Beach Tennis: History of the Game, Rules, Where and How to Play?

Beach Tennis is a sport that combines elements from several sports, including badminton, tennis, and paddle tennis. The game is played on a sandy court in a beach volleyball-style area, with players using rackets to hit the ball into the opponent’s side in such a way that they are unable to return it.

History:

Beach Tennis began in the 1970s when local tennis players in Italy decided to hit a ball over an existing beach volleyball net using tennis rackets while relaxing on the beach. The first match was played in 1976, according to the rules that are still in use today.

The first tournament was held only two years later, and it quickly became an annual event (with occasional breaks). This eventually evolved into an unofficial world championship, held on the same beach in Italy. The sport received significant interest in 2010 when it was officially recognized by the International Tennis Federation.

The first world doubles championships was held in 2009. In the women’s competitions, the Italian duo was defeated only twice in the annual tournaments: in 2016 by a Brazilian pair and in 2019 by a combination of a Brazilian and a German player. All champion teams in the men’s matches had at least one Italian player.

Rules of Beach Tennis:

• Beach Tennis can be played one-on-one or in doubles.
• The net is set at a height of 1.7 meters.
• Court dimensions: 8 meters wide and 16 meters long. The width of the lines marking the court is 5 cm.
• Beach Tennis is played with orange balls, weighs – 36-46 grams.
• The width of the tennis racket (head) cannot be more than 30 cm long and 26 cm wide.

Scoring:

• Points are scored in the same way as in padel, using the tennis scoring system of 15-30-40. However, if the score becomes equal 40-40, only one point is played to determine the winning team.
• Matches are best of two sets. If the first two sets are tied 1-1, a third set is played with a “tie-break” format, up to 10 points. Starting with one point, then switching innings with two points.
• A set is won when a team wins 6 games. If the score is 6-5, and the trailing team ties the score, the previously mentioned “tie-break” is played, with up to 7 points in the first two sets and up to 10 points in the decisive set.
• The team serving the ball/player serving the ball has only one attempt, hitting the net results in an immediate point loss.
• If the ball that has landed on the court touches the boundary line, the team/player who hit the ball into the line wins the point.
• Touching the net with any part of the body or racket is not allowed, and if touched, it results in a point loss.
• The ball is hit using one hit, playing in pairs also means no passes to a teammate are allowed.

Rules of other games

We also invite board game enthusiasts to learn the rules of Texas Hold’em poker, checkers, and roulette. For those who like active leisure time or want to learn more – about the rules of American football, darts, and football.