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How does the ITF wheelchair tennis two-bounce rule work?
Under the ITF 2026 wheelchair tennis rules, a wheelchair player may return the ball after its first or second bounce, but must hit it before a third bounce. The second bounce may occur inside or outside the court boundary. In wheelchair-versus-able-bodied play, the allowance is player-specific: the wheelchair player may use two bounces, while the able-bodied player has one.
For Wheelchair tennis players, viewers, and readers comparing mixed wheelchair and able-bodied play · Updated
The wheelchair player must return before a third bounce
The two-bounce allowance gives the player using a wheelchair an additional bounce before returning. The second bounce can be inside or outside the court boundaries; the rule still requires the return before the ball bounces a third time.
The allowance does not transfer to the other player
For wheelchair-versus-able-bodied play, the ITF rule sets different limits for each player. The wheelchair player may use two bounces, while the able-bodied player must play within the one-bounce limit. It is not a shared two-bounce allowance.
Use the wheelchair tennis rule and event text
This page explains the ITF wheelchair tennis provisions in the 2026 Rules of Tennis. It does not make a classification, eligibility, or medical statement. Check the competition’s governing rules for any event-specific variation; the edition label alone does not establish what a particular event has adopted.
A second bounce outside the line
In a fictional wheelchair tennis point, the ball bounces once inside the court, then a second time outside the boundary. The wheelchair player returns it before a third bounce, which fits the ITF two-bounce rule. In a separate hypothetical wheelchair-versus-able-bodied point, the wheelchair player has the two-bounce allowance and the able-bodied player must return before a second bounce.
Related questions
Can the second bounce be outside the court?
Yes. The ITF wheelchair tennis rule permits the second bounce inside or outside the court boundaries, but the return must happen before a third bounce.