If you’ve never played tennis before, this is where to start.
Tennis is a racquet sport where players hit a ball back and forth over a net. The basic idea is simple: send the ball into your opponent’s side of the court in a way that they cannot legally return it.
But before learning forehands, backhands, serves and footwork, it helps to understand what actually happens during a tennis game.
In this lesson, you’ll learn the basic objective of tennis, how a point works, the difference between singles and doubles and what you can expect when you step onto a court for the first time.
Quick Answer
Tennis is played between two players in singles or four players in doubles.
Players use racquets to hit a tennis ball over a net and into the opponent’s court. A point continues until one player or team fails to make a legal return.
Points are used to win games, games are used to win sets and sets determine the winner of the match.
You don’t need to understand every rule or technique before you begin. Start by learning how the game works, then develop your skills one step at a time.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this lesson, you should understand:
- The basic objective of tennis
- How a tennis point begins and ends
- The difference between singles and doubles
- The basic role of the serve
- How players win points
- How points, games, sets and matches fit together
- What beginners should learn next
1. What Is the Objective of Tennis?
The objective of tennis is to win points by hitting the ball into your opponent’s court in a way they cannot legally return.
A net divides the court into two sides.
During a point, players take turns hitting the ball over the net.
Your shot generally needs to:
- Travel over the net
- Land inside the correct boundaries
- Be returned before the ball bounces twice
If your opponent cannot make a legal return, you win the point.
If you fail to make a legal shot, your opponent usually wins the point.
That creates the basic pattern of tennis:
Serve → Return → Rally → Point ends
Then the players prepare for the next point.
2. How Does a Tennis Point Work?
Every tennis point begins with a serve.
One player is the server and the other is the receiver.
The server starts behind the baseline and serves the ball diagonally into the correct service box on the opponent’s side of the court.
If the serve is successful, the receiver attempts to return it.
From there, the players hit the ball back and forth. This exchange is called a rally.
The rally continues until someone wins or loses the point.
For example:
Player A serves.
Player B returns the serve.
Player A hits a forehand.
Player B hits a backhand.
Player A hits the ball into the net.
The point is over.
Player B wins that point.
Then another point begins.
You don’t need long rallies to play tennis. A point can end on the serve, after one return or after many shots.
3. Singles vs Doubles
Tennis can be played in two main formats.
Singles
Singles is played between two players.
One player occupies each side of the court.
Because you’re responsible for covering your entire side, singles can involve a lot of movement.
Doubles
Doubles is played between four players, with two players on each team.
The doubles court is slightly wider because the outer sidelines are used.
Players also need to communicate and work with their partner.
The basic objective remains the same in both formats: win points by making legal shots that your opponent or opponents cannot successfully return.
4. How Does Serving Work?
The serve starts every point.
The server stands behind the baseline and hits the ball diagonally across the net toward the correct service box.
The server gets up to two attempts to make a legal serve.
If the first serve misses, they normally get a second serve.
If both attempts are faults, the server loses the point. This is called a double fault.
Players alternate the side from which they serve after each point.
Serving has its own technique and rules, but you don’t need to master them yet.
For now, remember:
Every point begins with a serve.
You’ll learn serving technique in detail later in the Tennis Learning Path.
5. How Do You Win a Point?
There are several ways a tennis point can end.
You can win a point when your opponent:
- Hits the ball into the net
- Hits the ball outside the correct court boundaries
- Allows the ball to bounce twice before returning it
- Double faults while serving
- Fails to return your legal shot
You can also hit a shot your opponent simply cannot reach or return.
A shot that lands legally and cannot be touched by the opponent is commonly called a winner.
As a beginner, however, don’t worry about hitting spectacular winners.
Keeping the ball in play consistently is one of the most useful skills you can develop.
6. How Does Tennis Scoring Work?
Tennis scoring is unusual compared with many other sports.
Within a game, the basic point progression is:
Love → 15 → 30 → 40 → Game
Love means zero.
Points create games.
