Tennis facilities and country clubs often rent their courts to the public on an hourly basis. Most free courts operate on a first-come, first-served basis and you may not get a court if you show up during peak hours. Renting a private court ensures that the court is available during your scheduled time.

1. Step 1

   Call in advance. Check with the club management about reserving a court. Some clubs allow court reservations for only a couple of weeks to ensure that all players get a chance to play. Other clubs give preference to members and allow guests to rent a court only as walk-ons.

2. Step 2

   Pay for the court whether or not you use it. Since court time is limited, most clubs will charge you, even if you don’t show up. Cancel your reservation well in advance to allow another party to use the court.

3. Step 3

   Reserve entire courts for a tournament months before the event. If you need multiple courts, call before another party reserves one of the courts. While most facilities try to accommodate large events, if you wait too long, you won’t get to play.

4. Step 4

   Abide by all the rules of the court. Wear the appropriate tennis shoes to keep from scuffing the surface and keep the noise level down, especially if other players are on adjacent courts.

5. Step 5

   Use tennis etiquette when renting a court. Keep your balls on your court as much as possible. Although balls will stray occasionally, if you consistently hit balls onto other player’s courts, they will become annoyed.

6. Step 6

   Inquire about walk-on court rentals during slow times. Even courts that require reservations may allow walk-ons if a court is empty.

A tennis court is a rectangle, with lines that mark the outside boundaries of the court. These are called the sidelines and baselines. Two smaller rectangles, inside the larger rectangle, mark the service boxes. The player’s first hit (serve) must cross the net and bounce within the smaller rectangle to start the point. Boundaries for doubles (2 players against 2 other players) are called “doubles alleys”. These boundaries (or baselines) are wider than the boundaries for two singles players.

The size of the rectangular court for singles is 78 feet long and 27 feet wide. The doubles alleys add 4 and 1/2 feet to the width on each side. The service line runs parallel to the baseline and is 21 feet from the net. The service center line runs down the middle of the court from the net to the service line. This makes two equal service boxes 21 feet long and 13 and 1/2 feet wide.

The net is in the middle of the court, halfway between the two baselines. The net is 3 feet high at the center of the court. The net must be 3 and 1/2 feet high at the singles sidelines or at the doubles sidelines or alleys.

To begin each point the server has two chances to serve into one of the service boxes. After the serve, the players must hit (return) the ball over the net. The ball must stay within the boundaries of the court (baseline and sidelines) for singles or doubles.

Although the dimensions of all tennis courts are the same, tennis court surfaces vary dramatically. One of the unusual things about professional tennis is that major championships and other pro events are played on different surfaces that cause the ball to bounce very differently.

There are four major types of court surfaces. The first is hardcourt, which is asphalt or sometimes concrete, covered with colored acrylic paint mixed with sand for texture. These are far and away the most common courts in the United States, especially in the West and in California. The U.S. Open in New York is played on a hardcourt surface.

The second surface is grass, which is similar to a golf putting green. These courts are quite rare, existing at a few private clubs. However, grass is a very important surface at the pro level. Probably the most famous and historic tennis tournament is Wimbledon (England), which is played on grass courts.

The third is red clay. This surface is made of crushed brick that is packed to make the court, then covered with a loose “topping” of additional crushed particles. This surface is the most common in Europe and South America. The French Open in Paris is played on this surface.

The fourth surface is green clay. This surface is similar to red clay. A naturally occurring green clay is packed to make the subsurface, then covered with topping. These clay courts are found in large numbers in the Eastern and Southern parts of the United States.

In general, hardcourts and grass courts are considered to play “fast”. While red and green clay courts are considered “slow”. On the faster courts the bounce of the ball is lower, usually somewhere between the waist and the knees. In clay courts the ball can bounce to shoulder height or higher.

Some players will do better on one surface than another. Players with larger, looping swings, that produce heavy topspin, may have better success on clay. They tend to play more from the backcourt. On faster courts, players with more compact, classical strokes usually have the advantage. They tend to go to the net much more, especially on grass. They also stand in closer to the baseline during rallies, often hitting the ball as it rises off the bounce.

The footing is very different on the loose surface topping of clay courts, compared to grass or hardcourt. Players learn to slide into many shots on clay because of the loose surface. On hardcourt or grass the player can stop, and set up to hit in a relatively still position.

