A Complete Step by Step Guide on How to Play Tennis

Have you ever wished to learn how to play tennis and become a professional athlete like Serena Williams or Roger Federer? As one of the most popular sports in the world, tennis is a lovely dream to have. However, for a newbie, comprehension of various rules and techniques can be overwhelming at first. Even your favorite athlete has probably felt this way at some point, but clearly, they haven’t. Therefore, that’s no excuse for you to give up! 

Tennis is an excellent method to maintain your physical fitness, be active, and have fun—even if you never make it to the professional ranks. With a little effort, you can learn all the basics you need to know quickly. Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about how to play tennis for beginners.

Why Play Tennis?

Tennis offers several advantages for the mind and body. It enhances your agility, balance, and hand-eye coordination. Like any physically demanding sport, tennis can help you stay fit and healthy while lowering your stress levels. Tennis tactics require quick thinking, which improves your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Examples include decision-making of body weight shifting, hitting cross-court, going down the line, or attempting an overhead smash.

Tennis requires at least two players per match in addition to these advantages, which enhance social skills and, if you play doubles, your teamwork ability.

How to Prepare Yourself for Playing Tennis?

Let’s have a look at how to prepare for tennis before playing. We will look at specific and overall preparations: prepare you as much as possible for a tennis match.

Positive Mental Conditioning

We frequently discuss physical warming, but mental warming is equally significant. Because it is our brain, the pilot of our body, that helps us duplicate movements, which is undoubtedly an important aspect in performing any sport. Positive mental conditioning improves your chances of success. Positive thinking increases our chances of taking the appropriate actions to achieve the desired results. To do this, simply repeat positive, inspiring words to yourself on a regular basis. The more you believe in yourself, the more your brain believes you can achieve.

Select a Place to Play

Tennis can be played in a park, a gym, or in a tennis club. Look up the best local courts online or ask friends. Most parks allow you to play for free, but you will most likely have to pay a membership fee to play anywhere else.

Basic serving methods can be practiced in any broad, open area, but it is better to spend as much time as possible on actual courts. You’ll learn the court layout faster and have a lower danger of destroying anything with your racquet or ball.

Buy Tennis Equipment

You don’t have to buy professional-grade tennis equipment right immediately, but every beginner will need a few basics to get started. If your gym or tennis club does not provide basic materials, you will need to go shopping.

• Tennis Ball

A standard tennis ball should weigh 56-59.4 grams and measure 6.54-6.86 cm in diameter, according to the International Tennis Federation (ITF). They should be yellow or white in color, but most are yellow. As they get lost easily, it is a good idea if you buy at least 3 tennis balls. As a beginner, you can choose soft, pressureless balls. You can either choose green, orange, or red balls, defending on their skill levels.

• Tennis Racket

A tennis racket cannot be more than 73.7 cm long and 31.7 cm wide. The racket must have a frame with durable strings, commonly made of nylon and interwoven in a crossing and bonded pattern, as well as a handle.

All you have to do as a novice is make sure your hand fits comfortably around the handle. The racquet should not be too heavy to move, but neither should it feel light. There are racquets for both men and women, but in most cases, fit should take precedence over  

• Tennis Net

Tennis nets for your court can help you create the ideal setting for playing the game. Given the versatility of a decent tennis court, you should also look for good portable tennis nets. You can maximize the usage of your tennis court by assembling a small collection of suitable netting for various activities.

Buy Tennis Clothes

Before purchasing tennis clothes, check with your gym or club to see if they have any specific dress restrictions. Otherwise, any loose, comfortable sporting clothes would suffice.

• You might need to purchase tennis shoes, tennis shirts and shorts, and tennis skirts for women if you attend more exclusive clubs. This isn’t always the case, though.
• Tennis shoes are ideal for playing tennis, but any pair of sneakers would suffice. When buying, choose the best tennis shoe for maximum comfort.

Find Your Opponent

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll need an opponent to practice against. If you find someone playing on the court in your neighborhood, ask them if they’d be willing to teach you. If not, ask friends and family or look out for a local tennis association online.

