# Law 19: Service Fault (ITF Rules of Tennis)

Tennis · Law 19: Service Fault · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/tennis/laws/law-19-service-fault/)

When a serve is a fault: breaking the service, serving or foot-fault rules, missing the ball, or the serve touching a fixture, a singles stick, a net post, the server or the partner before it lands.

## 19.191 Service Fault

Broken service rules, misses and caught tosses, and serves that touch something before landing.

### Test 1: Misses, tosses and broken rules

- Missing the ball when trying to hit it is a fault. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- A player who chooses not to hit may catch the ball. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19, Case 1)
- The Rules allow the toss to bounce when the server decides not to hit. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19, Case 1)
- The toss may be caught with the hand or the racket. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19, Case 1)
- A serve that does not land in the correct box breaks the serving rule. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19 with Rule 17)
- Laws 16, 17 and 18 all lead to a fault when broken. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- Serving from in front of the baseline breaks the service rule, so it is a fault. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- A miss counts as a fault, just as a ball into the net would. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- Catching an unwanted toss costs nothing. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19, Case 1)
- From the right, the serve must land in the diagonal box; lines count as in. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19 with Rule 17)

### Test 2: Serves that touch something first

- A served ball that touches a permanent fixture before the ground is a fault. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- Touching a singles stick before the ground makes the serve a fault, wherever it lands. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19, Case 2)
- A serve that touches a net post before the ground is a fault. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- A serve touching the server's partner, or anything they wear or carry, is a fault. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- The ball may not touch the server or anything the server wears or carries. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- Fixtures above the court count; touching one before the ground is a fault. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- Posts, sticks and stands are all treated the same way for a serve. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- Landing in afterwards does not save it. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19, Case 2)
- A good serve, a let to be replayed, and a fault. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19)
- Landing in the box afterwards cannot rescue it. (Source: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19, Case 2)

Sources: ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 19 (paraphrased in original wording; original questions authored from the Rules, not reproduced)

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