Tennis Net Height – A Complete Guide to Understand Height of A Tennis Court Net

Any tennis player knows the importance of proper tennis net height in the game.

It is the most critical structure on the tennis court which is responsible for making the game more challenging, adventurous and attractive to play.

Whether you have obtained excellent tennis skills or you are a powerful hitter, it does not matter if you can not land the tennis ball into your opponent’s court above the net.

So, it is important for you to know the tennis net in detail.

As a tennis player, you must be aware of its dimensions and what are the official rules and regulations for installing a proper tennis net.

If you are looking for the information on proper dimensions for the tennis court net, then you have reached the right place.

Here, today we will discuss more about what is the actual tennis net height.

How high can be a tennis court net?

This is the question that many new comers and beginner tennis players ask online.

So, this article will provide you the answer which you are looking for.

What is The Tennis Court Dimension?

Tennis Net Height and Court Dimensions

A tennis court is the rectangular surface on which actual tennis game is played.

In the center of the court, you can see the tennis net stretched whose real height we are going to discuss in this article.

The tennis court can be used to play singles and doubles matches.

Depending on the play style, the surface of the tennis court changes.

According to the International Tennis Federation , the actual dimension of the tennis court is 78 feet (23.77 m) in length and 27 feet (8.23 m) in width.

This dimension is often used for singles tennis matches.

On the other side, the width of the court is 36 feet (10.97 m) when it comes to playing doubles tennis matches.

What are the Essential Accessories for Building Tennis Net?

You already know that a tennis net is constructed in the center of the court.

In order to place it in the middle of the court, you need 4 main accessories such as tennis net posts, a metal cable or a cord, white strap and white band.

You need net posts to suspend the tennis net in the middle of the court.

This divides the court into two halves and thus creates the two player courts.

This net must touch the ground surface in order to prevent the tennis ball to go through or under the net on the other side.

You have to use white strap to held the net down during the game.

Classic Round Posts 2 7/8" - Green (Pair)

Click Here to Find the Best Quality Tennis Net Posts Online.

Gamma Pro Center Strap, White

Click Here to Get White Bands and White Straps Online.

On the top of the net, you often require to make use of a cord or a metal cable for firm stretching of the net.

And finally, you need white band to cover this metal cable or a cord on the net.

Vermont Tennis Net Headline Wire Cable [33ft or 42ft] | PVC Coated Steel Wire – All Tennis Posts (Loop & Pin, 42ft (Doubles))

Click Here to Purchase the Metal Cable for the Tennis Net.

Actual Height of Tennis Net Posts

In the middle of the court, the tennis net is placed with the help of a metal cable or a cord.

This tennis net is stretched in between two net posts whose height is often 3.5 feet (42 Inches).

This net features very small mesh so that a tennis ball can not pass through it.

It completely fills the space between two net posts which literally acts as a divider between two tennis players creating two opposite sides for the tennis game.

Understand Everything You Wanted to Know About Tennis Court Measurements

Official Tennis Net Height

As per the official website of International Tennis Federation, the overall height of the tennis net must be 3 feet (36 Inches) in the middle of the net.

It is in the center where this net is firmly attached to the ground with the help of a strap.

The metal cable or the cord which is attached to the net is usually covered by the band.

And it is also a tennis rule that this band and the strap must be of the white color.

If you are playing on the smaller tennis courts, then the minimum height of the net must be 0.8 m or 2.62 feet in the middle of the court.

As far as the width of the net is concerned, it must cover the entire court from one sideline to another.

The net posts are usually built on the outer side of these sidelines.

The exact distance between two net posts is usually 42 feet.

If you want to set a tennis net height on your own and want to adjust the tension required to straighten the net for singles as well as doubles matches then kindly watch the following video.

This video tutorial teaches you how to set the perfect tennis net height and tension which is according to the ITF regulations.

​For budding kids and teenager tennis players, Australian Tennis Association recommends to practice on 3 different sized tennis courts.

Those courts are red courts, orange courts and green courts.

In red courts, there are two versions, viz. small red court and large red court.

The max. permissible width for the tennis net at these red courts is 3 metres and 6 metres respectively.

For orange courts, the net height is about 80 cm (2.62 feet) to 91.4 cm (3 feet).