Learn The Basics Rules of Tennis

Even if you’ve prepared and warmed up, you should still be familiar with all of the fundamentals of tennis before you take the court. To win each point, you can use a variety of tennis grips and maneuvers, such as drop shots, backhand volleys, lobs, or forehand strokes. However, knowing all of the basics of tennis is necessary to play your best tennis:

Parts of The Court

• To begin learning how to play tennis, you must become acquainted with the different areas of the court. Before you start practicing, spend some time exploring the court, as different areas are better suited for different kinds of techniques.
• Tennis courts are divided by a net, with your opponent on one side and you on the other. You are not permitted to hit or touch the net while playing.
• The farthest parallel line from the net is known as the baseline. Players stand here for the opening serve.
• A narrower line divides the net and baseline. It is the service line, and the area between the net and service line is termed the service box. Your serves must land in this area.
• The small line that crosses the middle of the baseline is known as the center mark. You must stand to the left or right of this symbol in order to serve.
• Vertical segments that run perpendicular to the net divide the service area. This creates a left and right division in the service area.
• Two lines perpendicular to the net on either side delineate the boundaries of the court. Doubles are played on the outer line; singles are played on the inside line.

Basic Tennis Scoring System

Throughout the game, one player serves the ball. Both players can score a point while the ball is in play. A point is awarded when a player fails to return the ball, hits it out of bounds, or makes an error (for example, striking the net and the ball not landing inbounds).

• A game is won when one player scores at least four points and leads the other by at least two. For example, if the score is 4-2, the game is done; but, if the score is 4-3, the game continues until one player has a two-point advantage.
• A tennis match begins with both players at 0, which is known as ‘love.’ The scoring goes as follows: one point is called ‘fifteen,’ two points ‘thirty,’ and three points ‘forty.’ If both players reach 40, it is known as ‘deuce,’ and a player must win two consecutive points to win the game.
• A point is earned by preventing the ball from falling out of bounds, hitting the net, or bouncing twice in your direction. Breaking the serve occurs when the player who did not serve wins the game

Learn How Many Sets in Tennis

Tennis is played in sets; you don’t play a single match before heading home! At least six games make for a set. Until one player leads their opponent by two games and has won at least six games, the set does not end. They have to keep playing until the winner has two more wins than the loser. For instance, if one player has won six games and the other has won five, the game will go on.

• Normally, a tie-breaking game is triggered if both players win six games each.
• A typical tennis match consists of three or five sets.

Learn How to Win a Tennis Match

To win a game, a player normally has to win four points with a two-point difference, and a set requires at least six games with a two-game difference. In a best-of-five sets match, a player or team must win three sets; in a best-of-three sets competition, they must win two sets.

• After the first, third, and each odd game in a set concludes, players must switch ends. After a set is over, the players also trade ends.
• If both players win six games apiece in a set (6-6), the match goes to a tiebreaker.
• In a tiebreaker, the points are assigned in the following order: 1, 2, 3, and so on. To win a tiebreaker (and thus the set), a player or team must win at least seven points with a two-point margin.
• For a player or team to win both the tiebreaker and the set in a 6-6 tiebreaker, they must win two straight points.
• After the first point of a tiebreaker, the serve changes hands. Following that, the serve switches every two points. After the first six points, the players switch ends of the tiebreaker.

Practice Hitting the Ball with Racket

Before you begin serving or playing, familiarize yourself with your racquet and ball. Toss the ball in the air and hit it until you can hit it hard multiple times in a succession. For now, simply focus on developing a feel for the ball and your racquet. Don’t worry too much about accuracy.

Learn How to Execute a Forehand Stroke

The forehand stroke is executed by gripping the racquet in your dominant hand, as if you were shaking hands. 

You have to practice some steps consistently to develop a smooth and powerful forehand stroke.

• For a powerful forehand, use an Eastern or Semi-Western grip. This enables increased spin and control.
• Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. This promotes movement and balance.
• As the ball approaches, shift your shoulders sideways, twist your hips, and retract your racquet. Keep your non-dominant hand facing toward the ball to ensure proper alignment.
• Begin low and build up speed as you travel forward. Make contact with the ball in front of you, at hip level. In order to produce topspin, try brushing up on the ball.
• After striking the ball, let your racquet travel across your body, elbow high. This helps to keep power and control.
• Move your feet and alter your position as necessary to improve ball placement and balance.

