Section Of A Tennis Court Used When Playing Doubles Crossword Clue

By: Five Letter Words | Last edited: Apr 28, 2025

Looking for the solution to the "Section of a tennis court used when playing doubles" crossword clue from the April 28, 2025 New York Times Mini puzzle? We've identified the exact 5-letter answer you need. To enhance your crossword solving experience, we've created interactive tools to assist you. You can use our gradual letter reveal feature, or browse through our carefully developed hints—including word pattern suggestions, similar clues sharing the same answer, or detailed descriptions to help your reasoning process. We've also streamlined navigation between related clues from the same puzzle. Ready to solve this sports-themed challenge? Let's uncover the answer together!

Crossword Answer:

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About This Clue

The April 28, 2025 New York Times Mini Crossword featured the clue "Section of a tennis court used when playing doubles" with the answer ALLEY. This clue refers to the specific portion of the tennis court that extends the width of the playing area for doubles matches. In tennis, the "alley" is the area between the singles sideline and the doubles sideline on each side of the court, creating additional space for legal play when two players compete on each side.

Tennis Court Context

In the sport of tennis, court dimensions differ between singles and doubles play. A standard tennis court is 78 feet long, but the width varies: 27 feet for singles and 36 feet for doubles matches. The "alley" refers to the 4.5-foot wide strip on each side of the court between the singles sideline (inner line) and doubles sideline (outer line). During singles matches, these alleys are considered out of bounds, and any ball landing in this area results in a point for the opponent. However, in doubles matches, the alleys become part of the legal playing area, effectively widening the court to accommodate four players. This expanded court dimension creates different strategic considerations in doubles play, as teams must cover more lateral court space and can utilize the alleys for shot placement. The term "alley" is standard tennis terminology worldwide and is a fundamental aspect of understanding court geography in the sport.

NYT Mini Crossword Tips

When solving sports-themed clues like "Section of a tennis court used when playing doubles" in the NYT Mini Crossword, consider specific terminology associated with the mentioned sport. For this particular clue, the focus on a section of the tennis court that's specifically used during doubles play narrows down the possibilities considerably. The five-letter constraint points to "ALLEY" as the most likely answer. Sports references are common in crossword puzzles, especially those involving widely-known games like tennis, golf, baseball, and basketball. Familiarity with basic sports vocabulary can be particularly helpful for regular solvers. When encountering sports clues, think about both equipment and playing areas/fields, as these are frequent subjects in crosswords. The specificity of this clue—mentioning both a section of the court and its use in doubles play—offers good contextual clues that point directly to the correct answer.

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