In our project at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Development Center at Key Biscayne we tried to answer these questions:

1. What makes fast courts “fast” and slow courts “slow”?
2. What happens when balls with different amounts of spin bounce on different surfaces?

Tennis and racquetball can be a great way to burn up some excess calories, burn off some steam, and spend some quality time with your coworkers and friends. While all of us were beginners at one time and failed to observe some of the finer points in the unofficial and unwritten code of ethics associated with racket sports, a willful neglect of tennis’ on-court manners will likely result in fewer and fewer tennis dates.

With that said, let’s look at some of the more common unmannerly habits that have been picked up by tennis players of all experience and expertise levels. Keep in mind that these rules are not in the official rules of tennis but are more common sense or respect your opponent type ethics.

Ball handling ethics

Have you ever played tennis with someone who seemingly refuses to collect tennis balls from the court when they are needed for the next serve? The truth is that this is not an uncommon problem, and there are many people that, while not refusing to collect balls for play, do not do much to speed up the procession of the game by efficiently handling tennis balls during plays. Are you one of these people? You may be and not even realize it. Follow these tips to keep your tennis ball handling ethics those of unquestionably high standards.

· Keep extra tennis balls nearby. You should always have spare tennis balls used for play either in hand, in a pocket or ball clip, or against the fence directly behind the center mark. · If your opponent has to walk to pick up played tennis balls around the court to continue the play, do the same thing on your side of the court. · If there are no balls for play, the player who has a ball closest to him or her should go after a ball. There is really no sense in making your opponent walk a great distance for a ball when you have one a couple of feet away, even if it is their serve. · Be careful in throwing a ball to your opponent. Never throw one too hard or out of reach with the assumption that it will stop rolling when it hits the fence. Instead, easily bounce the tennis ball to your opponent in such a way that they can easily catch it with one hand.

Keeping score

The end of the match is not the time to haggle out how many points each player has earned or has not earned. Point disputes should be handled as they arise, and it is each player’s responsibility to stay aware of the current score. With two brains, a more accurate counting of points can take place. Here are a couple of tips:

· It is the server’s responsibility to announce the score at the start of each game and at the start of the second point and each following point thereafter. · If the receiver cannot hear the announced scores, he or she should ask for it to be repeated. As I said earlier, the end of the game is a bad time to replay the game point by point to see who actually won. Plus telling someone that they’re lying, that they didn’t actually score the winning point, is no way to make friends or long-term tennis partners.

Making line calls

Again, do not infer that your opponent is a liar or cheat here. Always defer to your opponent’s point of view on whether a ball is in or out. Yes, they may be wrong, but it’s only a game, and there is a possibility that your eyes were deceiving you, especially if the line call happens on their side of the net. Along the same lines, if you miss a call and they argue it, offer to replay the point again. It’s just a game!

Another word of advice is to always act and look like you are enjoying your time on the court. If you are a sore loser, try your best not to look like one. And most of all, just have fun, be a joy to play with, and respect your opponent. If you do all of this, you will be sure to not become one of those people that never gets invited to play tennis.

About the author: By Randy Myers

The fast, unpredictable, net-rushing tennis-player is a creature of impulse. There is no real system to his/her attack, no understanding of your game. He will make brilliant coups at the drop of a hat, largely by instinct; but there is no, mental power of consistent thinking. It is an interesting type of character.

The most dangerous player is the one who mixes his/her style from back to fore court at the command of an ever-alert mind. This/her is the player to learn from. He is a player with a definite purpose. A player who has an answer to every query you present him in your game. He is the most subtle opponent in the world of tennis. He is of the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the player of dogged determination that sets his/her mind on one plan and adheres to it, bitterly, fiercely battling to the bitter end, with never a thought of changing his gameplan.

This is the player whose psychology is fairly easy to work out, but whose mental standpoint is hard to derail, for he never permits himself to think of anything except the business at hand. This/her player is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the determination of Johnston.

Choose your type from your own mental processes, and then plan your game along the lines best suited to you. When two men are in the same class concerning stroke, strength and equipment, the deciding factor in any match is the mental standpoint. Luck, as it is called, is usually no more than seizing the psychological value of a break in the game, and turning it to your own advantage. People talk a lot about the “shots we have made.” But few people understand the importance of the “shots we have missed.”

