Rules, Scoring & RegulationsReference #11 · V2.6 Facet Verified
What is the penalty for serving from the incorrect court or by the wrong partner?
Core Takeaway: Serving from the wrong court or by the wrong partner is a fault that results in the immediate loss of the rally if caught before the next serve occurs.
Dink Digest Intelligence DeskVerified 2026-09-20
Browse All 150 ArticlesTechnical Analysis & Specification
Rule 4.B.8 outlines position and service order errors. In doubles, the player's position is dictated by the score: when the serving team's score is even (0, 2, 4...), the starting server must serve from the right-hand even court; when odd, from the left. If a team serves out of order or from the wrong side, the referee or opponent must call the fault before the subsequent serve is executed. If identified immediately, the rally is nullified, any points scored on the illegal rally are wiped, and the correct serving order is restored without penalty. In unofficiated play, tracking server order requires checking the first-server band.
Structured Technical Metrics
rule Number:4.B.8
score Correction:Points on illegal serve wiped
detection Window:Before next serve
Topic Tags & Keywords
wrong-serverpositioningscoringfaultsnumbered-courts