Try The Backhand Stroke

The backhand is one of the most straightforward strokes to learn. 

• The Eastern backhand grip is ideal for a one-handed backhand. For a two-handed backhand, employ the Continental grip on your dominant hand and an Eastern forehand grip on your non-dominant hand.
• Begin in a closed or neutral position, with your non-dominant shoulder facing the net. To maintain balance, keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
• As the ball approaches, twist your shoulders and hips to bring the racquet back. Keep your non-dominant hand on the racquet for control (in a two-handed backhand) and point your non-racquet hand towards the ball for alignment.
• Begin your swing low and move it upward as you step into the shot. Hit the ball in front of your body while keeping your wrist stiff. Extend your arm fully for a one-handed backhand. Make sure both hands remain on the racquet during contact while using a two-handed backhand.
• Allow the racquet to travel through your body and finish close to your opposing shoulder. This aids in preserving force and coordination for the entire stroke.
• Keeping your weight forward will help you swing smoothly and with balance as you step into the shot with your front foot.

Whether your goal is power or accuracy, you can improve your backhand stroke with practice.

Learn How to Volley

Volleying is one approach to returning a low serve. Volleys come in two varieties: forehand and backhand. Using your dominant hand, hold the racquet with the back of your hand facing the baseline during the forehand volley. Just hit the ball by leaning in close and low.

With the exception of facing the net with your back hand, the backhand volley is comparable to the conventional volley. Backhand volleys are comparable to kneeling and elbowing someone out of the way.

How to Play Tennis

If you’ve been practicing with a buddy or tennis coach and believe your abilities are ready for a genuine match, follow the steps below:

Decide Who Serves First

When playing tennis, one player serves first. Most players make their decisions by tossing a coin, and the person who isn’t serving typically gets to pick which side of the court to play on. The server will continue to serve till the game concludes. The opponent will serve in the next game.

Position Yourself in a Baseline Corner

Take up a position in the baseline corner. Both participants begin the game on the baseline. The server selects a corner of the baseline to serve from, while the other player sets himself in the opposite back corner. Your opponent will be at the far left corner if you serve from the right side of the court.

Standing with your back to the other corner is how you should position yourself. Keep one foot around 45 centimeters (18 inches) inside the court and the other just above the baseline.

Hold Your Racket Out

There is no correct method to grip the racquet as long as your hand is around the handle. Hold the racquet firmly in your dominant hand and extend your arm until the head is nearly parallel to your head.

When you are not serving, you can grip the racquet with both hands. Typically, the dominant hand grips the top of the handle while the other hand grips the bottom, although there is no essential position as long as your hand or hands remain on the handle alone.

Use Your Opposite Hand to Throw the Ball into the Air

Use your opposite hand to throw the ball into the air. Toss the tennis ball in the air toward your racquet when serving. Before you begin your official serve, you are welcome to bounce the ball on the court or toss it around without using your racquet. Before you serve, acclimate yourself to the ball’s characteristics.

If you want to practice tossing, do not strike it with your racquet. This is considered a fault, which could cost your opponent a point! Save your practice hits for times when there are no games. If you are not serving, continue to grip your racquet and wait.

Serve the Ball to the Service Area

As soon as the ball gets close to the head of your racquet, slam it diagonally in the direction of the other player’s service area. Target the portion of the service area nearest to them. Getting the ball to bounce once before they return the serve is the aim.

• In the event that the ball makes contact with the net while traveling across the court, this is known as “let,” and the serve may be extended.
• When the ball remains on your side of the court, travels out of bounds, or you miss the serve completely, it is considered a “fault.” If you make two mistakes in a serve, your opponent wins the point, and the game moves on to the next one. However, you are only allowed one do-over for each error.

