Rules
Like Lawn tennis
In Real Tennis you can play singles and doubles. The game is enjoyed by players of all ages, and many different skill levels and abilities.
The scoring system is the same as Lawn Tennis (Love, 15, 30, 40, deuce, advantage, game)
Points are won or lost when errors are made (e.g. by hitting the ball into the net or out of court). Or when the ball bounces twice on the floor
A bit different
The first player to win 6 games wins the set – it is not necessary to be two games ahead, the eleventh game is decisive.
Unlike Lawn Tennis, we don’t always call the servers score first. Instead, the first score called is that of the player who won the last point.
We have a handicap system which works really well. like in golf, where you can play someone better or worse than you and have an even game
Completely different
You only serve from one end
As in squash, the walls form part of the playing area, as well as the sloping roofs attached to three of the four walls of the court.
There are 3 ‘winning openings’ on a Real Tennis court. If you hit these during play you win the point. The winning openings are the Grille, The Dedans & The Winning Gallery .
The serve must bounce at least once on the side sloping roof (called the service penthouse), on or over the white service line, and then must land on or in the service box (the blue floor area marked by white lines).
You do not rotate serve after each game is won or lost depending on something called a Chase.
Chases & Changing Ends
To gain the serve you must set a chase (if you don’t then you will spend the rest of the match receiving serve). A chase is set when the ball touches the floor for a second time (having not made contact with your opponent’s racket or clothing – effectively when your opponent has missed their shot). Chases are measured by the numbers and lines on the floor – the netted galleries on the side of the court also represent chases.
When a chase is set neither player has won or lost the point at that stage. Once there is both a chase and the score is within one point of a game, or there are two chases, the players change ends (and service).
The chase or chases are then played in the order they occurred. To beat a chase, the player who did not set the chase must ensure the second bounce of their shot lands closer to the back wall than the chase being played (e.g. to beat chase 6, the second bounce must land at 5 or better) – otherwise the opponent can let the ball bounce twice to win the point.
After the chase or chases have been won or lost then play goes back to normal.
Rules taken from Holyport website which also has a simple diagram to illustrate
Serve
The server must stand behind the second gallery line to serve, and must be touching the floor at the moment of contact.
A serve is a fault if the server swings at the ball but does not hit it.
As in lawn tennis, on the line is “in”. The serve must bounce at least once on the penthouse on the receiver’s side, or on the line dividing the side penthouse in two. A serve will also be good if it bounces on the server’s penthouse or hits the side wall, but this is not required.
The ball must land in the service box or on the line of the service box (a rectangular section of floor, painted a different colour at some courts to mark it out).
A serve is a fault if it hits the bandeau or the edge of the penthouse with one exception. A serve will not be a fault if it hits the side wall and then clips the edge of the penthouse on its way down into the service box.
A serve which lands in the winning gallery after correctly hitting the penthouse is an ace.
Return of Serve
The receiver may volley any serve which is good at the point of contact – i.e. it does not matter if the ball would clearly not land in the service box
For the avoidance of doubt, the receiver should not volley a ball which is going to be a fault through not bouncing on the penthouse.
Doubles Only
The pair at the receiving end at the start of each set decides which player receives from the first server. The players then serve to and receive from the same opponent for the duration of the set.
In doubles, the receiver may always return the serve. Only if the ball bounces on or beyond the half way line may the serve be returned by either player.
The receiver’s partner may never volley return the serve.
Grille
The ball must hit the backboard or anything used to secure it in place. Play continues if balls simply hit the edges of the bandeau, ledge or wall.
Dedans
Play continues if the ball hits the edge of the bandeau, ledge or wall.
Some courts have a post in the middle of the dedans. The ball is “in” the dedans if it hits this post.
Galleries
The ball goes dead if it hits the post of a gallery. It counts as a chase if on the other side of the court to the ball striker. The chase called is that of the gallery on the net side of the post.
There is no post for the last/winning gallery.
Out of Court
Out of court rules vary more than any other “local rule” so it’s always best to check the rule in advance if in doubt.
The ball is out of court if it hits the wooden border high up around the court, or if it hits above.
The ball is out of court if it hits the roof or roof beams. Some courts allow the ball to remain in play if it passes over the beams without contact.
Chases
When defending a chase, the server can win the point by hitting the ball into any hazard gallery.
Similarly, the receiver can defend a hazard chase by any gallery shot.
If the ball hits a ball lying on the court, that counts as a second bounce so a chase will be called. This is almost impossible to happen in competitive match play where balls are always cleared away, so it is common to call a let in a friendly match.
Hazard Chases
A good serve whose second bounce is closer to the net than the stroke line is a hazard chase. Most commonly seen after a railroad serve.
Switching ends
When switching ends, the server(s) should wait for the receiver(s) to come through to the service end, and should give the players coming through a ball or two if available.
Marking
Unless being independently marked, the receiver has the best view to call service faults on the roof and on the floor. This is due to parallax. A fault should be called clearly before a return of serve is attempted.
When self-marking, a bona fide system of judging chases and whether a ball is successfully up or not is required.
It is unsporting to challenge the judgement call of the marker or a self-marking opponent, however disappointing that call may be.
If you drop a ball or it falls out of your pocket during a rally, the point is stopped and a let is called. The marker may also issue a warning at his/her discretion for repeated offences.
A player is allowed to ask the marker to check the score or whether there is chase, and to ask for the clarification of a particular rule
Keeping score
The winner of the previous point’s score is called first.
There is no standard practice for who should call out the score in a self-marking match. The score should be called out after every point to avoid confusion by either player.
Results
It is suggested that, unless it is explicitly agreed beforehand that the match will not be recorded on RTO, it will be the responsibility of the winner of the match to ensure that the result is recorded.
Line
If the ball hits the net post, the ball is out of play.
If the ball hits the net on the opposite side of the court to the striker before or after a single bounce, chase the line is called. A ball which hits the net and then falls onto the same side of court as the ball striker loses the ball striker the point.
If the balls bounces once on the opposite side of the court, then bounces back onto the same side as the ball striker, chase the line is called.
Nick
It is next to impossible to judge the second bounce of balls which hit the nick below the dedans on the full. A convention used at some courts is to call chase three yards to avoid doubt and confusion.
If the second bounce of a ball is in the nick, the chase is better than half a yard. Occasionally players think the nick counts as a wall bounce not a floor bounce, but it is in fact both.