Racket

A tennis racket consists of a lower handle, called a grip, and a frame that contains a tightly wound web of strings. The grip and frame are connected by a neck. While rackets vary in terms of length, manufacturer, and materials used, there are mandatory guidelines: for example, a racket cannot exceed 29 inches in length or 12.5 inches in width.

Ball

A tennis ball is made of hollow rubber and covered with felt. An official tennis ball is approximately 2.575 to 2.7 inches in diameter and 2 ounces in weight.  

A tennis court measures 78 feet in length and either 27 feet (for singles) or 36 feet (for doubles) in width; each doubles alley, running the length of the court, is 4 feet, 6 inches wide. The court is divided into two equal sides by a net standing three feet high at the center of the court. On each half, a center line extends perpendicular to the net until connecting to the service line, which runs parallel to -- and 21 feet from -- the net.

The playing surface for Olympic tennis matches is dependent on the venue, and is one of three surfaces: hard, clay or grass. 

The last seven Olympic tennis tournaments have been held on hard court, with the exception of London in 2012, which was played on grass. 

At the Paris Olympics, players will be competing on clay courts; specifically the legendary clay courts of Roland-Garros, the home of the French Open. The red clay is comprised of red brick dust, crushed white limestone, coal residue (also known as clinker), crushed gravel and drain.  The 2024 Summer Games marks the Olympic return to clay since 1992 Barcelona. 

 

The net is attached between two poles equidistant from the center of the court. The height of the net in the center is 3 feet in the center and 3.5 feet on each of its two sides.