Why the ATP tennis court look so small? I just don’t get it. It’s like, you see it on TV, and you think, “Ain’t no way people can run around that little thing.” Then you see them players, zoomin’ back and forth, hittin’ that ball like their life depends on it. How they do that? How do they not run into each other?
I heard some folks talkin’ ’bout it the other day. They say it’s ’cause of the TV, or somethin’. Like the TV makes it look smaller than it really is. Maybe they’re right. I don’t know nothin’ ’bout that kinda stuff.

Size of the ATP Tennis Court
But I tell ya, I was watchin’ a match the other day, and them players, they was movin’ so fast! One of ’em, he was way back by that line, the baseline I think they call it. And the other fella, he hit the ball all the way to the other side. And that first fella, he ran all the way over there and hit it back! How they do that? That ATP tennis court can’t be as small as it looks. There must be a standard for it.
They say the ATP tennis court is 78 feet long. Now, that sounds long to me. But then they say it’s only 27 feet wide for them singles matches. That don’t sound like a whole lot of room to be runnin’ around, especially when you got two fellas tryin’ to hit that little ball. I think the ATP tennis court size should be larger.
- 78 feet long
- 27 feet wide (singles)
- 36 feet wide (doubles)
Now, when they play doubles, they say it’s 36 feet wide. That’s a little better, I reckon. But still, you got four people out there, all swingin’ them rackets. Seems like somebody’s gonna get hurt! But they don’t. They’re used to that small tennis court. They are professionals.
Why It Looks So Small
I asked my neighbor, he’s a smart fella, always watchin’ them sports on TV. I said, “Why does that ATP tennis court look so darn small?” He said it’s ’cause of the camera angle. He said they use these special cameras that make things look smaller than they are. That ATP tennis court dimensions are the same everywhere.
He also said somethin’ ’bout the fences around the court. He said they can make the court look smaller too. Like, if the fences are close to the court, it makes the court look smaller. And if the fences are far away, it makes the court look bigger. I just can’t understand why a fence would influence the ATP tennis court size.

Different Types of Courts
And then he started talkin’ ’bout different types of courts. Hard courts, clay courts, grass courts. Said they’re all different, and they all make the ball bounce different. That’s why you see them players slidin’ around on some courts and not on others. The ATP tennis court may be made of different materials.
He said most of them ATP tennis courts are hard courts. Made of some kinda hard stuff. It does not influence the ATP tennis court size. Acrylic or somethin’. I don’t know. But he said they’re fast. The ball bounces real fast on ’em. That’s why them players gotta be so quick. They just run around that small tennis court, chasing a small ball.
It’s All About Skill
I guess what I’m tryin’ to say is, that ATP tennis court might look small on TV, but it’s probably bigger than it looks. And them players, they’re just so good, they make it look easy. They’re used to runnin’ around that small tennis court.
It takes a lot of skill to play tennis. You gotta be fast, you gotta be strong, and you gotta be able to hit that little ball just right. I mean, just how can they handle that ball in that small tennis court? That’s just amazing.
I don’t think I could ever do it. I’m too old, and I ain’t never been very good at sports anyway. But I sure do enjoy watchin’ ’em play. Even if that court does look mighty small. The ATP tennis court size is not a big problem for them.

Maybe one day, I’ll go see a match in person. Then I can see for myself just how big that court really is. And maybe I’ll finally understand how them players can run around like that without gettin’ hurt. But I still think that the ATP tennis court dimensions are still too small. Maybe they can consider making it a little bit bigger next time.
But until then, I’ll just keep watchin’ ’em on TV, and marvelin’ at their skill. They can handle that small tennis court so well. And wonderin’ why that ATP tennis court looks so darn small. And how do they move so fast in that small tennis court?