Court

• A regulation tennis court is 78 feet long and 36 feet wide. Boundary lines around the entire court mark the area used for doubles tennis. For singles, lines running the length of the court are drawn 4-1/2 feet in from the sides.
  
  A 3-foot-tall net divides the court lengthwise. On both sides of the net are service boxes, where serves have to land in normal tennis play. They stretch 21 feet back from the net and are split in half by a line perpendicular to the net.
  
  For mini-tennis, the back line of these service boxes is the boundary line. The area behind this, which is normally used for tennis, is not in play.
  
  

Serve

• Servers stand behind the back boundary line of the service box, bounce the ball once and hit it at a point below their waists. The ball must land in the service box diagonally across the net.
  
  The first serve is from the right-hand side service box, the next from the left-hand side, the third from the right and the fourth from the left. The opposing player then serves four times in the same manner.
  
  Unlike in regular tennis, servers only get one serve to make it into the service box. If the serve hits the net and goes in, it is a let and must be served again. If it goes out, the server loses the point.
  
  

Rallies

• After the initial serve, the rest of the play is much like in tennis. The ball may land anywhere within either service box. It cannot go past the boxes or into the doubles alleys. If it hits a line, it is good.
  
  Unlike tennis, a ball cannot be hit with an overhead swing and must be allowed to bounce once before being returned.
  
  The rally is played until a ball is hit out or not legally returned.
  
  

Scoring

• The game is similar to pingpong in scoring. Every serve scores a point, whether for the server or his opponent.
  
  Games are played to 21, but a player must have a two point advantage to win. Play continues back and forth, with each player serving four times in a row, until one player gains a two point lead.