Beach tennis blends tennis and beach volleyball into one fast, fun game played on sand. It's played with solid (unstrung) rackets and a low-compression ball, over a net, with no bounces allowed. Here's everything a first-timer needs to know — explained simply, based on the official ITF Rules of Beach Tennis 2025.
The Court, at a Glance
The court is a rectangle 16 metres long. For doubles it's 8 metres wide; for singles it's narrower, at 4.5 metres. It's set up on levelled sand, with a net across the middle.
The net stands 1.70m high for Women's, Mixed, and Junior events, and 1.80m for Men's events. Neither the server nor receiver may stand within 3 metres of the net until the ball is in play.
Basic Equipment
Racket
A solid, unstrung paddle-style racket — no strings allowed, and only one racket per player during play.
Low-Compression Ball
A softer "Stage 2" tennis ball, designed to stay controllable on sand.
Sand Court
Levelled, uniform sand free of rocks or debris — no shoes needed, just bare feet.
3 Core Rules to Know
Almost everything in beach tennis comes back to these three ideas. Learn them and you can already follow a game.
No Bounce Allowed
Unlike regular tennis, the ball can never touch the sand. If the ball hits the ground on your side of the net, your team loses the point — every shot must be volleyed out of the air.
Only One Serve
There's no second serve in beach tennis. If your serve is a fault, the point goes straight to your opponent.
No Let on the Serve
If a serve clips the net and still lands in the right spot, it's in play — not a redo, like it would be in regular tennis.
Serving Basics
- Stand with both feet behind the baseline before you start your service motion.
- Release the ball by hand in any direction, then hit it with the racket before it touches the ground.
- The serve must cross the net before the receiver returns it.
- You may stand anywhere behind the baseline (within the imaginary extension of the sidelines) to serve — not just in one spot.
- In Mixed Doubles, male players must serve underarm.
Avoid a foot fault.
During your service motion, don't walk or run, and don't let either foot touch the baseline, the court, or the area outside the sideline extensions until after you've hit the ball. Small, slight foot movements are fine.
How Scoring Works
- A standard game is scored Love, 15, 30, 40, Game — same as regular tennis.
- If the score reaches 40-40 ("Deuce"), one deciding point is played to win the game (no-ad scoring) — whoever wins that point wins the game.
- The first team to win 6 games wins the set, provided they're ahead by 2 games. At 6 games all, a tie-break game is played to 7 points (win by 2).
- A match is played to the best of 3 sets. If the match reaches one set all, a 10-point match tie-break (win by 2) replaces the third set.
Don't overthink this at first.
The server calls the score out loud before each point. If you're new, just listen for it and ask if you're ever unsure — it clicks fast after a couple of games.
How a Point Plays Out
Every point follows the same basic shape. Recognizing it will help you know what to expect once the ball is live.
Serve
Underarm or overarm (except men in Mixed), from behind the baseline.
Return
Receiver volleys the serve back before it touches the sand.
Rally
Both sides volley back and forth — the ball never bounces.
Point Ends
The point ends the moment the ball touches the sand, goes out, or a fault occurs.
How You Lose a Point
You (or your team, in doubles) lose the point if:
- Your serve is a fault (there's no second serve)
- The ball hits the sand on your side of the net
- Your return lands outside the correct court, or hits a fixture or the net post before touching the ground
- You carry, catch, or double-hit the ball on purpose
- You, your racket, or anything you're wearing touches the net or net posts while the ball is in play
- You hit the ball before it has passed over the net
- The ball touches you (other than your racket)
- You or a teammate stand inside the 3-metre prohibited zone before the ball is in play
What Counts as a Good Return
- The ball clips the net or net band and still lands in the correct court — that's a good return, no redo.
- The ball goes around the outside of the net post (above or below the top of the net) and lands in the correct court — also good, known as an "around-the-post" shot.
- Your racket can follow through over the net, as long as you made contact with the ball on your own side first.
Lets & Hindrances
What's a "let"?
A let means the point is replayed. This can happen if the ball breaks mid-point, a court line comes loose, or a receiver wasn't ready when the serve was hit.
What's a "hindrance"?
If your opponent deliberately distracts you while you're playing a point, you win the point. If the distraction was accidental (or outside anyone's control, like a bird flying through), the point is replayed instead.
Remember: no let on serves
This is one of the biggest differences from regular tennis — a serve that clips the net and lands in is simply in play. There's no "let, serve again."
Court Etiquette
Beach tennis has a relaxed, social culture — a few habits will help you fit right in.
- Call the score loudly before you serve, so everyone's on the same page.
- Make line calls honestly on your own side of the court.
- Let opponents know right away if a ball rolls onto your court from another game, and replay the point.
- Play is meant to be continuous — keep the pace moving between points.
Common Terms Worth Knowing
Prohibited Zone
The 3-metre area next to the net where no player may stand until the ball is in play.
Tie-break Set
The standard set format: first to 6 games (win by 2), with a 7-point tie-break at 6-6.
Match Tie-break
A 10-point breaker (win by 2) that replaces a third set when a match reaches one set all.
No-Ad Scoring
At deuce, one single point decides the game instead of playing advantage points.
Around-the-Post
A legal shot that passes around the outside of the net post rather than over the net.
Quick Cheat Sheet
No bounceThe ball can never touch the sand — volley everything.
One serveNo second serve — a fault costs you the point.
No let on serveA serve that clips the net and lands in is still in play.
Stay out of the zoneNo standing within 3m of the net until the ball is live.
ScoringLove–15–30–40–Game, deuce decided by one point, sets to 6 (win by 2).
Mixed doublesMen must serve underarm.
Have funBeach tennis is fast, social, and forgiving for beginners!
Ready to try it on the sand?
Empower Through Sports coaches players of every level — newcomers welcome.
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