Tennis Court Etiquette

Tennis etiquette is different from the rules of the game. It covers a broad range of actions and behaviours, which are traditionally considered acceptable on and around the tennis court.

Tennis court etiquette asks that players conduct themselves with integrity and that they show respect to their opponent.

Here are some actions and behaviours we would like all our club members to adhere by.

Show Respect and Courtesy

Show respect and courtesy to your opponent(s), you’re partner, and others on or near the courts.

Keep your voice down and confined to your court as much as possible so as not to disrupt players on adjacent courts.

Regardless of whether you are playing a social or competitive game,swearing or disrespectful language must not be used on court.

Please find a private, quite place to use your cell phones.

At the end of the game, shake hands with your opponents. Let your opponent know that you appreciated the match, no matter what the outcome. Clap politely for good shots.  Never clap for errors.  Never yell out during a point.

Talk Quietly

Talk quietly when standing near tennis courts that are in use.

Tennis players need to hear each other calling out the score, and making line calls during each point. The sound of the ball coming off the opponent’s strings also gives a player some idea of how fast and with how much spin the ball is traveling.

As a spectator, clap for good shots from both players.  Never applaud errors.

Do Not Walk Onto Another Court During a Game

Wait for the players to finish the game, or minimally the point, before walking onto their court. It is very distracting to have someone disrupt a game in progress, so if you must cross another court, do so after the game is finished, and go through the middle of the court, not round the back.  Groups cross together.

At RSFTC, every court has its own gate, so it is not really necessary to cross from one court to another

Do Not Retrieve Your Ball From the Other Court

If a stray ball comes onto your court don’t knock it back immediately, wait until the owners are ready and then hit it to the server’s end.   If a ball goes into another court during a game, the players who have lost the ball should wait until the point is over to ask the players on the adjacent court to return the ball.

Since stray balls are distracting and potentially dangerous, you should call a “let” if a ball rolls onto your court while the point is in play. A “let” is basically a do-over, and the point should be replayed.

Appropriate Clothing and Footwear

When playing please wear recognised sports clothing (not jeans, football shirts etc.) and most importantly “Tennis Shoes “. This is for two reasons, first, other shoes mark and damage the courts and second, non-tennis shoes do not grip the courts as well and can cause accidents and avoidable injury if you were to fall or slip.

Close the Gate Behind You

Whether you’re coming onto the courts, or leaving, it is common courtesy to close the gate behind you. This will keep the balls inside the confines of the gate and they won’t roll outside.

Pick Up After Yourself

Don’t leave empty drink cans or old tennis balls or containers out on the court when you leave. Dispose of any rubbish you have in bin containers on or near the court – if there aren’t any, take it with you. If you have old tennis balls that you don’t want anymore, don’t leave them on the court – leave them by the club hut where they can be used for the juniors to play with.

Monitor Children on the Courts at all Times

Everyone who plays tennis wants to encourage kids to play the game as well, but the kids must also follow these rules. Since kids can tend to get distracted, it’s up to the adults with them to assist. Stray balls, running around and yelling are actions that need to be managed.

Line Calls

When making calls, always speak clearly, loudly, and matter-of-factly to inform your opponents if a ball is out or fair.  If you have any doubt about whether a ball is out, you should make the call in favor of your opponent.  If you realize that you have made an incorrect call, you must award the point to your opponent. Replaying the point is not really good sportsmanship, since your error in line calling was caused by your opponent’s good shot.

If a ball goes past you and you can’t see where it lands, you must give the point to your opponent. Never make a call on a ball that is still in the air, no matter how “sure” you are that the ball is going out. Wait until you see the ball touch the court outside the boundary lines, and make sure that you see space between the ball and the line. A ball touching any part of the line, even the outside edge of the line, is good.

Line calls are the responsibility of the receiving end. Call firmly and honestly.  If in doubt, the ball is IN!

Always respect the line calls of your opponent. Only call the lines on your side of the net.  If in social friendly matches there is some doubt over a line call, offer a “let”.  In other words, replay the point, even if it was a second service, rather than cause undue aggravation and time wasting.

Do not call “out” during warm-up rallies or workout drills.

You may not call foot faults on your opponents.  Only the umpire can make this call.

Line calls can be a problem and the majority of experienced players use what the Americans call the ‘honour system’.

Ball Control

Make sure you have two balls when it’s your serve.

If a serve is out, don’t return it if you can avoid doing so. Simply tap it gently into the net, let it go behind you, or trap it with your racket and put it into your pocket. Returning an out serve confuses your opponent and causes an unnecessary delay between the first and second serves.

If there is any disagreement on the score, go back to the last score that you can both agree on, or spin a racket. Saying the score out loud before each point is the best way to avoid forgetting the score.

Trying to “Win” the Warm-up is in Bad Taste.

Warming up is all about keeping the ball in play and allowing your opponent to get into the groove with their shots.

Don’t criticize your partner or offer advice.   Offer encouragement.

Dangerous or violent racquet and ball throwing, loud, vulgar language and similar behavior will not be tolerated!

No Coaching!

Tennis is a “no coaching”  sport.  It is against the rules for spectators to help players in any way (i.e. line calls, scoring, strategy, strokes, shot selection, etc.).

Never offer criticism, coaching or advice to your doubles partner or opponents.  It is never well received.  Leave the coaching to your tennis pros.  Good doubles players only say “good try & nice shot” to each other.

Have Fun!

The entire objective of playing tennis, aside from being good aerobic exercise, is to have fun. You can follow these rules of etiquette and still have a good time on the courts – the players on adjacent courts will appreciate it.

Play within the spirit of the best traditions of the game and have FUN!

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