Paddle tennis is quite similar to regular tennis in terms of strokes, grips, scoring and strategy. Learning the rules of the game will help a person interested in the game understand how to play and enjoy the sport. Compared to tennis, the court is smaller in paddle tennis. The net is lower and the game played with a solid paddle rather than a strung racquet. The game is gaining a reputation across many countries around the world where leagues and tournaments are frequently organized. Court Paddle tennis courts are constructed using the same materials as tennis courts or can be placed on hard beach sand. A court measures 50 feet baseline-to-baseline and 20 feet wide with service line 3 feet in from the baseline. The net measures 31 inches. All players must keep both feet behind the restraint line until after the player who is not serving has struck the ball. All paddle tennis rules are similar to tennis. Rules A server is only allowed one underhand serve during the game. In singles, a server must allow return of a serve to bounce once before rushing towards the net. An official paddle tennis ball is pressurized so that when it is dropped from six feet down to the court surface, the bounce should not be less than 31 inches (the height of the net) and no more than 33 inches. The regulation court is 50 feet long by 20 feet wide. Singles and doubles use the same court. People may desire to play doubles which is more strategic and social than singles. A point starts when someone serves the ball in from behind baseline into the box on the other side of the court beyond the net. Paddle tennis only allows one serve which means if a person misses, the point is forfeited. If the serve goes in, game play continues with each player trying to hit the ball inside the white lines on the other side of the court. A ball can bounce off the fence then be hit back into the other court for continued play. It is allowable to play it ‘off the screen’ or ‘off the wires,’ a key difference from tennis. In paddle tennis, a person cannot just hit a smash because it is possible to play off the wire. If a ball goes into the wire itself, the point is forfeited. The ball must be hit directly onto the court. Scoring As in tennis, scoring begins at “love” and continues love, 15, 30, 40, game. If both teams are tied at 40, game score becomes ‘deuce.’ When a team wins a point at deuce, the advantage goes to them so that if another point is won, the game is over. A set is completed by 6 games (won by 2) with best of 3 games making a match.
