Size

• A regulation tennis court is 36 feet wide and 78 feet long. Additional space is necessary around the court to allow players to serve, chase down balls and for the net support posts. Typically, this is 12 feet on each side and 21 feet at each end.
  
  

Surface

• A tennis surface is typically made of asphalt, concrete, grass or clay. Of the four events that make up the Grand Slam of professional tennis, two are played on a hardcourt, one on grass and one on clay.
  
  

Net

• A net divides the court in half lengthwise and attaches at either side of the court to net support posts. The net is 3 feet high in the middle and held in place by a strap to a hook below. The net gradually rises to 3-1/2 feet at the posts.
  
  

Lines

• A boundary line traces the outside rectangular border of the court. Two parallel lines run the length of the court, 3 feet inside the border. These are the alleys used in doubles play, but not singles. There is a service line 21 feet back from each side of the net and connecting the inside lines of the alleys. There is a center service line connecting the middle of the service line to the net.
  
  

History

• British Major Walter Wingfield patented the first tennis court in 1873. It was hourglass-shaped and had a net several feet higher than the modern standard. Modifications were made two years later to create the basic format used now.