For green courts, it is obviously 3 feet.

For red tennis courts, portable mini tennis nets are used and for orange and green courts, you can use standard tennis nets that you can also purchase online.

Zume Games Portable, Instant Tennis Set Includes Two Rackets, Two Balls, Net, and Carrying Case

Click Here to Purchase High Quality Portable Mini Tennis Nets.

Vermont 2mm Tennis Net [9lbs] - 42ft Wide Doubles Regulation Net

Click Here to Get Top Quality Reliable Standard Tennis Nets Online.

What are the Exact Dimensions of These Bands and Straps on the Tennis Net?

According to ITF, it is again mandatory that the maximum width of the strap used for the tennis net must be 5 cm (2 Inches).

This band must also be not more than 2 to 2.5 inches deep on both sides.

Also, as a beginner tennis player, you must also remember that the maximum diameter of the metal cable or the cord you use for the tennis net should be exactly 0.8 cm.

What Should Be The Height of The Center of Net Posts?

Usually, in singles tennis matches, the height of centers of net posts is 3 feet (36 Inches).

If you use a single net, then this must be the height. Otherwise, if you use doubles net, then the height must be 3.5 feet (42 Inches).

This doubles net is usually constructed with the help of 2 single sticks.

The centers of these two sticks again must be 3 feet in width.

Again, you must remember that these net posts should be built outside the singles tennis court on either sides.

For doubles tennis matches, the centers of net posts again should be only 3 feet in dimension.

What Must Be the Diameter of Tennis Net Posts and Sticks?

According to ITF Association, it is determined that if you are constructing a tennis net on the court, then you must follow certain dimension recommendations.

The recommendations for tennis net posts and sticks are as follows.

A. The single stick that you use to construct a net post must have the diameter of not more than 3 inches (7.5 cm).

B. The diameter or square dimension of every net post you construct must not exceed 6 inches (15 cm).

C. The net post and the stick you use must not be more than 1 inches above the tennis net cord.

USTA Tennis Rating System Explained – In-Depth Guide

How Can You Measure and Adjust The Tennis Net Height Easily?

The tennis net always plays a crucial role when you perform different types of tennis strokes.

Your any random serve could be crashed into the net’s headband.

The consistent gameplay and ongoing contact of tennis balls with the net can cause disturbance in the height of the net.

And thus, you will need to adjust the height of the net more than often during the gameplay.

In order to maintain this net height during your game without much hassles, there is a simple thing you can do.

You can adjust your tennis net height with the simple to use and easily available Tennis Net Measuring Stick.

Such a stick is made from a solid wood substance and can come very handy during the actual game of tennis.

This is a useful product which can help you to maintain the tennis net at 3 feet height as per the official ITF regulations.

Another very simple method you can use is your readily available tennis racquet.

You can simply measure the length of your racket handle and then mark for 9 inches length.

Then measure the entire length of your racquet which is approx. 27 inches.

Add this to the length of your racket handle which is 9 inches as we have already marked.

Therefore, when adding up both the lengths, it comes close to 36 inches which is 3 feet.

This is the height we are looking for to adjust the tennis net.

Yes, this is not very accurate method but hey, it works when you don’t have Tennis Net Measuring Stick.

For more creative ideas on how to measure your net height, plz refer to this amazing Tennis-warehouse.com forum discussion thread.

And if you want to install a tennis net all by yourself, then there is a great step-by-step guide available online.

You can check out this Tenniscourtsupply.com Resource.

There is also a great video tutorial which you can watch and learn to install tennis net on your own.

Watch the following video to learn more.

Conclusion

From the above data, we can conclude that the official height of the tennis net is 3 feet in the center and 3 feet 6 inches at net posts.

And the metal cable or a cord which suspends the net must extend above the net posts that are on both the sides of the court.

The tennis net posts which are designed for doubles tennis matches can also be used for the singles tennis matches for men and women only when the extra supports are constructed 3 feet away from the singles court boundaries.

Also, you can make use of Tennis Net Measuring Stick to measure and adjust the height of your tennis net.

References:

Tennis Warehouse Forum Thread

Tennis Court Wikipedia Page

International Tennis Federation Official Tennis Rules