How Many Serves Do You Get in Tennis? Two, Plus Every Let

The number people miss is the let. A serve that touches the net and lands in the correct box is a let, not a fault, and you just serve that serve again. So in practice you can hit more than two balls on one point and still be on your first serve.

What counts as a fault

Rule 19 lists four ways to miss a serve:

• The serve breaks the serving rules in Rules 16 to 18. That includes the serve not landing in the box diagonally opposite and any foot fault.
• You swing at the ball and miss it.
• The serve hits a permanent fixture, a singles stick or the net post before it lands. Rule 19, Case 2 says a serve that clips a singles stick and then lands in the box is still a fault.
• The serve hits you, your doubles partner, or anything either of you is wearing or carrying.

A bad toss is not on that list. Rule 19, Case 1 lets you catch the toss or let it drop without a fault, provided you did not swing.

What counts as a let

Under Rule 22, a serve is a let if it touches the net, strap or band and is otherwise good. It is also a let if it touches the net and then hits the receiver or the receiver's partner before landing, or if you served before the receiver was ready.

The key line in Rule 22 is that a service let does not cancel a previous fault. So a let on your second serve leaves you on your second serve. Nothing in the rule caps how many lets you can hit in a row.

The receiver's readiness cuts both ways. Under Rule 21, a receiver who tries to return the serve counts as ready. You cannot swing at a serve, miss, and then claim you were not ready.

The let that gives you a fresh first serve

There are two kinds of let. A service let replays one serve, as above. A let called for something else, such as a ball rolling onto the court, replays the whole point. Rule 23 says the whole point is replayed for every let except a service let on a second serve.

Rule 23, Case 1 shows the difference. If you had already faulted your first serve and a ball then rolls on court during the point, you get a first serve, not a second one, because the point starts over.

Second serve from where?

Rule 20 says the second serve comes from behind the same half of the court as the fault, without delay. The one exception is when the first serve came from the wrong half. Then you move to the correct side, which our guide to serving from the wrong side explains, including what happens to points already played.

"Without delay" is also why the time between first and second serve is short. The separate 25-second limit between points is covered in how much time you get between points.

When there is no service let

Appendix VI of the ITF rules includes an approved "No-Let" alternative. With it, a serve that touches the net, strap or band is in play. Some sanctioning bodies use it, so ask before a league match if you are not sure. In doubles played with Short Sets, No-Ad scoring and No-Let together, the sanctioning body may let either receiving player return a net-cord serve that lands in the box.

Using the second serve well

Because a double fault costs the whole point, many players choose to hit their second serve with more margin, meaning more net clearance and spin, rather than the same pace as the first. That is a tactic, not a rule. The rules only care that the ball lands in the right box. Our guide to serving underhand shows that the style of serve is up to you.