Run to the opposite Back Corner and Hit the Ball Back

As soon as you serve the ball, run to the other side of your baseline. Using your racquet’s face slightly upward, strike the ball forcefully. Don’t worry if you make mistakes in your first few attempts at returning the service; it takes some practice to understand how to do it correctly.

Continue until the Point is Won

Play until one of you wins a point—a point is only given when the ball goes out of play! A beginner’s point total will likely be issued rapidly, but points can endure anywhere from a few seconds to many minutes. When the point is given, call the score and continue to serve until the game and set are won.

Practice Advanced Techniques

Now let’s learn some advanced techniques that will help you if you are unsure about how to play tennis by yourself.

Strike an Overhead Return

When the other player lobs the ball high above your head, you attempt to crash it down on his side, making it practically hard for him to return. This is known as an overhead return. Wait till you’re served a really high ball before trying this one; it won’t work on a regular serve.

• Hold your racquet behind your head, allowing it to graze your back.
• Using the same motion as when serving, slam the ball down over the net with your racquet when it’s almost over your head. Aim for the opposing side of the court from your opponent.
• You can also conduct an overhead serve by following the same steps as when serving.

Add Topspin to Your Strokes

Adding topspin to your shots can cause the ball to bounce higher and move faster. Instead of striking the ball squarely in the middle of your racquet as you normally would, deflect it.

• Hit the ball on its side using your racquet.
• After hitting the side of the ball, raise the racquet and strike the top of the ball. As a result, rather than traveling straight ahead, the ball spins in an upward arc.

Learn How to Slice the Ball

Slicing the ball allows you to modify its trajectory and slow it down enough to lose momentum, causing it to halt on your opponent’s court before they can reach it.

• To slice the ball, strike it from below first.
• Then, instantly bring the racquet forward to your opponent’s side. This slows down the ball as it approaches, increasing your opponent’s chances of missing.

Play on a Variety of Surfaces

Tennis can be played on a number of different surfaces, each with its own effect on your playing speed and talents. Learning to play tennis on multiple surfaces can greatly improve your skills.

• In North America, the most popular hard surfaces are asphalt and acrylic. They are ideal for beginners because the surface allows for more bounces, although they can be difficult on players’ joints.
• Clay surfaces are particularly widespread in Europe and Latin America, and they slow down gameplay. The ball also bounces higher on a clay court.
• Wimbledon uses grass courts. Grass court games are usually very rapid because the ball bounces less and the player is more likely to miss a serve.

Analyze Your Opponent’s Strategy

• Tennis skills will teach you to watch your opponent and use their strategies and preferences against them. It takes a long time to master this skill, so don’t give up if you can’t do it right away.
• Many players—especially novices—find that one stroke is all they need. You can train your opponent to serve low balls with the backhand if you observe that they like to hit the ball high with their forehand.
• Playing close to the net causes high emotions in a lot of players. Find out how your rival feels about playing close to the net. Serve the ball near the net to compel them to move up if they spend most of their time on the baselines.
• Find out how your opponent serves. Each player has a unique way of serving. Make sure you’re ready to return the ball if your opponent serves it to you regularly from the same height and direction!
• Examine your opponent’s personality traits. An opponent who is agitated or anxious is a feeble foe. You can take advantage of their lack of focus on the game, anger, or inability to make easy shots by throwing them off guard with a variety of confusing shots.

Learn How to Play Doubles Tennis

Doubles tennis is played with two players per side rather than one. You will use a larger court, but the rest of the scoring and rules will remain the same. The most difficult aspect of doubles tennis for novices is learning how to engage with their teammates. To learn the greatest doubles tennis methods, ask your friends that play tennis.

There is also a variation known as Canadian doubles, in which one side has two players and the other has one. It is typically played when the singles player is significantly more advanced than the doubles player.

Final Words

This is our overall guide on how to play tennis for beginners. To enhance your game, focus on appropriate footwork, positioning, and timing. As your talents improve, recognize the significance of shot selection, court awareness, and mental focus. Whether you’re playing for fun or competition, consistency and practice are essential for improving your performance. Above all, enjoy the game and have fun!

Frequently Asked Questions