Service box
The service box is the area on each side of the net into which the serve must land. Each box measures 6.95 metres by 5 metres - the full width of the court divided by the central line, and the depth from the net to the service line. The receiving pair stands behind the service box on the opposite side from the server.
What is a service box?
Each side of the court has two service boxes, one on each side of the central service line. A box is 6.95 metres deep (from the net to the service line) and 5 metres wide (the full court width divided in two). The serve must bounce inside one of the two boxes on the diagonal opposite side - if it lands anywhere else, the serve is a fault.
When does it come into play?
The service box defines where every serve must land. The server alternates which box they aim at within a service game - first point goes to the right box (the deuce side), second to the left box (the advantage side), and so on. The receiver positions themselves behind the appropriate box.
How it works
When you serve, you stand behind your own service line on the correct side of the central line, and you serve diagonally into the opposite service box. The diagonal box is determined by the score - even points go to the right box, odd points to the left box, from the server’s perspective. Land outside the diagonal box and the serve is a fault.
Coach tip: Aim every serve at one specific zone within the service box - the T-line corner, the body line, or the wide side line. Aiming for “in the box” without a specific target is the easiest way to develop an inconsistent serve.
Common mistakes
The two most common service box errors are serving long (the ball lands past the service line - common with tennis crossovers used to a longer service court) and serving wide (the ball lands outside the side line - usually a foot-fault or wrong-grip issue). Both are faults under FIP rules.
