Platform tennis

[2][3] The court was too small for volleyball and the overhanging foliage precluded badminton, two alternatives that Cogswell and Blanchard had considered, leaving a form of deck tennis as the only option that they deemed viable.

Originally developed on land unsuitable for traditional tennis courts, such as along hills, the space under the platform allows for the installation of heating equipment that, together with lighting, can allow for year-long play around the clock, even in cold weather.

Courts in warm-weather locations are more likely to be constructed on level ground, as the need for clearing snow and ice is obviated.

The serve is initiated by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it into the diagonally opposite service box.

The ball may make contact with the net: if it lands in the service box, it is a valid serve.

In a game of singles, similar rules of tennis apply, i.e. the server may make two attempts at a valid serve.