A standard singles tennis match has 2 players competing on court.
Each player occupies one side of the net, and the match is played one against one. One player serves while the other receives; service alternates between games. Singles uses the narrower court area between the inner singles sidelines, unlike doubles, which uses the wider alleys.
The number two distinguishes singles from doubles, where four players compete as two teams of two. Mixed doubles also has four players, with one man and one woman on each team. Informal formats such as Canadian doubles can involve unusual numbers, but they are not standard singles matches.
A tennis match is divided into sets, and sets are divided into games and points. Depending on the competition, matches are commonly best of three sets; some men’s Grand Slam matches use best of five. The court, scoring system, and equipment remain broadly recognizable across these formats, but the number of active competitors identifies singles.