Losing a point

24(a–f). Service, bounces and the return

A player loses the point in any of the following circumstances:

• The player serves 2 consecutive faults.
• The player fails to return a ball in play before its 2nd consecutive bounce.
• The return lands outside the correct court, or hits an object outside the correct court before bouncing.
• The return hits a permanent fixture before bouncing.
• The receiver hits the serve before it bounces.
• The player deliberately catches or carries the live ball on the racket, or deliberately contacts it with the racket more than once.

24(g–l). Contacts and other losing actions

The point is also lost when any of these occurs while the ball is in play:

• The player, the racket whether held or not, or anything the player wears or carries touches the net, net posts, singles sticks, cord or metal cable, strap, band, or the opponent’s court.
• The player strikes the ball before it has passed the net.
• The ball touches the player or anything worn or carried other than the racket.
• The ball touches a racket that the player is not holding.
• The player deliberately makes a material change to the racket’s shape.
• Both doubles partners touch the ball in making a return.

Cases 1–3. Net contact before or after a fault

If the server’s racket falls and touches the net after the 1st serve is struck but before the ball bounces, the server loses the point: the ball was still in play when the racket touched the net.

If that racket instead touches the net after the serve has already bounced outside the correct service court, the result is a service fault. The ball was no longer in play when the racket touched the net.

In doubles, if the receiver’s partner touches the net before the served ball lands outside the correct service court, the receiving team loses the point. A serve that is still in flight remains in play for this purpose.

Cases 4–6. Crossing the net line and throwing a racket

Crossing the imaginary extension of the net, before or after hitting the ball, does not itself lose the point, provided the player does not touch the opponent’s court.

Jumping over the net into the opponent’s court while the ball is in play loses the point.

A player who throws the racket at the live ball loses the point, even if the racket and ball land in the opponent’s court and the opponent cannot reach the ball.

Cases 7–8. Contact before a bounce

If a serve hits the receiver or, in doubles, the receiver’s partner before bouncing, the server wins the point unless it is a service let.

A player standing outside the court cannot catch the live ball and claim it was certainly going out: that player loses the point. Hitting it before it bounces also loses the point unless the shot is a good return, in which case play continues.