Court

Squash tennis is played in various four-walled courts. The front wall (against which the ball is served) features a telltale (usually clad in tin) at the bottom couple feet from the floor, a service line about 6 feet from the floor, and an out-of-bounds line around 16 feet from the floor. The two side walls have out lines of varying heights. The back wall out line is 4.5 feet from the floor. There are two required lines on the floor: a service line about 10 feet from the back wall, and a centre court line running at least from the front wall to the service line. There are four types of courts:

Squash Tennis Court

In 1911 the NSTA adopted a standard court size of 17 feet by 32.5 feet. Although many of these were built in the New York area, after play was authorised on a standard North American squash court, they began to disappear. It did not make economic sense to maintain a specialty court when a more versitile one was acceptable.

An International squash court is 21 feet by 32 feet. The extra width of the court makes the various multi-walled shots more difficult or impossible, so experienced players prefer to use a North American court. However, a 21 foot court is often the only one generally available, particularly outside North America.

North American Squash Court

A North American squash court is 18.5 feet by 32 feet. Originally designed for the related game of squash racquets, the National Squash Tennis Association (NSTA) approved play on this kind of court in the 1930s. The dimensions are quite similar to the official squash tennis court. The only required modifications are the addition of a 4.5 foot back wall line (in North American squash the back wall line is 6.5 feet from the floor) and the centre court line on the floor. Temporary lines can easily be added with blue painter's tape.