The toss decides the first choices before the warm-up starts.

How to handle the pre-match sequence

1. Confirm the match format and any event procedure for reporting to court, introductions, and warm-up timing.
2. Conduct the toss before the warm-up starts, not after players have already tested the sun, wind, or court for several minutes.
3. Let the toss winner choose one of the permitted options: serve or receive first, choose the starting end, or make the opponent choose first.
4. Give the other player or team the remaining linked choice, such as the end if the toss winner chose to serve.
5. Start the warm-up under the event's time limit, then begin the match with the first service when the warm-up ends.

What the toss actually decides

The toss decides two linked things for the first game: which player or team serves or receives, and which end of the court each side starts from. It does not decide the winner of any point, give a player a choice every set, or let the winner keep every advantage. Tennis balances the first choice by giving the opponent the connected remaining choice.

The three legal options

• Choose to serve or receive: the opponent then chooses the starting end of the court.
• Choose an end: the opponent then chooses whether to serve or receive in the first game.
• Make the opponent choose first: the opponent chooses one of those two categories, and the toss winner receives the remaining linked choice.

The standard warm-up limit is five minutes

The standard Rules of Tennis set the warm-up at a maximum of five minutes unless the event organisers decide otherwise. That means the exact on-court routine can vary by competition, but players should expect a short warm-up controlled by the official or tournament procedure, not an open-ended hitting session.

Players warm up knowing the opening conditions

The toss comes before the warm-up because the serving choice and starting end can be affected by wind, sun, shade, surface speed, and confidence on serve. Once the choices are made, both sides can use the warm-up to prepare for the first game they are actually about to play.

The match starts with the first service in play

For continuous-play timing, the match starts when the first service of the match is put in play. The warm-up comes before that point. After the first serve starts the match, normal timing rules apply between points, at changeovers, and at set breaks.

If the warm-up is stopped and players leave court

If the warm-up is stopped and the players leave the court, the original toss result still stands, but both players or teams may make new choices when play is ready to resume. That matters if conditions have changed, such as the wind direction, sun position, or court assignment after the interruption.

Teams choose as a team, then set their order

In doubles, the toss works for the team in the same way it works for a singles player: the team chooses serve or receive, an end, or makes the opponents choose first. The serving team then decides which partner serves the first game, and the receiving team decides which partner receives the first point in its receiving order.

What people often get wrong

• "The toss winner can choose everything" is wrong. Choosing to serve gives the opponent the starting-end choice; choosing an end gives the opponent the serve-or-receive choice.
• "The warm-up is when the toss should happen" is backwards. The toss should happen before the warm-up starts.
• "The warm-up is always exactly five minutes" is too rigid. Five minutes is the standard maximum, but event organisers may set a different warm-up time.
• "Winning the toss means serving first is always best" is a tactical assumption, not a rule. A player may prefer to receive first or choose the better end in difficult conditions.

How officials enforce it

Officials make sure the toss is completed before warm-up, record the choices, monitor the warm-up time, and call players to begin when the warm-up period expires. If there is a dispute, the official separates the rules question from the tactical preference: the toss winner gets only one of the permitted choices, and the opponent gets the corresponding remaining choice.

How the choices play out

• Toss winner chooses to serve: the opponent chooses which end to start from.
• Toss winner chooses the shaded end: the opponent chooses whether to serve or receive first.
• Toss winner makes the opponent choose: if the opponent chooses to receive, the toss winner chooses the starting end.
• Warm-up is halted by rain and players leave court: the original toss result remains, but new choices may be made when the match returns to court.

Source material

• ITF Rules and Regulations
• ITF Rules of Tennis
• ATP Official Rulebook
• WTA Rules
• USTA Friend at Court