Penny Petersen

Short-court tennis is played on a standard tennis court using a standard net. The singles lines are used, making it narrower. The service line is used as the baseline, thus the title “short-court.”

A low compression tennis ball is used, which is exactly what juniors use when learning tennis. A special tennis racket is used, or you can use your regular tennis racquet and a low compression tennis ball on a separate court.

All players stand behind the baseline (service line) until the serve is hit. The serve is similar to tennis where the server starts on the deuce side and serves cross court. The serve must be underhanded (low to high). If the ball hits the net and goes in, the serve is good.

Scoring is very different from regular tennis. The first player to get four points wins the game. You do not have to win by two. If the score is 3-3, the receiving team decides who will receive the serve. The first team to win four games wins the set. Only switch sides at the end of a set. The first to win two sets wins the match.

Thanks to Barb Jorgensen and her crew of volunteers who worked with the 44-plus folks who attended the “lessons” in short-court tennis. Courts 1 through 4 were crowded for the entire time.

The games are shorter, and so are the sets. It doesn’t require a lot of running, and it’s fun. The Palo Verde courts are used. For further information, contact Rick Kendall at [email protected].