RULES OF LAWN TENNIS THE SINGLES GAME I. The court shall be a rectangle, 78 ft. long and 27 ft. wide. It shall be divided across the middle by a net, suspended from a cord or metal cable of a maximum diameter of one-third of an inch, the ends of which shall be attached to, or pass over, the tops of two posts, 3 ft. 6 in. high, which shall stand 3 f t. outside the court on each side. The height of the net shall be 3 f t. at the cen tre, where it shall be held down taut by a strap not more than 2 in. wide. There shall be a band covering the cord or metal cable at the top of the net for not less than 2 in. nor more than 21 in. in depth on each side. The lines bounding the ends and sides of the court shall respectively be called the base-lines and the side-lines. On each side of the net, at a distance of 21 ft. from it and parallel with it, shall be drawn the service-lines. The space on each side of the net between the service-line and the side-lines shall be divided into two equal parts called the service-courts by the centre-service line, which must be two inches in width drawn half-way between, and parallel with, the side-lines. Each base-line shall be bisected by an imaginary continuation of the centre-service-line to a line 4 in. in length and 2 in. in width called the centre-mark drawn inside the court, at right angles to and in contact with such base line. All other lines shall be not less than I in. nor more than 2 in. in width, except the base-lines, which may be 4 in. in width, and all measurements shall be made to the outside of the lines.
Note.—In the case of the International Lawn Tennis cham pionship (Davis cup) or other official championships of the Inter national Federation, there shall be a space behind each base-line of not less than 21 ft., and at the sides of not less than 12 feet.
2. The permanent fixtures of the court shall include not only the nets, posts, cord or metal cable, strap and band, but also, where there are any such, the back and side stops, the stands, fixed or moveable seats and chairs round the court, and their occupants, all other fixtures around and above the court, and the umpire, foot-fault judge and linesmen when in their respective places.
4. The players shall stand on opposite sides of the net ; the player who first delivers the ball shall be called the server, and the other the receiver.
5. The choice of sides and the right to be server or receiver in the first game shall be decided by toss. If the winner of the toss choose the right to be server or receiver, his opponent shall have the choice of sides. If the winner of the toss take the choice of sides his opponent shall have the right to be server or receiver. The winner of the toss may, if he prefer it, require his opponent to make the first choice.
6. The service shall be delivered in the following manner. Im mediately before commencing to serve, the server shall stand with both feet at rest behind (i.e., farther from the net than) the base line, and within the imaginary continuations of the centre-mark and side-line. The server shall then project the ball by hand into the air in any direction and strike it with his racket, and the de livery shall be deemed to be completed at the moment of the im pact of the racket and the ball. A player with the use of only one arm may utilize his racket for the projection.