Beach tennis
Encyclopedia
For another sport called "beach paddleball", see Matkot
. For other sports called "paddleball", see Paddleball (sport)
.
Beach Tennis USA takes the fun and fast-paced sport of tennis and combines it with the sun, sea and sand of the beach.
by Marc Altheim . He discovered beach tennis on a trip to Aruba
in 2003 . The sport had been played in Aruba since 2000, having been introduced by a Dutchman. As of 2007, beach tennis has made progress toward acceptance as a mainstream sport with an official standards organization known as Beach Tennis USA (BT USA). In 2007, BT USA signed two television deals: one with SNY in New York City and one with the Tennis Channel. The Tennis Channel agreed to televise three major BT USA or National Beach Tennis / Beach Paddle Ball Association tournaments. The Miami
BT USA open featured 40 teams including several formerly highly ranked pro tennis players including Jay Berger
and Pablo Arraya
. In 2007, Andre Agassi
and Steffi Graf
played the sport.
Beach tennis merges the world of beach volleyball and tennis and is accessible to a wide range of participants.
It is related to beach volleyball
but played with a tennis ball and paddle or racket. The court is a standard beach volleyball court that is 30 feet wide and 60 feet long. There is a center line that splits the court lengthwise. At the center of the court, there is a 5-foot-10-inch-high (1.78 m) net. A standard tennis racquet or a paddle and a slightly depressurized tennis ball
(6 lbs instead of 12 lbs) are used.
Sanctioned Beach Tennis USA events are different depending upon the number of entrants, number of courts available and time. Typically, the preliminary rounds are round-robin, or pool-play. This means that there is a pool of four, one would play all the other teams in your pool (3 matches). The top 1 or 2 teams from each pool advance to the elimination rounds (single-elimination).
The rules are a mix of tennis and volleyball rules. Ball that hit the sand result in a point. Scoring is similar to tennis with scores of 15 - 30 - 40 and no-ad at deuce. There is only one contact per side. Balls that hit the net remain in play. At deuce, the receiving team chooses which player will receive.
In BT USA sanctioned events, each match consists of one eight-game set. The match must be won by two games. If the match score is tied at 8-8, a 12-point tennis tiebreaker is played to determine the winner.
Beach tennis was one of the attractions at the Family Circle Cup
, in Charleston
, South Carolina
, on April 2007. Beach Tennis USA will organize its first professional tournament there.
The BT USA 2008 tour will commence in Key Biscayne, Florida on the grounds of the Sony Ericcson Open. The 2008 season will be nationwide, and a network of events under the BT USA banner will help foster the growth of the sport.
In 2008 the exposure to the sport of beach tennis increased, with new broadcast agreements with Fox Sports Net (FSN) in California and Florida and from coverage on TV shows like NBC's Today Show.
in Israel
and Racchettoni in Italy. It was first played in Romagna
near Ravenna
and Rimini
in 1978. Later, in 1996, it was formalized by Italian Gianni Bellettini, president of International Federation Beach Tennis-IFBT. The best players in the world are from Ravenna Italy: Alex Mingozzi and Matteo Marighella, two times USA National Champions and four times world champions.
In Italy the official federation is F.I.T (Italian Tennis Federation) which is the only federation recognized by ITF.
Rule 1. Court Area
The playing area must be 16m lengths and 8m width, at right angles. (Beach Volleyball) The playing area is divided into 2 parts by a net. The net stands at 1.70m at the middle for the outdoor game. Singles court area is 5 metres by 8 metres per side. The line is a part of the court. Any part of the body touching the line whilst serving is a foot-fault.
Rule 2. The Ball
The ball is similar to the one used in court tennis, but of specialized low compression.
Rule 3. Server and Returnee
Players must be opposite each other: the player who starts the point is deemed the server and the other, the returnee. When playing Mixed Doubles, male servers must serve under hand.
Rule 4. Toss
The side or right of serve is determined prior to the game start. The player who wins the toss, may serve, receive or nominate the opponent chose. Each new server is allowed a practice serve, but must notify his or her opponent.
Rule 5. The Serve
Must be done outside the court area, and should the server infringe, loss of point is the result. Only one serve per attempt. This can be done overhand or underhand.
Rule 6. Service Fault
A fault occurs if the server misses whilst attempting to hit or the ball hit a furnishing or fixture i.e. Net post. If the server invades the court prior to contact, a fault is also the result.
Rule 7. When Serving
If a ball makes contact with the net, it is a "live" ball. Matches can be played without a referee.”
Rule 8. Service Order
The service is the same as lawn tennis, with a player serving out the duration of the game; the serve will alternate, following a pre-established order of serve. E.g.: especially in Doubles.
Rule 9. Change of Ends
Will occur when the score is at odd number of games or at the end of a set.
