Ani podávající strana, ani přijímající strana nezasáhly míček.

It means neither ... nor ....

So:

• Ani podávající strana, ani přijímající strana... = Neither the serving side nor the receiving side...

This is a very common Czech pairing. You use ani ... ani ... to connect two negative alternatives.

A few similar examples:

• Ani Petr, ani Jana nepřišli. = Neither Petr nor Jana came.
• Neumí ani číst, ani psát. = He/She can neither read nor write.

Because Czech normally uses a negative verb after ani ... ani ....

So Czech says, literally:

• Neither A nor B did not hit the ball

but in natural Czech that is the correct structure, not a logical double negative error. This is part of Czech negative concord.

So:

• Ani A, ani B ne... = Neither A nor B ...

More examples:

• Ani on, ani já to nevím. = Neither he nor I know it.
• Ani káva, ani čaj mi nechutnají. = Neither coffee nor tea tastes good to me.

Because the subject is made of two coordinated parts:

• podávající strana
• přijímající strana

Together they form a compound subject, so Czech uses a plural verb:

• Ani podávající strana, ani přijímající strana nezasáhly...

This is similar to English Neither the serving side nor the receiving side hit..., where the meaning involves two subjects.

This is the past tense form agreeing with a plural subject that is not masculine animate.

Both subjects are:

• strana = feminine singular

Together they make a plural subject made up of feminine nouns, so the past participle takes -y:

• zasáhly

A quick comparison:

• muži přišli = men came → -i for masculine animate
• ženy přišly = women came → -y
• města přišla would not be correct because neuter plural has different patterns in some contexts, but with past participles non-masculine animate plural also uses -y in standard agreement groups

So here -ly is exactly what you expect with two feminine nouns.

They are adjective-like participle forms built from verbs:

• podávat = to serve
• přijímat = to receive

So:

• podávající strana = the serving side
• přijímající strana = the receiving side

These forms in -ící often behave like adjectives and describe the noun:

• čekající lidé = waiting people
• pracující žena = a working woman
• hořící dům = a burning house

So here they describe what role each side has in the game.

Yes, strana has several meanings, and here it means side in the sense of one side in a match or contest.

Possible meanings of strana include:

• side
• party
• faction
• page
• political party

In sports or rules language, podávající strana and přijímající strana are fairly formal ways to say:

• the serving side
• the receiving side

In more everyday speech, people might sometimes say:

• podávající hráč = the server
• přijímající hráč = the receiver
• podávající tým = the serving team
• přijímající tým = the receiving team

depending on the sport.

It comes from the verb zasáhnout, which can mean things like:

• to hit
• to strike
• to touch
• to make contact with
• to intervene in, depending on context

In this sports sentence, it means something like:

• hit the ball
• make contact with the ball
• touch the ball

So nezasáhly míček means that neither side made contact with the ball.

Yes. Míček is a diminutive of míč.

• míč = ball
• míček = little ball

But in sports Czech, diminutives are often very normal and do not always sound especially cute or emotional. Míček is a very common everyday word for a small ball, especially in games or sports.

So in practice, here it simply means ball.

It is the direct object, so it is in the accusative case. But míček is a masculine inanimate noun, and for masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular is usually the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: míček
• accusative: míček

That is why the form does not visibly change.

Compare:

• Vidím míček. = I see the ball.
• Míček leží na zemi. = The ball is lying on the ground.

Same form, different case function.

Because Czech normally separates the first part of the paired construction ani ..., ani ... with a comma when two larger coordinated elements are involved.

So:

• Ani podávající strana, ani přijímající strana nezasáhly míček.

The comma helps show the structure clearly:

• first element: Ani podávající strana
• second element: ani přijímající strana
• verb: nezasáhly

It is similar to how English punctuation can help mark a paired structure, although the exact comma rules are different.

Because this sentence is talking about a single completed event: whether either side made contact with the ball at that moment.

Zasáhnout is perfective, so it fits a completed action:

• zasáhly míček = they hit / made contact with the ball

If you used an imperfective verb like zasahovat, it would suggest repeated action, ongoing action, or a different viewpoint, which would not fit as naturally here.

So the perfective verb is the normal choice for a one-time game event.

It sounds somewhat formal and rulebook-like, especially because of:

• podávající strana
• přijímající strana

This is the kind of wording you might see in:

• sports rules
• official descriptions
• tournament regulations
• formal commentary

In casual speech, people might choose simpler wording, depending on the sport, for example:

• Ani podávající, ani přijímající hráč se míčku nedotkl.
• Míčku se nedotkla ani podávající, ani přijímající strana.

So the original sentence is correct and natural, but it has a formal tone.