Home » Sport » Sports dimensions » Tennis

Dimensions for Tennis

Tennis is a game played between either two players (singles) or two teams of two players (doubles). Players use a stringed racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent’s court so that they fail to return the ball.

Related topics:

The information in this guide is general in nature and cannot be relied upon as professional advice concerning the design of, or marking out for, sporting facilities and playing areas. No assurance is given as to the accuracy of any information contained in this guide and readers should not rely on its accuracy. Readers should obtain their own independent and professional advice in relation to their proposed sporting activity.

The court

The court is a rectangle, 23.77m long and for singles matches, 8.23m wide. For doubles matches, the court is 10.97m wide.

The court is divided across the middle by a net suspended by a cord or metal cable attached to two net posts 1.07m high. The net is fully extended and small enough mesh so a ball cannot pass through it. The height of the net is 0.914m at the centre, where it is held down tightly by a white strap. A white band covers the cord or metal cable and the top of the net.

For doubles matches, the net posts are 0.914m outside the doubles court on each side. For singles matches the centres of the net posts are 0.914m outside the singles court on each side.

Line markings

All court measurements are made to the outside of the lines and all lines of the court are the same colour clearly contrasting with the colour of the surface.

Baselines are lines at the ends of the court. Each baseline is divided in half by a centre mark, 10cm long and parallel with the singles sidelines. The baseline is up to 10cm wide.

Sidelines are the lines at the sides of the court.

Service lines are two lines between the singles sidelines 6.40m from each side of the net, parallel with the net.

The centre service line is on each side of the net.The area between the service line and the net is divided into two equal parts by the centre service line and is called the service courts. The centre service line is parallel with the singles sidelines and halfway between them. The centre service line and centre mark is 5cm wide.

Space around the court

For international competitions, the minimum distance between baselines and backstops is 6.4m. The minimum distance between side lines and sidestops is 3.66m.

For recreational and club play, the minimum distance between baselines and backstops is 5.48m. The minimum distance between sidelines and sidestops is 3.05m.

The minimum height to the ceiling is 9.14m for indoor tennis. Where courts are constructed within the confines of a common enclosure, the distance between sidelines is not less than 3.658m.

Court surfaces

There are several types of courts depending on the materials used for the court surface. Each playing surface has its own unique characteristics which affect the playing style of the game. The table below identifies generic court surfaces type and description as provided by the International Tennis Federations (ITF).

Type of surface
Acrylic textured, pigmented, resin-bound coating
Artificial clay synthetic surface with the appearance of clay
Artificial grass synthetic surface with the appearance of natural grass
Asphalt bitumen-bound aggregate
Carpet textile of polymeric material supplied in rolls or sheets
Clay unbound mineral aggregate
Concrete cement-bound aggregate
Grass natural grass
Other modular systems (tiles), wood, canvas


Tennis court layout

Lighting

The fundamental requirement of a tennis lighting installation is the control of the brightness of the ball and the background against which it is viewed. The ball must be visible regardless of its location and speed. The Australian Standard for outdoor tennis courts for recreational and residential is 250 lux, club competition and commercial 350 lux and national and international 1000 lux. It is recommended that floodlights be installed at a minimum of 6m for residential and recreational and 8m for club competition and above.

The following types of lighting systems are used for lighting outdoor tennis courts. Further technical information is available in Australian Standard 2560.2.1.

Lighting system Description Advantages Disadvantages
Side lighting four or six poles adjacent to sides of the court less glare, lower poles, easier to control spill light pole locations if more than one court is to be lit
Corner lighting only four luminaires are used situated at each corner of the court high level of illuminance on ball surface, suitable for two or more courts where limited room is available between courts glare from luminaires, higher poles, difficult to control spill light
Hybrid lighting combination of side and corner lighting on a multi-court installation less glare, lower poles, easier to control spill light not suited to the use of side or corner lighting fittings
 
Other related pages Where would you like to go next?