How do you receive a serve in soft tennis doubles?
I · Intermediate · Serving and receiving · 2 of 6The receiver must let the serve bounce once in the service court and return it before a second bounce. Each receiver takes either the right or the left court and keeps it for the whole game; the first point is received in the right court. The receiver's partner must not touch the serve or step into the receiver's service court.
How it works
- One bounce: the serve must bounce in the proper service court before it is returned.
- No volley: returning the serve before it bounces loses the point.
- Fixed courts: each receiver stays with the court chosen for the whole game.
- Order: the right court first, then left and right in turn.
- Direct: a serve that hits the receiver before it bounces loses the point.
- Partner touching the ball: a good serve that touches the receiver's partner before the second bounce loses the point.
- Partner in the court: the partner touching the receiver's service court before the return loses the point.
- Wrong receiver: receiving out of order loses that point.
The glossary has the receiving, the servers and receivers, the interfere, the loss of point, the rotation error and the serve.
Tricky cases
The receiver volleys the serve before it lands. What happens?
The point is lost: the serve must bounce first.
The serve hits the receiver on the full but would have gone out. Point?
To the servers. A serve that hits the receiver directly loses the point.
Can the receivers swap courts between games?
The order is fixed only within a game, so they may choose again in the next receiving game.
The wrong receiver takes the serve and wins the point. Does it stand?
No. The breach loses that point, and the order is then corrected.
Why the rule exists
Fixing who receives in each court stops a pair from putting its best receiver in front of every serve. Keeping the partner out of the service court leaves the receiver a clear space.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving rule | One bounce, then return | ISTF C 28 |
| Order | Fixed for the game | ISTF C 29 |
| Point lost | Direct or interfere | ISTF C 30 |
From the rule book
International Soft Tennis Federation, Technical Rules (web text, site snapshot of 30 January 2024): Rules for Competitions, articles 28 to 30. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the ISTF Technical Rules, published on the federation's website.