The Unofficial Rules of Play
Warm Up
Warm up is a warm up, not a game.
Keep your pre-match warm up brief. The pros stick to 5 minutes and so should you.
You should hit the balls directly to your opponent at a reasonable pace..
If warming up serves, you will not return the serves.
When in doubt call it IN!
Sometimes it’s hard to judge. However, just because you “think it might have been out” you’re really not sure: It doesn’t mean to replay the point. If you believe it was out, call it out. If you are not certain, it was in.
Make line calls clearly and promptly and give your opponent the benefit of the doubt if you’re unsure. Tennis karma is a powerful force and no one wants to give an opponent short shrift only to find themselves deep into a third set tiebreak with the tennis gods frowning down on them.
Respect the line calls of your opponent.
Scoring Made Easy
If you are serving, call the score out loudly and clearly. It will help to minimize disagreements.
Do the Right Thing
Be respectful of your opponent. While it’s fine to celebrate your successes, it’s not polite to pump your fists, hiss “Yes” of high-five when your opponent makes an error.
Apologize if you win a lucky point of if you accidentally hit your opponent with a ball.
Keep your attention on the court. Don’t chat to spectators, answer your mobile phone, file your nails during changeovers or do anything else that might distract your opponent or delay play.
Miscellaneous
Shake hands when the match is over.
When your match is over, leave the court. If you want to watch your teammates, do so from outside or from the opposite side of your court if there are no other courts being used near the match. In other words, give the players on the court their space.
If a serve is long or wide either hit the ball into the net in front of you, place the ball in your pocket or make sure it is stopped at the fence behind you.
Don’t walk across the back of another tennis court while people are playing on it. Wait until the point is over to cross or retrieve a ball.
Even if you aren’t playing your best tennis, have a good attitude and compliment your opponent on good points.
‘’Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.”
-Michael Jordan