Rule 10. How to determine points.
A ball is sent outside the playing area after contact. If a player does something to distract the opposition players on purpose, whilst they are attempting a shot. (Gamesmanship)The reply is effective, should the ball hit the net and land in the opposite playing area. It is not possible to reply whilst invading the opponent’s court. The game is Aerial; the ball is always played on the volley! Game Score is the same as Lawn Tennis. No Advantage, sudden death at deuce!
Rule 11. Official Decisions
In a match where a referee is present, his/her decisions are definitive. A ball CANNOT contact court fixtures, namely the post and rebound into court. (This rule is the same as beach volleyball, and is unlike tennis)
Rule 12. Duration of Match
Can be varied, depending on program, but competition play will be a 7 up set, Tiebreak at 6 all. E.g.: 7/6 wins set. E.g. If you play up to 6, tiebreak at 5-5. Players change ends after 4 points in Tiebreak, TB played as per tennis to 7 points. Doubles can be played to 9 games, tiebreak at 8-8, as in World Championships.
Rule 13. Racquets
Only Authorised equipment by the AFBT/IFBT can be used to competition or tournament play. Racquets must adhere to the regulation lengths and widths. Paddle Racquets are not permitted for competition and tournament play however can be used in demonstration and come try purposes.
Matkot
Matkot is a popular paddle ball game in Israel similar to beach tennis, often referred to as the country's national sport.Matkot is a non-competitive beach game in which two or more players hit a small ball back and forth using paddles...
. For other sports called "paddleball", see Paddleball (sport)
Paddleball (sport)
Paddle ball is a one-person toy played with an attached ball and paddle.Paddleball may also refer to:*Beach tennis, also known as "beach paddle ball" or "beach paddleball"*Matkot, also known as "Beach paddleball" or "kadima"*One wall paddleball...
.
Beach Tennis USA takes the fun and fast-paced sport of tennis and combines it with the sun, sea and sand of the beach.
Beach Tennis USA
Beach Tennis was formalized in 2005 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by Marc Altheim . He discovered beach tennis on a trip to Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
in 2003 . The sport had been played in Aruba since 2000, having been introduced by a Dutchman. As of 2007, beach tennis has made progress toward acceptance as a mainstream sport with an official standards organization known as Beach Tennis USA (BT USA). In 2007, BT USA signed two television deals: one with SNY in New York City and one with the Tennis Channel. The Tennis Channel agreed to televise three major BT USA or National Beach Tennis / Beach Paddle Ball Association tournaments. The Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
BT USA open featured 40 teams including several formerly highly ranked pro tennis players including Jay Berger
Jay Berger
Jay Berger is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He won three singles and one doubles title on the ATP Tour and reached his career-high singles ranking of world # 7 in April 1990....
and Pablo Arraya
Pablo Arraya
Pablo Guillermo Arraya , is a former tennis player from Peru.Arraya was born in Córdoba, Argentina, and turned professional in 1980. He represented his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he was defeated in the first round by Argentina's Javier Frana. The right-hander won...
. In 2007, Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
and Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf is a former World No. 1 German tennis player.In total, Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Court's 24...
played the sport.
Beach tennis merges the world of beach volleyball and tennis and is accessible to a wide range of participants.
It is related to beach volleyball
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
but played with a tennis ball and paddle or racket. The court is a standard beach volleyball court that is 30 feet wide and 60 feet long. There is a center line that splits the court lengthwise. At the center of the court, there is a 5-foot-10-inch-high (1.78 m) net. A standard tennis racquet or a paddle and a slightly depressurized tennis ball
Tennis ball
A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis,approximately 6.7 cm in diameter. Tennis balls are generally bright green, but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous fluffy felt which modifies their aerodynamic properties...
(6 lbs instead of 12 lbs) are used.
Sanctioned Beach Tennis USA events are different depending upon the number of entrants, number of courts available and time. Typically, the preliminary rounds are round-robin, or pool-play. This means that there is a pool of four, one would play all the other teams in your pool (3 matches). The top 1 or 2 teams from each pool advance to the elimination rounds (single-elimination).
The rules are a mix of tennis and volleyball rules. Ball that hit the sand result in a point. Scoring is similar to tennis with scores of 15 - 30 - 40 and no-ad at deuce. There is only one contact per side. Balls that hit the net remain in play. At deuce, the receiving team chooses which player will receive.
In BT USA sanctioned events, each match consists of one eight-game set. The match must be won by two games. If the match score is tied at 8-8, a 12-point tennis tiebreaker is played to determine the winner.
Beach tennis was one of the attractions at the Family Circle Cup
Family Circle Cup
The Family Circle Cup is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1973. The tournament is currently played on the green clay courts at the Daniel Island Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, USA...
