Have you ever had a dispute with a fellow player over a call on the court that you couldn’t settle? Maybe you’re just curious about how some scenarios, from the common to the ridiculous, are resolved.

 

Question: Does the length of a tiebreak game determine who serves at the start of the next set? If someone wins a tiebreak, 7-5, versus a 15-13 tiebreak, does it change?

 

Answer: Luckily, no matter the length of the tiebreak game, you just need to remember who received at the very beginning of it.  If you (or your team) were the receiver for the first point of the tiebreak, you become the server for the first game of the next set. So go forth and play long tiebreaks; just remember who received first. (ITF Rule 5)

 

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For the "Friend at Court" handbook and more information on the rules of tennis, visit the rules and regulations homepage.

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