A tennis court is called a court. It has the rectangular shape of certain parameters. The size of the tennis court depends on its purpose. According to the rules, the game can be doubles or single. In the first case, 2 teams participate, two people each, and in a single game, the match is one on one. In this regard, the parameters of the sports field are different. For a doubles game, the dimensions of the tennis court in meters are taken equal to 23.77 x 10.97 m, for a single - 23.77 x 8.23 m, along with the boundary lines that are part of the playing field. According to the rules, a ball that hits the marking line (except for its outer edge) is counted.
The short side of the court rectangle is limited by the back line (10 cm wide), the long side by the side line (5 cm). The middle of the playing field is a grid extending beyond its borders by 914 mm in both directions. The feed zones are marked with internal marking lines: two feed lines (parallel to the back lines) and a central feed line (parallel to the side). The first two are applied at a distance of 640 cm from the net within the field for a single player game, and the center line is between them and strictly in the middle of the court. Here are the dimensions of the tennis court directly along the perimeter of the playing field, excluding races.
Outside the playing field, along the outer edge of the boundary lines, additional space is provided for the convenience of moving players, called races. Their width depends on the level of competitions that will be held on this field. For international games, the width of the rear race is assumed to be from 6.40 to 8.20 m, and the side - within 3.66–4.57 m. For amateur competitions: the rear - 5.49 m, the side - 3.05 m. The size of the tennis court with races is the sum of the parameters of the main field, taking into account the width of the races.
The tennis court may be covered with grass, clay, carpet, or with a synthetic topcoat based on concrete or asphalt. The surface of the playing field, as well as the size of the tennis court, is of great importance and has a significant impact on the quality of the game. Particular attention is paid to this issue when organizing professional competitions. For example, the prestigious Wimbledon tournament is held on grass courts. This type of surface is characterized by the fastest and at the same time the lowest rebound of the ball in comparison with other types of coatings. The French Open, which is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments with Wimbledon, is taking place in Paris at the famous Roland Garros tennis arena, using a dirt surface of the playground. Such a surface provides the highest bounce of the ball, and the pace of the game on the clay court is considered the slowest with long rallies.
The ancestor of modern tennis is real tennis, considered one of the oldest ball games that appeared a few centuries ago in England as royal entertainment. Real tennis exists today, but it is held indoors and has significant differences from the modern look of this game. The dimensions of the tennis court are 29 x 9.8 m, and the ball used in the game is made of cork, unlike the standard rubber ball for tennis.