourth Point Game
No Ad Scoring – most junior high tennis is ”no
ad” scoring
- First to 4 wins
- Tied 40-40 (3-3) is deuce; returner
decides the side to receive serve
Ad Scoring – no used in junior high; only
change is player must win a game by 2 points
Set Scoring – first to 6 games, if winning by 2
- Occasionally may play to 8 games
- Set score of 6-6 leads to tie-breaker game

5. Tie-Breaker Games
 When set scores are tied at 6-6
 First player to reach 7 points wins
 Must win by 2 points
 Score counted 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7  Serve Rotation in tie-breaker
 Next server serves first for 1 point
 Opponent serves for next 2 points
 Players rotate serve every 2 points
 Switch ends after 6 points
 Play continue until someone
reaches 7 points, with a 2 point
margin

6. Starting a Match
 Choice of Ends/Serve
 Coin flip/racket spin
 Winner of the flip chooses:
 Serve or receive, or
 End of the court to start on, or
 Forces opponent to make the
choice
 Warm-up begins on appropriate
ends of the court
 Warm-up
 5 minute warm up
 Not playing points, attempt to hit
the ball to your opponent
 Serves should be warmed up within
this 5 minutes

7. Singles Gameplay
 Serving (order)
 Coin flip winner serves first game
(player A)
 Serves behind the baseline on right
side of the center mark
 Serve must land in diagonally
opposite service box
 Server gets 2 chances to hit the
serve in play for each point
 Point is played out in singles court
 Game continues with same server
until one player reaches 4 points This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Server
Returner

8. Singles Play – Serving, cont’d
Game Server
1 (switch ends after) Player A
2 Player B
3 (switch ends after) Player A
4 Player B
5 (switch ends after) Player A
6 Player B
7 (switch ends after) Player A
Continue in this pattern until set
ends…
 Players alternate serves after each
game.
 After the first game, then every
other game, players switch ends of
the court
 In singles, players switch ends
after the first server (Player A)
serves a game

9. Singles Gameplay
 Returning
 Stands diagonal of server
 Somewhere behind the service line
 Stand closer for softer serves;
further back for harder serves
 Responsible for out calls on serve
 If unsure, play the return and point
 Return, and all other shots, can
land anywhere in singles court
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Server
Returner

10. The match ends when one player wins the appropriate
amount of games (usually 6 or 8 in junior high)
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11. Doubles Gameplay
 Gameplay is like singles
 Pre-match flip/spin is the same; as is warm-up
 In doubles, warm-up should include 2 balls
 Opponents can partner up to warm up, or
 Partners can choose to warm each other up

12. Doubles Gameplay
Other than the serve, the doubles alleys are in play during doubles points

13. Doubles Gameplay – serve order
 Serve Order
 All players alternate service games
 Teams decide who serves first
 First team (Team A) to serve
chooses a partner to serve (A1)
 Opposing team (Team B) chooses a
partner to serve 2nd game (B1)
 Team A’s second player (A2) serves
the 3rd game
 Team B’s second player (B2) serves
the 4th game
 This serve order must stay the
same for the set/match
Game Server
1 (switch ends) A1
2 B1
3(switch ends) A2
4 B2
5 (switch ends) A1
6 B1
7 (switch ends) A2
8 B2
This order continues until
set/match is over

14. Doubles Gameplay – Return Order
 Return Order
 Partners decide return
order, but it has to
stay the same for the
set/match
 Partner returning the
first point (on the
right, or deuce side)
must keep returning on
that side
 Returning teams rotate
up and back; serving
teams rotate left and
right
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Server
Returner A
Returner B
Server’s
Partner

15. Doubles Gameplay – Return Order
 Return Order
 When teams change
ends, returners need
to return on the same
side of the court
 The serving team will
switch roles, as well
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Serving
Team A
Returner A
Returner B
Serving
Team B

16. Serve and Return Rotation
Simulation
The following slides show how doubles partners should rotate after each
point. This rotation would continue until the end of the game.

17. Doubles Gameplay – Serve and Return
Order Example
 After 1st
Point
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Server
Returner A
Returner B
Server’s
Partner

18. Doubles Gameplay – Serve and Return
Order Example
 After 2nd
Point
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Server
Returner A
Returner B Server’s
Partner

19. Doubles Gameplay – Serve and Return
Order Example
 After 3rd
Point
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Server
Returner A
Returner B
Server’s
Partner

20. Doubles Gameplay – Serve and Return
Order Example
 After 4th
Point
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Server
Returner A
Returner B Server’s
Partner

21. Gameplay
 Rotation would continue in this order until the game finishes.