Games create sets.
Sets determine the match.
There are additional rules involving deuce, advantage and tiebreaks, so don’t worry if the scoring system doesn’t make complete sense yet.
We’ll cover all of that separately in:
Lesson 04 — Tennis Scoring Explained
For now, remember the basic structure:
Points → Games → Sets → Match
7. What Equipment Do You Need?
You don’t need a huge collection of equipment to start playing tennis.
At the most basic level, you’ll need:
- A tennis racquet
- Tennis balls
- Suitable court shoes
- Access to a tennis court
You don’t need professional-level equipment when you’re learning.
A comfortable beginner-friendly setup is enough.
We’ll look at racquets, balls, shoes and other equipment more closely in:
Lesson 05 — Tennis Equipment for Beginners
8. What Happens During a Tennis Match?
A tennis match is essentially a series of points organized into games and sets.
One player serves for an entire game.
After that game finishes, the other player serves the next game.
Players also change ends of the court at designated times during the match.
During each point, players try to control the ball, move into good positions and make it difficult for the opponent to return their shots.
A typical match therefore involves repeated cycles of:
Serve → Return → Rally → Point → Next Point
As you gain experience, strategy becomes increasingly important.
Players begin thinking about where they place the ball, their opponent’s position, which shots to use and when to attack or play more safely.
But beginners don’t need to worry about advanced strategy yet.
First, learn how to keep the ball in play.
9. What Should a Beginner Learn First?
Tennis has many different skills, but trying to learn everything at once can make the sport unnecessarily difficult.
Start with the foundation.
Understand the Rules
Learn what makes a shot legal and how points are won and lost.
Learn the Court
Understand the baseline, sidelines, service boxes and other important areas.
Understand Scoring
Learn how points become games and how games become sets.
Get Comfortable With the Racquet
Learn the basic grips and how to control the racquet.
Develop Basic Groundstrokes
Your forehand and backhand will become two of your most commonly used shots.
Learn to Move
Good tennis isn’t only about swinging.
Learning how to move toward the ball and recover after hitting is an important part of developing your game.
Learn the Serve
Once you understand the fundamentals, begin developing a simple and repeatable serve.
You don’t have to become good at all of these immediately.
That’s why the SPS Tennis Learning Path breaks tennis into individual lessons and modules.
Work through them one step at a time.
Beginner Takeaways
If this is your first introduction to tennis, you don’t need to remember everything on this page.
Start with these five ideas:
1. Tennis is played as singles or doubles.
2. Every point begins with a serve.
3. Players hit the ball back and forth over the net until someone fails to make a legal return.
4. Points create games, games create sets and sets determine the match.
5. You don’t need to master the entire sport before you start playing.
Once these ideas make sense, you’re ready to learn the rules in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tennis difficult for beginners?
Tennis has a learning curve because you need to coordinate your movement, racquet and a moving ball. However, beginners can start with basic strokes, simple rallies and fundamental rules before gradually developing more advanced skills.
Do I need to be athletic to start tennis?
You don’t need to be an experienced athlete to begin recreational tennis. You can start at an intensity appropriate for your current ability and gradually develop your movement, coordination and fitness.
Can I play tennis without knowing all the rules?
You don’t need to memorize every rule before stepping onto a court. Understanding the basic objective, court boundaries, serving and scoring is enough to begin learning. You can add the more detailed rules as you gain experience.
Can I learn tennis as an adult?
Yes. Adults can learn recreational tennis even without previous experience. Start with the fundamentals and develop your technique gradually rather than trying to master everything immediately.
What should I learn after understanding what tennis is?
The next step is learning the basic rules of the game. From there, you can learn the court, scoring and equipment before moving into strokes, serving, footwork and other playing skills.
Continue Your Tennis Learning Path
Now that you understand what tennis is and how the basic game works, it’s time to look more closely at the rules you’ll use on the court.
Next Lesson
02 — Basic Rules of Tennis
Learn the essential rules you’ll need before stepping onto the court.