A tennis court is 78 feet long and 36 feet wide for doubles, but those numbers describe only the lines painted on the surface. The space a court actually needs is considerably larger, because regulation play requires room to move behind the baselines and beside the sidelines. Knowing both figures, the playing lines and the total footprint, is the difference between a court that plays correctly and one that feels cramped from the first match.
This guide gives the official tennis court dimensions for singles and doubles, the net and service-box measurements that define the lines, and the total area a court needs once run-off space is included. For how those dimensions are translated into a finished court, see our guide to tennis court construction.
Official tennis court dimensions
A tennis court is the same length for singles and doubles. Only the width changes, because doubles adds an alley on each side of the singles court.
| Measurement | Singles | Doubles |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 78 ft (23.77 m) | 78 ft (23.77 m) |
| Width | 27 ft (8.23 m) | 36 ft (10.97 m) |
| Playing surface area | 2,106 sq ft | 2,808 sq ft |
The doubles alleys that widen the court are 4.5 feet wide on each side. Both singles and doubles are played on the same court; the singles sidelines sit 4.5 feet inside the doubles sidelines, and the alleys are simply out of play during singles.
Net and service line measurements
The net and the service lines define how the court plays. The net stands 3 feet 6 inches high at the posts and dips to 3 feet at the center, held down by a center strap. Each of the four service boxes is 21 feet long, measured from the net to the service line, and 13.5 feet wide. The baseline closes the court 39 feet from the net at each end.
These measurements are fixed by the International Tennis Federation and are identical at every level of play, from a community court to a professional stadium. The court itself does not change; what changes around it is the run-off space, the lighting, and the surface system.
How much total space does a tennis court need
This is the dimension most often underestimated in early planning. The 36-by-78-foot doubles court is the playing surface, not the constructed area. Regulation play needs clear space beyond the lines so players can run down balls without hitting a fence or a neighboring court.
The International Tennis Federation recommends 21 feet of run-off behind each baseline and 12 feet beyond each sideline. Added to the court, that produces a total enclosed area of roughly 60 by 120 feet, or about 7,200 square feet, for a single court built to a comfortable recreational and club standard. Tournament-level courts call for more. This total-area figure, not the painted lines, is what should drive site planning, fencing layout, and budgeting.
When two or more courts sit side by side, they share run-off between them only if spaced correctly, so a battery of courts is planned as one engineered footprint rather than as separate rectangles. We cover how that footprint is built in our guide to tennis court construction, and the budget implications in the cost to build a tennis court.
Tennis dimensions and multi-sport layouts
The tennis court footprint is the most flexible asset in racquet sports planning. A regulation pickleball court, 20 by 44 feet, fits inside a tennis court with room to spare, which is why so many owners now plan blended lines or convertible layouts from the start. Understanding the tennis dimensions is the first step in deciding whether a court should serve one sport or several. The layout options are covered in our guide to converting a tennis court to pickleball, and the pickleball figures in pickleball court dimensions.
Dimensions as a planning decision
It is tempting to treat court dimensions as a fixed specification to be looked up once and forgotten. In practice, the total-area figure is one of the most consequential planning decisions in a racquet facility. A court squeezed onto a site without adequate run-off plays poorly, raises injury risk, and cannot be corrected later without rebuilding. A court planned around its true 60-by-120-foot footprint, with proper orientation and spacing, performs as intended for its entire service life. The dimensions are not just measurements. They are the geometry the rest of the facility is engineered around.
Frequently asked questions
What are the dimensions of a tennis court?
A tennis court is 78 feet long and 36 feet wide for doubles, or 27 feet wide for singles. The doubles alleys add 4.5 feet on each side of the singles court. The net is 3 feet 6 inches high at the posts and 3 feet at the center.
How much total space is needed for a tennis court?
The painted court is 36 by 78 feet, but regulation play needs run-off space around it. The International Tennis Federation recommends 21 feet behind each baseline and 12 feet beyond each sideline, producing a total area of roughly 60 by 120 feet, about 7,200 square feet, for a single court.
What is the difference between a singles and doubles tennis court?
The length is the same at 78 feet. A doubles court is 36 feet wide and a singles court is 27 feet wide. The 4.5-foot alleys on each side are in play for doubles and out of play for singles, so both are played on the same court using different sidelines.
How high is a tennis net?
A tennis net is 3 feet 6 inches high at the posts and 3 feet high at the center, where a center strap holds it down. These heights are the same at every level of play.
