Follow me closely on this one… the ITF Rules of Beach Tennis specify that this racquet sport variation is played on… wait for it… sand. It would be shocking if any other surface were allowed. The rules also indicate that the playing surface should be as flat and uniform “as possible.” After all, it’s sand. The surface will undulate as the players move about the court during play.
The Beach Tennis rules also stipulate that the playing surface is free of rocks, shells, and any other irregular objects. Impediments in the sand must not present any danger or injury risk to the players. Because it is in the rules, a Beach Team can refuse to play if those conditions are not met. The sport is played without shoes, so these are important regulations.
Last week I was applauding the creators of Beach Tennis because the dimensions of the court are identical to what is used for International Sand Volleyball competitions. The net posts are permanently installed on the courts, but since the men and women play volleyball with different net heights, that part of the equipment is designed to be transient. Consequently, the lower net height for Beach Tennis is no big deal for a sport where the nets are routinely raised and lowered for gendered play.
So now we know the dimensions of the court for Beach Tennis. I have also confirmed that the sand volleyball courts in a public park near my residence conform to the specifications. Now all I need are balls and racquets. As it turns out, balls are the first of those two topics in the ITF Rules of Beach Tennis.
Stage 2 (i.e. low compression) balls, as outlined in the current edition of ITF Approved Tennis Balls, Classified Surfaces & Recognised Courts, are approved for play.
ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, Rule 4, Excerpt
A careful reading of that rule indicates that the ball used for Beach Tennis is actually a regulation tennis ball. If you are not familiar with the technical categorization nomenclature, a Stage 2 low-compression ball is an “Orange” QuickStart tennis ball.
There are some practical reasons why it makes sense to standardize on a ball already in wide use. The manufacturing and supply chain is already in place for QuickStart tennis balls. That means that the cost is lower than a specialized ball and the availability is widespread. Since I intend to give Beach Tennis a try in the immediate future, I was able to grab some balls off the shelf of a local discount store.
Ever since I started writing about Beach Tennis, I have been astonished at the frequency that the ITF posts highlight videos of the sport. In fact, I am starting to suspect that the organization agreed to take on oversight of the Beach Tennis rules strictly for the opportunity to regularly send a media team out to create hype videos of the event.
With access to sand volleyball courts in a park near my home and balls in hand, I am almost ready to give Beach Tennis a try. The only thing I lack at this point is an appropriate racquet. Actually, I need four racquets because I seriously doubt anyone else in my local beach-free area has one of those tucked away in a closet.
- ITF Rules of Beach Tennis, International Tennis Federation, 2023
