乒乓球的比赛规则（英文版）

The rules of table tennis are as follows:

1. Court and equipment:

   - The court size is 2.74 meters long and 1.525 meters wide, divided by a net.

   - Table tennis is played with a table tennis racket and a table tennis ball. The racket is usually made of wood with a rubber surface that provides different levels of friction and spin.

2. Match format:

   - Table tennis matches can be singles (one player against another) or doubles (two players on each side).

   - Matches are played in sets, commonly 3 sets to win 2 or 5 sets to win 3.

3. Serving:

   - Serves must start from the right side of the server's hand. The ball must be tossed up and struck, crossing over the net and landing on the opponent's side of the court.

   - When serving, the ball must first touch the server's side of the court and then the opponent's side.

4. Receiving serve:

   - The receiver must allow the served ball to bounce first in their own court before returning it, ensuring that the ball first touches their side and then the opponent's side.

5. Net and sidelines:

   - If the ball hits the net and passes over during a serve, the serve is replayed.

   - If the ball hits the sidelines during play, it is considered inbounds.

6. Scoring:

   - Each set starts at 0-0, and the first player to reach 11 points wins the set, but they must be leading by 2 points. If the score reaches 10-10, the game continues until one player leads by 2 points.

   - After each set, players switch sides, and the opponent serves.

7. Touching the ball:

   - If a player touches anything other than the racket while playing a shot (such as their body or clothing), it is considered a fault, and the opponent scores a point.

8. Penalties:

   - If a player violates the rules, the opponent gets a point, or in severe cases, the player may be disqualified.

These are the general rules of table tennis. Specific rules may vary slightly depending on the organizing body or the level of the competition.