ITF Certified Tennis Court Size and PVC Flooring Compatibility Guide

The standardization and fairness of tennis primarily rely on the standardization of court dimensions. The International Tennis Federation (ITF), as the authoritative governing body for tennis globally, has established unified standards for tennis court dimensions, covering the overall specifications of singles and doubles courts, the division of functional areas, and line requirements.

In modern tennis court construction, Vinyl sports floor has become the mainstream choice for indoor and semi-open courts due to its advantages such as wear resistance, slip resistance, controllable elasticity, and ease of maintenance. Its specifications and roll calculations must strictly conform to ITF size standards.

1. ITF International Standard Tennis Court Dimensions

The size specifications cover three aspects: "overall court boundaries, functional area division, and line parameters." The difference between singles and doubles courts lies in the width; the length is the same. Requirements also apply to the slope and flatness of the surface.

Overall length (including the service area): 23.77m (applicable to both singles and doubles) – This length is designed based on the "maximum service distance + hitting range" in tennis, ensuring players have ample space to complete techniques such as serves and baseline rallies;

Overall width: Doubles court 10.97m, Singles court 8.23m – Doubles courts are 2.74m wider than singles courts due to the added sideline area (the extended sideline from the service line to the baseline). This dimension needs to be precisely planned to avoid affecting the sideline hitting space for doubles players;

Court Total court area: Doubles court approximately 260.87㎡ (23.77×10.97), Singles court approximately 195.63㎡ (23.77×8.23) — When calculating PVC flooring usage, the total area of the actual court type (singles/doubles) should be used as a basis, plus construction waste.

Court slope: ITF requires the court to drain to both sides, with a slope controlled between 1:100 and 1:150 (lateral slope), and a longitudinal slope not exceeding 1:1000, to avoid water accumulation affecting the lifespan of the PVC flooring and sports safety.

2. Functional area dimensions

Service area: Located at the front of each half of the court, bounded by the service line, center line, and singles sideline (or doubles sideline). The service line is 7.23m from the net and parallel to the baseline. The service court depth (from the service line to the baseline) is 16.54m, and the width is 4.115m (applicable to both singles and doubles) – extending 4.115m from the center line to each side to ensure the standard landing area of the ball during the serve.

The center line and the service center line: The center line is a straight line connecting the midpoints of the two service lines, with a length of 6.40m, dividing each half of the court into two symmetrical service courts. The service center line coincides with the service center line and is the core baseline for judging whether a serve is "on the line" or "out of bounds."

The net and net posts: The net height is 0.914m (center) and 1.0m (center post). 7m (at both net posts), net post diameter ≤15cm, installed on the extension of the doubles sideline (1.37m from the singles sideline); both ends of the net must be securely fixed, with a gap of ≤10cm between the net and the ground to prevent the ball from passing through the gap;

Buffer Zone: ITF recommends a buffer zone (≥6.40m behind the baseline, ≥3.66m on the sidelines) for indoor courts to ensure player safety. If court space is limited, the minimum buffer zone can be reduced to 3.0m behind the baseline and 1.8m on the sidelines—although the buffer zone is not included in the playing area, it must be covered during PVC flooring installation and must be accounted for separately.

3. Line Parameters

ITF has strict requirements for court lines, directly affecting the accuracy of calls and determining the installation and marking process of PVC flooring:

* Line Width: All court lines must be 5cm wide (±2mm error), and the lines must be included within the corresponding area dimensions (e.g., the width of the singles sideline is included in the 8.23m singles court width);

* Line Color: Must create a strong contrast with the PVC floor surface (e.g., white lines for green floors, white/yellow lines for blue floors) to ensure clear identification by players and referees;

* Accuracy Requirements: Line straightness error ≤1mm/m, area size error ≤5mm, perpendicular angle error between sidelines and baselines ≤0.5°—this requires precise line positioning during PVC floor installation to avoid line misalignment due to floor installation deviations.

As a professional sports flooring manufacturer, Shengbang provides standard line markings for our users' PVC tennis floors, fully complying with the above ITF requirements.

Our ITF certification:

4. PVC Tennis Court Flooring Material Specifications

Roll Width: 1.8m, 2.0m (1.8m width allows for precise matching of the service area; 2.0m width is suitable for doubles with a 10.97m width, requiring fewer splices)

Length: 15m-30m (any length)

Thickness: 4.5mm / 6mm / 7mm (other)

5. Tennis Court Flooring Technical Parameters

Elasticity and Shock Absorption: Ball rebound rate ≥85% (ITF competition grade standard), shock absorption rate 35%-45%—reduces joint damage when players land from jumps, while ensuring stable ball rebound trajectory;

Abrasion Resistance: Surface PUR abrasion-resistant coating thickness ≥0.3mm, Taber abrasion test wear amount ≤0.1g/1000 revolutions, service life ≥8 years (professional court)—resistant to high-frequency friction from tennis shoes and repeated impacts from tennis balls;

Slip Resistance: Dry friction coefficient 0.65-0.75, wet friction coefficient ≥0.6—prevents players from slipping when stopping suddenly or changing direction, especially suitable for the damp environment after cleaning indoor courts;

Dimensional Stability: Heating dimensional change rate ≤0.5%, with added fiberglass stabilizing layer—ensuring the floor does not warp or deform under temperature changes (15-30℃), guaranteeing long-term dimensional accuracy of the court;

6. PVC Flooring Construction and Installation

The flatness error of the subfloor should be ≤3mm/3m. Apply water-based epoxy primer to enhance adhesion; primer drying time ≥4 hours.

Line Laying and Positioning:

① Using the center point of the court as a reference, mark the longitudinal (23.77m) and transverse (10.97m for doubles/8.23m for singles) cross lines, with an error ≤1mm;

② Mark the service line, center line, sidelines, etc., according to ITF dimensions, using a chalk line; line straightness error ≤1mm/m;

③ Expansion Joints: Leave 5-8mm expansion joints around the perimeter of the court to accommodate the thermal expansion and contraction of the PVC flooring and prevent buckling later.

PVC Vinyl Flooring Installation:

① Material Pre-acclimatization: After the roll material arrives on site, lay it flat in the construction area for at least 24 hours to acclimatize to the ambient temperature (15-30℃) and humidity (40%-70%).

② Adhesion and Fixing: Use the full-adhesion method with solvent-free polyurethane adhesive. After applying the adhesive, allow it to dry for 15-25 minutes (until it is no longer tacky to the touch). Lay it according to the marked lines, and roll it in the same direction with a 50kg roller to ensure no air bubbles.

③ Joint Welding: Perform hot welding 24 hours after installation. The groove depth should be 2/3 of the flooring thickness. Use PVC welding rods of the same material, welding temperature 180-220℃, speed 1.5-2m/min, ensuring a full weld that is flush with the ground to avoid uneven joints affecting sports activities.

7. Choose Dongxing & Shengbang Sports Flooring

We can provide you with the best PVC sports flooring solution based on your actual site and intended use, from specifications to line marking and installation. We look forward to contacting you to obtain free samples!