3.6 - Drive Service Zones

There is a drive serve line 3 feet from each side wall in the service zone. Viewed one at a time, each drive serve line divides the service zone into a 3-foot and a 17-foot section. The player may drive serve between the body and the side wall nearest to where the service motion began only if the player, the racquet, and ball (until it is struck) starts and remains outside of that 3-foot drive service zone until the served ball crosses the short line. A drive serve involving "any continuous movement" (see Rule 3.3 Manner, beginning in one 3-foot drive service zone and continuing into the opposite 3-foot drive service zone, is a fault serve.

(a) The drive serve zones are not observed for cross-court drive serves, the hard-Z, soft-Z, lob or half-lob serves.

(b) The 3-foot line is part of the 3-foot zone and defines a plane that, if broken, is an infraction. (see Rule 3.9g)