Tennis Serving Rules: Foot Faults, Lets and What Counts as a Fault
TL;DR
You must stand at rest with both feet behind the baseline, between the imaginary extensions of the centre mark and the sideline. You may release the ball in any direction — tennis places no restriction on the toss at all — and must hit it before it bounces. Serving starts from the right half in every game and must land in the service court diagonally opposite. Catching your own toss is not a fault.
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The serve, in the ITF’s own words
For the scoring these serves add up to — and the deciding-set rule the four Grand Slams only agreed on in 2022 — see tennis rules and scoring.
Rule 16 defines the whole action in two sentences, and both are more permissive than most players realise.
Before you start: immediately before starting the service motion, the server shall stand at rest with both feet behind the baseline — further from the net than it — and within the imaginary extensions of the centre mark and the sideline.
The action itself: the server shall release the ball by hand in any direction and hit it with the racket before it hits the ground. The service motion is complete at the moment the racket hits or misses the ball.
There is a quiet piece of humanity in the same rule: a player able to use only one arm may use the racket to release the ball.
Tennis does not regulate the toss at all
This is the detail that separates tennis from every other racket sport, and almost nobody states it plainly: there is no rule about how you toss the ball.
Not the height. Not the direction. Not the spin. Rule 16 says “in any direction”, and that is the entire specification. You may toss it two feet or twenty. You may toss it behind you. The only requirement is that you hit it before it bounces.
Compare that with the two racket sports that regulate the same moment obsessively:
| Tennis | Table tennis | Badminton | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toss requirement | None — any direction | Near-vertical, 16cm minimum, no spin | n/a — the constraint is on the hit |
| Height constraint | none | minimum rise | shuttle below 1.15m when struck |
| Diagonal serve in singles | Required | Not required | Required |
Why the difference? In table tennis and badminton the server can hide the moment of contact and disguise spin, so the laws force the ball into the open. In tennis the ball is tossed well above head height in plain view and struck downwards — there is nothing to hide, so there is nothing to regulate.
The rules of a sport are usually solving a specific problem. Where a rule is missing, it is usually because the problem never existed.
Foot faults: four separate ways to commit one
Rule 18 lists them, and the last one surprises people.
During the service motion, the server shall not:
- change position by walking or running — though slight movements of the feet are permitted;
- touch the baseline or the court with either foot;
- touch the area outside the imaginary extension of the sideline with either foot; or
- touch the imaginary extension of the centre mark with either foot.
That final clause means you can foot-fault by drifting inward, across the invisible line running back from the centre mark — not only by stepping forward onto the court. Most club players police the baseline and never think about the centre mark at all.
Note also that the baseline itself is out of bounds for your feet. Touching it, not crossing it, is already the offence.
What makes a service fault
Rule 19 is a short list:
- the server breaks Rules 16, 17 or 18;
- the server misses the ball when trying to hit it;
- the served ball touches a permanent fixture, singles stick or net post before hitting the ground;
- the served ball touches the server or their partner, or anything they are wearing or carrying.
And then the exception that matters most in casual play.
You are allowed to catch your own toss
The ITF addresses it directly as a case under Rule 19:
Case 1: After tossing a ball to serve, the server decides not to hit it and catches it instead. Is this a fault? Decision: No.
A player who tosses the ball and then decides not to hit it is allowed to catch it. It is not a fault, there is no penalty, and you simply serve again.
This is probably the single most misapplied rule in recreational tennis — countless club players believe a bad toss must be swung at or forfeited. It must not. Note the distinction, though: catching it is fine, swinging and missing is a fault, because the service motion completes at the moment the racket “hits or misses” the ball.
Which side, and where it has to land
Rule 17 covers the geometry:
- In a standard game, the server stands behind alternate halves, starting from the right half in every game.
- In a tie-break, service is likewise from alternate halves, with the first served from the right.
- The service must pass over the net and hit the service court diagonally opposite.
After a fault, Rule 20 sends you back to the same half you just faulted from — not the other one — and requires the second serve to follow without delay.
Serving before the receiver is ready
Rule 21 balances two competing interests rather than simply protecting the receiver.
The server shall not serve until the receiver is ready. But the receiver shall play to the reasonable pace of the server and be ready within a reasonable time of the server being ready.
And the clincher: a receiver who attempts to return the service is considered to have been ready. You cannot swing at a serve, miss, and then claim you were not ready. If it is genuinely demonstrated that the receiver was not ready, the service cannot be called a fault at all.
Doubles: who receives, and who hits
Rule 15 sets an order that locks for the whole set.
The team receiving in the first game decides which player takes the first point. Their opponents decide separately before the second game starts. The partner then takes the second point, and that rotation continues to the end of the set.
But once the ball is in play the restriction vanishes: after the receiver has returned the ball, either player in a team can hit it. Tennis doubles fixes only who receives — not who plays the rally. That is the opposite of table tennis doubles, where partners must strike alternately throughout.
And one case the ITF answers flatly: may one member of a doubles team play alone against the opponents? No.
The scoring, since you asked
| Points won | Called |
|---|---|
| 0 | Love |
| 1 | 15 |
| 2 | 30 |
| 3 | 40 |
| 4 | Game |
At three points each the score is deuce, after which a player must win two consecutive points to take the game — one for advantage, one for the game.
For who has actually won the most under these rules, see Grand Slam women’s singles champions — where the leading number turns on a definitional question rather than a tennis one.
Sets come in two official forms, and the competition must announce which is in use in advance:
- Advantage Set — first to six games with a two-game margin, continuing until that margin exists.
- Tie-break Set — first to six games with a two-game margin, but at six games all a tie-break is played.
More breakdowns of how sports actually work are in rules and techniques.
Frequently asked questions
Can you catch the ball after tossing it to serve in tennis?
Yes. The ITF is explicit: a player who tosses the ball and then decides not to hit it is allowed to catch it, and this is not a fault. It is one of the most commonly misapplied rules in recreational tennis.
How high do you have to toss the ball when serving in tennis?
There is no requirement at all. Rule 16 says the server shall release the ball by hand IN ANY DIRECTION and hit it before it hits the ground. Unlike table tennis or badminton, tennis places no constraint on the height, direction or spin of the toss.
What counts as a foot fault in tennis?
During the service motion the server must not change position by walking or running, touch the baseline or the court with either foot, touch the area outside the imaginary extension of the sideline, or touch the imaginary extension of the centre mark. Slight movements of the feet are permitted.
Which side do you serve from first in tennis?
The right half of the court, in every game. You then alternate halves for each point. In a tie-break the same applies — service alternates between halves, with the first served from the right.
What happens if your serve hits the net post?
It is a fault. Rule 19 says the service is a fault if the ball touches a permanent fixture, singles stick or net post before it hits the ground. It is also a fault if the ball touches the server, their partner, or anything they are wearing or carrying.
Who receives first in doubles tennis?
The receiving team decides which of them takes the first point of the first game. Their opponents decide separately before the second game. Once set, the partner takes the second point and that rotation continues to the end of the set. After the return, however, either player may hit the ball.
Where do you serve from after a fault?
From behind the same half of the court the fault was served from, without delay — unless the service was from the wrong half to begin with.