Beach Tennis

Beach tennis is a sport that emerged in Italy in the early 1970s when tennis players on vacation in Lido degli Estensi played using their rackets and the existing volleyball nets already installed on the beach.

The game was played for the first time with its current set of rules in Torredembarra, Spain in 1976, and the first championship was played in Torredembarra in 1978.

Since then, with few interruptions, it takes place on the same beach every year. Beach tennis is played in over 50 countries and by more than half a million people, with its greatest popularity occurring in Italy, Brazil, and Spain.

Beach tennis was formalized in the United States in 2005 by Marc Altheim, who discovered the sport on a trip to Aruba in 2003. The sport had been played there since 2000, having been introduced by a Dutchman. As of 2007, beach tennis had made progress toward acceptance as a mainstream sport, with an official standards organization known as Beach Tennis USA (BT USA) . In 2010, the International Tennis Federation recognized beach tennis as one of its disciplines.

The following are significant steps in the history of beach tennis:
1978: The first Beach Tennis championship is played in Torredembarra (ESP).
2008: The ITF Beach Tennis tour is officially launched, and players are ranked according to the total number of points attained in each tour event.
2009: The first ITF Beach Tennis World Championships is staged in the historic Foro Italico in Rome (ITA).
2010: The International Tennis Federation recognizes Beach Tennis as one of its disciplines.
2012: The first ITF Beach Tennis World Team Championship takes place in Moscow (RUS).

Despite the growth of the sport, research about beach tennis is still very scarce. There is a need for more research on the modality, including different perspectives of investigation such as exercise physiology, biomechanics, and sports psychology.

Beach tennis is a sport that combines elements of tennis and volleyball and is played on a beach. The rules of beach tennis are similar to those of regular tennis, but there are some differences. The following are the rules of beach tennis:

• Beach tennis is played as singles or doubles.
• The standard court size is 16 meters long and 8 meters wide for doubles matches, and 4.5 meters wide for singles matches.
• The net height is 1.7 meters.
• The ball used is a depressurized tennis ball.
• Scoring is 15-30-40 with no advantage. At 40-40 (deuce), the next point wins.
• Doubles, men serve underhand.
• Lets are in play.
• Only one serve is allowed per point.
• The ball cannot hit the sand. If it does, the opposing team receives a point.
• If the ball strikes the line in any way, the shot is good.
• No part of a player’s body or equipment may touch the net or cross the plane of the net (over or under). If it does, that player’s team will lose the point being played.
• The player serving must stay behind the baseline while serving. If any part of a player’s body touches the baseline in his/her service motion before hitting the ball, it is considered a foot fault, and the serving team will lose the point.
• Only one hit is allowed to get the ball over the net. In doubles, you may not pass the ball to your partner.
• To win a game, a player must score four points.
• In beach tennis, you score a point every time your ball hits the other side’s sand. Unlike in tennis, the ball does not bounce.
• There are no advantages in beach tennis. This means that if the score of a game is tied at 40-40 (called “deuce”), the winner takes the game.
• Each set is played to 6 games. Beach tennis matches are best of 3 sets, with the third set played as a 10-point super tie break.
• The serving has only one opportunity to serve. Apart from this, there is no repetition, service let, or second serve in beach tennis.
• The ball must be named on the official ITF list of approved Stage 2 balls issued by the International Tennis Federation.
• Rackets, which are approved for play under the Rules of Beach Tennis, must comply with the specifications in Appendix II of the ITF Rules of Beach Tennis.

To play beach tennis, you need the following equipment:

• Racket or paddle: Beach tennis rackets or paddles are shorter than regular tennis rackets and have a larger head. They are made of materials such as carbon fiber, fiberglass, or wood, and they come in different shapes, sizes, and weights. Some popular brands include Nox, HP, Vision, and Mormaii.
• Ball: Beach tennis balls are depressurized tennis balls that travel more slowly through the air than regular tennis balls. They are usually yellow or orange.
• Net: The net used in beach tennis is similar to the one used in regular tennis, but it is shorter in height. The standard net height is 1.7 meters.
• Court lines: The court lines are marked on the sand to indicate the boundaries of the court. The standard court size is 16 meters long and 8 meters wide for doubles matches, and 4.5 meters wide for singles matches.
• Clothing: Players usually wear comfortable and breathable clothing suitable for the beach environment. Some brands offer specific beach tennis clothing, such as tops, shorts, skirts, and matching sets.
• Accessories: Some accessories that can be useful for beach tennis players include grips, bags, balls, hats, caps, towels, wristbands, and sleeves.

It is important to note that the ball and racket must comply with the specifications set by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to be used in official beach tennis tournaments.