What is beach tennis: rules, court and how to start

Beach tennis is one of the fastest-growing racket sports on the world's beaches, and Mexico, with its coasts and tourist destinations, is a good place to try it. It is played on sand, almost always in doubles, with a solid racket and a ball softer than a tennis ball. This guide summarises the basic rules according to the International Tennis Federation (ITF), what you need to play and how to start. One important note: in casual games the rules are simplified, so agree with your opponents how you will play before the first point.

Where it comes from

Beach tennis was born in Italy in the early 1970s, at Lido degli Estensi (Comacchio, Emilia-Romagna), and spread from there to other countries with a coast. It combines the dynamics of tennis with the informality of beach volleyball: it is played outdoors, on sand, with a more social than competitive atmosphere.

Since 2008, the ITF has recognised the sport and publishes its official rules and sanctions international tournaments and rankings. That is why there is now an official rulebook and a common way of playing in different countries, although each tournament can have small variations.

The court and the net

• The court is a sand rectangle 16 metres long by 8 metres wide for doubles, according to the ITF rules.
• The net is set at 1.80 metres for men's events and 1.70 metres for women's, mixed and junior girls' events, per the ITF rules: higher than in tennis and lower than in volleyball.
• The court lines are usually tapes or cords fixed to the sand. Since there is no bounce, the state of the sand matters more than in other sports.
• It is played outdoors, so sun, wind and loose sand change the game: work out how they affect you before you start.

Basic rules

• It is almost always played in doubles, although there is also a singles format in competition.
• The ball may not bounce: you must hit it before it touches the sand. That is the big difference from tennis.
• Each point starts with a serve, and you only get one attempt. If you miss, the point goes to your opponents.
• The serve is taken from behind the baseline, and the ball must clear the net and land in the opposite half.
• You may not touch the net with your body or racket, or cross into the opposing court while the ball is in play.

How it is scored

The count recalls tennis: 15, 30, 40 and game. The difference is that at 40-all a deciding point is played, with no advantage: whoever wins that point takes the game. Matches are usually played to a number of games or best of three sets, depending on the competition. In an americana or a friendly it is common to play for time or to a fixed number of points.

What you need to play

• A beach tennis racket: it is solid, stringless, with a perforated face, and shorter than a tennis racket. It is similar to a padel racket, but with different shapes and materials.
• A depressurised ball: it is softer and slower than a tennis ball, made so you can control it on sand.
• Sun protection: a cap or visor, sunscreen and water. You play under the sun, so staying hydrated matters.
• Footwear: it is usually played barefoot or in special sand socks. Before stepping on the court, check there are no shells, glass or stones.

Beach tennis, tennis and padel

• Compared with tennis: the ball does not bounce, the racket has no strings and the court is sand. You lose the long baseline shots and gain reflex play at the net.
• Compared with padel: they are alike in the solid rackets and pair play, but here there are no walls and the court is sand.
• Compared with beach volleyball: it shares the sand and the net, but the ball is hit with a racket and the net is lower than in volleyball.

How to start

The best way in is a relaxed rally, without counting points, to get used to the racket and the sand. Work first on the serve and on shots close to the net, which is where most points are played. Warm up shoulders, wrists and ankles, because sand asks more of your legs than a hard court. If you come from tennis or padel, your reflexes will help, and if not, a couple of games are enough to find the rhythm.

How to find a court in Mexico

It is still a little-known sport in the country, and you are most likely to find it in beach areas. On MeetAndPlay you can look for beach tennis on the sport pages and in the court directory by city. It is not a booking service: it is a directory of places compiled from OpenStreetMap and from researched public sources. Before you go, confirm with the venue that it offers beach tennis, at what times and whether they lend rackets and balls.