In the game's two game modes, the player assumes control of either a tennis player during a single match or an entire country's team in the Davis Cup, an international competition.

[1] The tennis players are represented by two-dimensional sprites, while the court is given the illusion of being three-dimensional.

GameSpot's Frank Provo and IGN's Craig Harris both criticized the lack of an in-game save option that you could activate during your match, with Craig Harris remarking that the design "isn't exactly handheld friendly".

[2][5] Frank Provo felt that the larger variety of techniques found in Virtua Tennis made it "the better option".

[2] GameSpy's Avi Fryman remarked on the game's averageness in comparison to its competitors, commenting "... if all available copies of Virtua Tennis and Mario Tennis suddenly vaporized, there might be a reason for casual gamers to pick this one up.