For doubles matches, the centres of the net posts shall be 3 feet outside the doubles court on each side.
For singles matches, if a singles net is used, the centres of the net posts shall be 3 feet outside the singles court on each side.
USTA, Friend at Court, 2019
I was remarkably deep into my tennis playing life when I discovered that there is supposed to be different placement for the net posts between singles and doubles. The placement of the net posts on the vast majority of courts where they are a permanent fixture are in the location specified for doubles.
With the prevalence of live tennis that comes with the tennis channel, you can occasionally experience the conversion of a court between singles and doubles and witness the relocation of the net posts and swapping the net to the correct width for the post placement.
To compensate for the fact that most tennis courts are permanently in the doubles configuration, the Friend at Court requires the use of “singles sticks” when singles is played on those courts. In practice, singles sticks are rarely used. When they are it is somewhat like bringing out the fine china for holiday meals. It feels fancy. Singles sticks are 3.5 feet high and are to be placed precisely 3 feet outside the singles sideline.
You can usually count singles sticks being used in USTA Category 1 and 2 national tournaments. One year they were used at the Texas individual Sectional Championships. I had a league team make nationals in 2018 and to the best of my recollection, singles sticks were not used there.
My engineer brain is wondering why I don’t personally own a set of singles sticks. Certainly it would make sense to practice with them prior to playing events where I know that they would be in use. It also occurs to me that they could be used to slightly raise the level of the net when practicing serves. I am currently working hard on my net clearance.
I find that singles sticks are readily available from the major online tennis equipment retailers. Probably I will be purchasing a set in the near future. I am wondering what would happen if I whipped them out for a league match. There might be an answer to that question in the very near future.
- United States Tennis Association (2019) Friend at Court. White Plains, NY
