If I Win the Toss in Table Tennis, What Are My Options?

Question: If I Win the Toss in Table Tennis, What Are My Options?

Answer: Whether you win or lose the toss in ping-pong, you still have a decision to make. The winner gets to choose between three options (serve/receive, or which end), while the loser gets the remaining decision.

Winning the Toss - What Are Your Options?

These are the relevant laws of table tennis relating to the toss: 2.13 The Order of Serving, Receiving and Ends

2.13.1 The right to choose the initial order of serving, receiving and ends shall be decided by lot and the winner may choose to serve or to receive first or to start at a particular end.

2.13.2 When one player or pair has chosen to serve or to receive first or to start at a particular end, the other player or pair shall have the other choice.

So if you win the toss, you have three options - to serve, to receive, or to choose a particular end of the table to start from. Note that the laws of table tennis only mention that the decision is by lot, although the Handbook for Match Officials mentions that it is usually done by tossing a coin or a disc having two distinct sides (Point 14.1.1). Also note that unlike tennis, as the winner of the toss you do not have the option of giving the choice to your opponent, you must choose one of the three options available.

Once the winner of the toss has made his choice, the loser of the toss then gets to choose between the options that are left. That means that if the winner chooses to serve (or receive), the loser is automatically the receiver (or server), and has the right to choose which end of the table he starts from. If the winner has chosen which side of the table he wants to start from, then the loser of the toss can now choose whether to serve or return first.

So as you can see, regardless of whether you win or loss the toss, you still have a decision to make.