Dimensions Guide

The area wherein people play the game of tennis is aptly referred to as a tennis court. It is usually marked by a net hanging low at the middle and a rectangular surface. In this facility, players can compete in both singles and doubles. Its floor is made from different types of materials, the most common of which are concrete, clay and grass. Understand the game much better by taking a quick look at the different tennis court dimensions.

The Dimensions of Tennis Court

The length of this court is set at 78 feet for both singles and doubles competitions. In terms of width, singles competition is shorter at 27 feet compared to doubles competition, which is actually measured at 36 feet. Players are allowed to have extra clear space surrounding the court in order for them to hit overrun balls. Counting the additional space, the total length covered by the game is 120 feet while the total width is 60 feet.

The playing court is divided equally in the middle with a net, which separates one end of the floor from the other. When stretched across, the net must be parallel with the two baselines. The height of the net is supposed to be 3 feet and 6 inches at the posts, while at the center it must be 3 feet high. The width of the outside lines for singles competition is measured at 27 feet. On the flip side, the width of the outside lines for doubles competition is fixed at 36 feet. In terms of length, each side of the floor must be 39 feet. Finally, the appropriate distance between the net and the fault line is 21 feet.

Additional Information and Other Highly Interesting Details

Primarily, there are four major kinds of tennis courts, namely grass courts, hard courts, clay courts and indoor courts. For those who prefer to play the game indoors, there are three basic options available, which are wood, rubber and carpet. Different tournaments use different types of courts. For instance, players compete in grass at Wimbledon. Meanwhile, clay is the usual playground at the French Open. For the Australian Open and the U.S. Open, players compete in hard courts.

Grass courts are basically made from high quality grass, hard courts from asphalt and clay courts from brick, stone or shale. Most indoor tennis courts are made from wood, rubber as well as carpet. Aside from these, there are also smaller courts available. Today, the major proponent of these slightly smaller play areas is the International Tennis Federation.