, in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, on April 2007. Beach Tennis USA will organize its first professional tournament there.
The BT USA 2008 tour will commence in Key Biscayne, Florida on the grounds of the Sony Ericcson Open. The 2008 season will be nationwide, and a network of events under the BT USA banner will help foster the growth of the sport.
In 2008 the exposure to the sport of beach tennis increased, with new broadcast agreements with Fox Sports Net (FSN) in California and Florida and from coverage on TV shows like NBC's Today Show.
Beach tennis with paddle racquet
In other countries beach tennis is called beach paddle Ball or nation-specific names like matkotMatkot
Matkot is a popular paddle ball game in Israel similar to beach tennis, often referred to as the country's national sport.Matkot is a non-competitive beach game in which two or more players hit a small ball back and forth using paddles...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Racchettoni in Italy. It was first played in Romagna
Romagna
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...
near Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
and Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
in 1978. Later, in 1996, it was formalized by Italian Gianni Bellettini, president of International Federation Beach Tennis-IFBT. The best players in the world are from Ravenna Italy: Alex Mingozzi and Matteo Marighella, two times USA National Champions and four times world champions.
In Italy the official federation is F.I.T (Italian Tennis Federation) which is the only federation recognized by ITF.
Beach tennis with paddle rules
The present general regulation is made by the International Federation Beach Tennis-IFBT to provide rules for competition.Rule 1. Court Area
The playing area must be 16m lengths and 8m width, at right angles. (Beach Volleyball) The playing area is divided into 2 parts by a net. The net stands at 1.70m at the middle for the outdoor game. Singles court area is 5 metres by 8 metres per side. The line is a part of the court. Any part of the body touching the line whilst serving is a foot-fault.
Rule 2. The Ball
The ball is similar to the one used in court tennis, but of specialized low compression.
Rule 3. Server and Returnee
Players must be opposite each other: the player who starts the point is deemed the server and the other, the returnee. When playing Mixed Doubles, male servers must serve under hand.
Rule 4. Toss
The side or right of serve is determined prior to the game start. The player who wins the toss, may serve, receive or nominate the opponent chose. Each new server is allowed a practice serve, but must notify his or her opponent.
Rule 5. The Serve
Must be done outside the court area, and should the server infringe, loss of point is the result. Only one serve per attempt. This can be done overhand or underhand.
Rule 6. Service Fault
A fault occurs if the server misses whilst attempting to hit or the ball hit a furnishing or fixture i.e. Net post. If the server invades the court prior to contact, a fault is also the result.
Rule 7. When Serving
If a ball makes contact with the net, it is a "live" ball. Matches can be played without a referee.”
Rule 8. Service Order
The service is the same as lawn tennis, with a player serving out the duration of the game; the serve will alternate, following a pre-established order of serve. E.g.: especially in Doubles.
Rule 9. Change of Ends
Will occur when the score is at odd number of games or at the end of a set.
Rule 10. How to determine points.
A ball is sent outside the playing area after contact. If a player does something to distract the opposition players on purpose, whilst they are attempting a shot. (Gamesmanship)The reply is effective, should the ball hit the net and land in the opposite playing area. It is not possible to reply whilst invading the opponent’s court. The game is Aerial; the ball is always played on the volley! Game Score is the same as Lawn Tennis. No Advantage, sudden death at deuce!
Rule 11. Official Decisions
In a match where a referee is present, his/her decisions are definitive. A ball CANNOT contact court fixtures, namely the post and rebound into court. (This rule is the same as beach volleyball, and is unlike tennis)
Rule 12. Duration of Match
Can be varied, depending on program, but competition play will be a 7 up set, Tiebreak at 6 all. E.g.: 7/6 wins set. E.g. If you play up to 6, tiebreak at 5-5. Players change ends after 4 points in Tiebreak, TB played as per tennis to 7 points. Doubles can be played to 9 games, tiebreak at 8-8, as in World Championships.
Rule 13. Racquets
Only Authorised equipment by the AFBT/IFBT can be used to competition or tournament play. Racquets must adhere to the regulation lengths and widths. Paddle Racquets are not permitted for competition and tournament play however can be used in demonstration and come try purposes.
External links
- Beach Tennis Bulgaria
- Beachtennis Belgium
- Czech Beach Tennis Association
- Beach tennis en Mexico
- BTP (Beach Tennis POLAND)
- BTUSA (Beach Tennis USA)
- ITF (International Tennis Federation)
- BTSD (Beach Tennis San Diego)
- FIT (Italian Tennis Tennis)
- Turquoise Beach Tennis Rackets
- Reef beach
- IFBT-International federation of beach tennis or beach paddle tennis(Italian and English languages)
- Beach Tennis Finland
- Beach Tennis Hungary
- Beach tennis Spain
- Beach Tennis Holland