Beach tennis is a popular sport in more than 50 countries across the world. In 2010, it was first recognized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The ITF began to organize regional and world beach tennis championships. By 2015, there were 89 officially sanctioned worldwide tournaments being held each year. While three new sports have been included in the Olympic Games in Paris this year, beach tennis isn’t one of them.
Inclusion in First Word Beach Games
In 2019, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ran the first World Beach Games in Doha, and beach tennis was included. This gave beach tennis players hope that it would be included in the Olympic Games this year.
Beach Tennis USA first launched the pro beach tennis tour in the United States in 2005. The game saw steady growth in states like South Florida and Southern California. It has made progress in the U.S. towards acceptance as a major sport but is not an Olympic sport. When it comes to 2024 Olympic odds, Americans will be placing bets on other major sports like swimming.
What is beach tennis?
Beach tennis is a fusion of volleyball and tennis. A beach tennis court resembles a volleyball court in terms of its size and net. Players use paddle bats without strings and low compression balls. These balls travel through the air more slowly than a tennis ball. The game can be played as doubles or singles but doubles is more popular.
The scoring is much like that of regular tennis, but there is not second service or service left. Service alternates between teams, and players serve in rotation. The server must stand behind the baseline and can serve underhand or overhand. At deuce (40-40), the next point wins the game.
Each point begins with the serve which must go diagonally across the net. The ball can bounce once or a player can hit it in a volley. The players rally back and forth until one side hits the ball into the net or out of the court. Matches are typically played as best of three sets, and each consists of six games.
Beach tennis began as a casual game, and many still prefer to play it this way. They will even accompany playing with some great music to liven up the atmosphere.
The Beach Tennis World Cup
Beach tennis began to be played in Italy in the early 1970s and arrived on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro in about 2008. It has become very popular all along the Brazilian coast. In 2023, the Beach Tennis World Cup returned to Brazil and was held in São Paulo with 16 nations competing. Brazil and Italy were named champions after the final between the two nations had to be abandoned due to the weather.
ITF Beach Tennis World tour
The year 2021 saw the debut of the ITF Beach Tennis Sand Series. It attracted top male and female players in the world to compete in four iconic locations: Réunion Island, Saarlouis, Gran Canaria, and Brasília.
In 2023, the ITF hosted over 300 tournaments and handed out nearly $1.5 million in prize money in its beach tennis world tour. More than 4,000 players from 75 nations competed in what is becoming one of the most popular beach sports. The Sand Series is the highlight of the tour with its high rewards and ranking points.
In 2023, there were 15 different Sand Series winners across seven tournaments. The first Sand Series of 2024 began in April and saw some of the top beach tennis players in the world taking to the sand in Ribeirão Preto.
