GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
What happens to the tennis service sequence after a let, a fault or an ace?
Under the 2026 ITF Rules, a service let is replayed and does not cancel a previous service fault. A let can be called when a serve touches the net, strap or band and is otherwise good; when a net-touched serve touches the receiver, the receiver's partner, or something either wears or carries before the ball hits the ground; or when the receiver is not ready. If the first serve faults, a let on the second attempt means the server repeats the second serve, not a new first serve. Two consecutive service faults lose the point. A legal serve that lands in the correct box and the receiver does not touch before the second bounce is an ace. An announced No-Let alternative changes the net-touch service-let rule, so check the event format before applying the standard sequence.
For Bettors and sports readers interpreting official hockey/tennis records · Updated
A service let replays that attempt but keeps an earlier fault
Under Rule 22 of the 2026 ITF Rules, a service let can occur when a serve touches the net, strap or band and is otherwise good; when, after that contact, it touches the receiver, the receiver's partner, or something either wears or carries before the ball hits the ground; or when the receiver is not ready. The let serve does not count and the server serves again. The rule specifically says that a service let does not cancel a previous fault.
After a first-service fault, the next attempt is the second service. If that second attempt is a service let, it is replayed as the second service. If the replayed second service is also a fault, the two consecutive faults lose the point. A let on a second service is not a reset to a first service.
An ace depends on whether the receiver touches the serve
The ITF glossary defines an ace as a serve that lands in the correct service box and that the receiver fails to touch before the second bounce. If the receiver touches the serve but cannot return it, the point may still go to the server, but that serve does not meet the glossary's ace definition.
Keep the result label separate from the service sequence: a fault is an unsuccessful serve, a double fault is the second of two consecutive service faults, and an ace is a legal untouched serve that wins the point.
A No-Let format is a separate announced alternative
Appendix VI describes a No-Let alternative that removes the service let in Rule 22.a. In that announced format, an otherwise-good serve that touches the net, strap or band and lands in the correct service box stays in play instead of being replayed solely because of the net contact.
The alternative is not a universal rule. Rule 22.b's receiver-not-ready let is separate from Rule 22.a, so do not treat a net touch alone as enough to decide every serve. Check the procedure announced for the event, and leave disputed calls to the match officials.
Fictional service branches under two announced procedures
Hypothetical example, standard-let format: On one point, Server A's first serve lands outside the correct diagonal service box and is called a fault. Server A's second attempt clips the net, then lands in the correct box and is otherwise good, so it is a service let. That attempt is replayed as the second serve; the first fault remains. The replayed second serve then lands outside the box. It is the second consecutive fault, so Receiver B wins the point. On another point, a legal serve lands in the correct box and Receiver B does not touch it before the second bounce; Server A wins the point with an ace. If Receiver B had touched that serve but failed to return it, the server could still win the point, but the ITF glossary's ace condition would not be met. Separate No-Let example: at a fictional event that has announced the No-Let alternative, an otherwise-good serve clips the net and lands in the correct box; play continues instead of replaying it for net contact. These branches use the 2026 ITF Rules and do not decide any actual call.
Related questions
Does a service let after a first-serve fault give the server another first serve?
No. A service let does not cancel the prior fault. The server replays the second service, and another fault on that attempt is the second consecutive fault.
Is every serve that touches the net a let?
No. Under the standard service-let rule, net, strap or band contact must be otherwise good or meet the listed receiver-contact condition. An announced No-Let alternative removes the net-touch service let in Rule 22.a, so check the event's announced procedure.
Is a serve an ace if the receiver touches it but misses the return?
The ITF glossary defines an ace as a serve the receiver fails to touch before the second bounce. A serve touched unsuccessfully does not meet that definition.