The science of missing shots is just as vital as that of making them, and at times a miss by an inch is of more value than a return that is killed by your opponent. Let me explain. A player forces you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard to it, and getting there, drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is shocked and shaken, understanding that your shot could just as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to attempt it again and he will not take the risk next time. He will try to play the ball, and may make an error. You have thus taken some of your opponent’s confidence, and increased his/her chance of error: all this by a miss.

If you had just tapped back that ball, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt even more confident of your inability to put the ball out of his/her reach, while you would merely have been winded without result.

Let’s suppose that you made the shot down the sideline. It was an apparently impossible get. First it amounts to TWO points in that it took one away from your opponent that should have been his/her and gave you one you ought never to have had. Second it also worries your opponent, because he feels that he has thrown away a big chance.

The psychology involved in a tennis match is fascinating, but readily understandable. Both men start with equal chances. Once one player establishes a real lead, his/her confidence goes up, while his/her opponent worries, and his/her mental standpoint becomes poor. The sole objective of the first player is to hold his/her lead, thereby holding his/her confidence.

If the second player pulls even or draws ahead, the inevitable reaction is an even greater contrast in psychology of the players. First, there is the natural confidence of the leader of the game, but it is coupled with the great stimulus of having turned a seemingly inevitable defeat into a probable victory. The situation of the other player is the reverse. He is apt to lose confidence and play worse. The collapse of his game plan soon follows.

Tennis Court Conversion

One pickleball court per tennis court.

The simplest way is to just lower the tennis net to 34″ in the center. Lines can be painted on the court for pickleball. Then the court can be used for both tennis and pickleball very easily. The pickleball lines are yellow in the photo on the right. Because of the size of the tennis court, you might want to have some sort of temporary barrier for the balls so that they don’t have to be chased the full length of the tennis court.

Note the hold-down arrangement at the ends of the net to bring the net down to the correct height for pickleball (34 inches in the center, 36 inches at the sidelines). Alternatively, the center strap could be used to bring the net down to 34 inches in the center. If the tension on the net cord is very tight, the tension might have to be loosened slightly by adjusting the ratchet on the net post.

Where permission can be obtained to drill holes at the sidelines, see this pdf file (189 KB) for another method of setting the correct height at the sidelines.

Photo courtesy of the Bella Vista Pickleball Club

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Two pickleball courts per tennis court.

The diagram on the left shows 2 pickleball courts laid out on a tennis court. A standard tennis court pad is 60′x120′. The minimum recommended size for a pickleball court is 30′x60′. That is exactly one fourth the size of a standard tennis court pad. Therefore, it is possible to put 4 pickleball courts in the space of a tennis court except for the possible existence of angled corners that are on some tennis courts.

If the corners are angled, then two courts can fit very nicely as shown. If the conversion is temporary or it is desired to be able to continue to use the court for tennis, then portable net stands can be used for the pickleball courts and the tennis net can be left in place as a backstop for the two pickleball courts.

Note: If the courts are outdoors and the tennis court is oriented in the normal north/south direction, do not place the pickleball courts are right angles to the tennis court. If you do, one player will be looking directly into the sun in the early morning or late afternoon.

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Four pickleball courts per tennis court.

The diagram on the right shows four pickleball courts on a tennis court. Note how the position of the pickleball courts has been shifted by two feet to allow for the angled corners of the tennis court. That leaves only 6 feet between the pickleball baseline and the tennis net. That is a little tight, but works in a pinch. The compromise is especially acceptable if the tennis court is being used temporarily while permanent pickleball courts are being built.

If the tennis court does not have angled corners, then move the courts 2 feet so that there is an 8-foot distance between the pickleball baseline and the backstops. Note how the lines are made to coincide as much as possible with the tennis court lines in order to minimize line confusion for the players. Note also that this layout does not allow room for fences between the side-by-side courts.

To serve as a backstop for the balls, the tennis net should be extended with netting or some sort of temporary barrier.

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Permanent Conversion of Tennis Courts

This diagram shows 2 tennis courts that are permanently converted to 8 pickleball courts. If a single tennis court is converted, just refer to half of the diagram. Angled corners are squared off if necessary. If the tennis court is a standard dimension of 60′x120′, that only allows 5 feet between the pickleball sidelines and the fences. That should be considered the minimum dimension. If space and budget allow, add some additional overall width. That will give the more active players more room and also give room for seating on the courts.