Tennis Court Dimensions

Originated in the United Kingdom somewhere in the late 19th century, tennis is a game which can be played between two individual players or two teams consisting of two players each. A player uses a racket to strike the ball across the net which the opponent needs to return within the rules of the game, falling which the opponent gets a point. In 1924, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) was established which laid out certain standard rules for the game. Since its inception, rules of tennis have mostly remained unchanged, especially the tennis court dimensions. Notable changes include changing the service rule and inclusion of tie-breaks in sets. Apart from being a grueling professional sport and an extremely popular spectator sport world over, tennis also boasts of a lot of recreational players. Read more on tennis rules and regulations.

Tennis is a game which requires certain prerequisites without which it cannot be played. These include - a tennis racket, specially manufactured tennis balls, proper tennis shoes and most importantly, a tennis court. The exact tennis court dimensions, as per the ITF rules, for people looking to build one, are stated below.

Dimensions of Tennis Court

Surface
The surface of the tennis court determines its type and the speed with which the ball comes after bouncing. There are four popular surface choices - hard courts (made of asphalt), grass courts (growing grass on hard packed soil), clay courts (crushed brick, shale or stone) and carpet courts (any form of removable covering). Of all these courts, grass courts are considered to be the fastest while clay courts are the slowest when it comes to ball speed.

Overall Dimensions
Before moving on to the tennis court dimensions, it is better that the court is built in a north-south direction, to prevent players from getting sun in their eyes specifically when they serve. A tennis court is rectangular in shape. This rectangular tennis court is 78 feet long and 27 feet wide. For doubles matches, the width increases to 36 feet. The court is divided in the center by a net, suspended by a metal cable or cord, which passes over two net posts (one on either side) which are 3.5 feet in height.

The Net and Net Posts
The net should be completely extended so that it covers the distance between both posts. The mesh on the net should be small enough for the ball to not pass through. At the center, where the net is supported down tight be a strap, the net's height should be 3 feet from the ground. The metal cable or cord at the top of the net is covered with a white colored band. The net posts should be 3 feet away from the court on each side and the same rule applies for doubles matches. Few measurement tips on the same:

• Net posts should not be more than 6 inches in diameter.
• Net posts cannot be more than I inch above the net cord.
• The cord or metal cable should not be more than 1/3 inch in diameter.
• The band on top of the net cord should be between 2 to 2 ½ inches long.

Baselines and Sidelines
Lines dram along the side of the court are known as sidelines while the ones drawn at the ends of the court (parallel to the net) are known as baselines. Service lines are drawn at a distance of 21 feet from the net on each side, parallel to the net. The area between the net and service lines is divided in to two equal parts by a line drawn parallel to the sidelines. Baselines have a marking in the center, which is a 4 inch line drawn on the inside of the court, parallel to the sidelines. Baselines should be 4 inches in width while all other lines can be anywhere between 1 to 2 inches in width.

Distance From Courts
While building a tennis court, extra space around the actual tennis court size needs to be accounted for as well. This space is useful when players need to run around to fetch the ball and hit it back in the playing area. For this purpose, there should be a distance of 21 feet between the baseline and the background fencing and a 12 feet space between the sidelines and the fencing.

Indoor tennis court dimensions are the same as stated above. However, for an indoor tennis court, it is essential to maintain a ceiling height of 35 feet above the net and a minimum of 20 feet ceiling height above the baselines.

Understanding these tennis court dimensions will be useful wile building a tennis court anywhere. Enjoy playing this wonderful game which tests the players skill and stamina in the best possible way.