HISTORY
· Tennis may be played indoors or outdoors. The game ranks as one of the most popular spectator and participation sports in the world
with fans and competitors in more than 100 countries.
· Tennis is believed to have originated by Christian monks in France and Italy.
· It became a high fashionable sport played by Kings.
· The game was introduced to Bermuda in 1873, and from Bermuda was brought to the United States.
· Mary Ewing Outerbridge, of Staten Island is responsible for bringing the sport to the United States in 1874.
· The U.S. Lawn Tennis Association was founded in 1881
· It was an official Olympic Sport in the 1992 Seoul Games
RULES OF THE GAME
· Tennis can be played either as singles or doubles. The singles game has two opponents opposing each other, and the game of doubles
has four participants, two individuals teaming up to compete against another team of two.
· Each half of the court is divided into a back and a forecourt.
· The forecourt is further divided into right and left serving or receiving areas.
· The outdoor court has a surface of grass, clay, concrete, asphalt, or other composition material.
· A serve begins every point of a tennis match. To start the game, the server stands just behind his baseline to the right center of his service line.
· His or her feet must remain outside of the court until the ball is struck.
· On the first serve of a game, the server stands on the right side of the court and attempts to hit the ball into the service box on the diagonally
opposite side of the court. Two tries are permitted for each service.
· The ball that does not land in the proper court is called a fault and is not played over.
· A served ball that touches the net during flight and lands in the proper service court is called a let; it is not counted as a fault nor is it played,
but is served again.
· The receiver must return the serve on its first bounce to the server's court. The rally continues until one player fails to return the ball.
· When the point has been completed, the server stands just behind his baseline and to the left of the center service line and serves to his opponent's
left service court, continuing to alternate left and right after each point until the game is completed.
· Each server serves a complete game.
· Upon completion of the game, the server becomes the receiver.
· It is a foot fault on the serve for the server: (1) to change position by walking or running or(2) to step on or over the back line as the ball is hit.
PLAYERS LOSE POINTS IF
· The player serves two consecutive faults.
· The player does not return the ball before it bounces twice consecutively
· The player returns the ball in play so that it hits the ground, or an object, outside the correct court.
· The player returns the ball in play so that before it bounces, it hits a permanent fixture.
· The player deliberately carries or catches the ball in play on the racquet or deliberately touches it with the racquet more than once.
· The player or the racquet whether it is in the player’s hand or not, or anything which the player is wearing or carrying touches the net, net posts,
cords or metal cables, straps or band, or the opponent’s court at any time while the ball is in play.
· The player hits the ball before it has passed the net.
· The ball in play touches the racquet when the player is not holding it.
· In doubles, both players touch the ball when returning it.
A GOOD RETURN
· The ball touches the net, net posts, cord or metal cable, strap or band, provided that it passes over any of them and hits the ground within the correct court.
· After the ball is in play has hit the ground within the correct court and has spun or been blown back over the net, the player reaches over the
net and plays the ball into the correct court.
· The ball is returned outside the net post, either above or below the level of the top of the net, even though it touches the net posts, provided that
it hits the ground in the correct court.
· The player’s racquet passes over the net after hitting the ball on the player’s own side of the net and the ball hits the ground in the correct court.
· The player hits the ball in play, which hits another ball lying in the correct court.
SERVICE LET
· When the ball served touches the net, strap, or band and is otherwise good.
· If a service or a fault is delivered when the receiver is not ready.
· In the case of a let, that particular service shall not count, and the server shall serve again, if the serve lands within the serving area.
SCORING:
· Points in tennis are called Love, 15, 30, 40, Deuce, Advantage and Game.
· Zero is Love; first point won by player is called 15;second point won by player is called 30; third point is called 40;
fourth point won by a player gives him Game, provided his opponent does not have more than 30 (2pts.).
· The server's score is always given first.
· Example #1 Server Receiver Score
1 pts 0 pts 15-Love
2 pts 0 pts 30-Love
2 pts 1 pts 30-15
3 pts 1 pts 40-15
4 pts 1 pts game for server
· When the score is tied at 40-40, it is called deuce.
· The person who wins the next point has the advantage. It is called Advantage server if the server won the point, and Advantage receiver
if the person receiving the serve won the point.
· If each player has won three points (40-all) the score is deuce. The next point won by a player gives him advantage. However, if he loses
the next point, the score is again deuce. When either player wins two consecutive points following the score of deuce, the game is won by
that player.
· Example #2 Server Receiver Score
0 pts 1 pts Love - 15
1 pts 1 pts 15 - 15
2 pts 1 pts 30-15
3 pts 1 pts 40-15
3 pts 2 pts 40-30
3 pts 3 pts Deuce
4 pts 3 pts Advantage server
5 pts 3 pts Game for server
· In scoring, the player who first wins six games wins a set, unless both players have won five games; then it takes an advantage of two
games to win, so the score would be 7-5
· If a set is tied at 6 games each then the players enter a tie breaker. The first person to win 7 points wins the set. The player must win
by two points so the score may be 9-7, 11-9 or as high as 17-15
· One player must win two points in succession to win the game.
· Regardless of who wins the first game the receiver becomes the server for the second game, as so on alternately after each game.
· Players change sides or after the first game and every other game after that. In other words, after every odd numbered game you change sides.
· A match in tennis is determined by the best two out of three sets OR three of five sets
OFFICIALS
· While most recreational matches are refereed by the players themselves, in most tournament competition officials keep score, determine
if shots are good, and interpret rules.
· The head official on the court, called the chair umpire, sits on a tall chair at one end of the net. A varying number of line judges sit around the
court beyond the path of the players.
· Line judges determine whether serves and shots are good or out.
· A net cord judge may be employed to determine when a ball touches the top of the net, and a foot-fault judge may watch for that specific infraction.
· In the 1980’s electronic devices began to be used in professional tournaments to determine if serves, whose speed may reach over 100 miles per
hour, land in or out of the service box.
STROKES:
· The basic strokes used in tennis are the forehand and the backhand. In the forehand, the player pivots the body so that the shoulder of the
non racquet-bearing arm faces the net. The player then swings the racquet forward to meet the ball.
· In the backstroke, the player turns so that the shoulder of the racquet-bearing arm faces the net before bringing the racquet forward and across the
body to meet the ball.
· The basic types of grips that players may use to hold the racquet are called the eastern, western and continental. The most commonly used is
the eastern grip.
· There are several other strokes commonly used including the lob, the overhead smash, the drop, the volley
TENNIS TERMS
Baseline The chalk line at the end of the court that marks out-of-bounds.
Crosscourt When you hit the ball diagonally over the net onto your opponent's side of the court.
Doubles A four-player game of tennis, with two players on each side of the court.
Fault A failed serve that doesn't make it into the service box.
Frame The head or top of the racquet where the strings are.
First Service The first serve.
Forehand Tennis stroke where your racquet hand faces forward.
Grand Slam Four major tennis tournaments: Wimbledon, U.S. Open, the French Open and the Australian Open.
Let A voided serve where a served ball hits the net but makes it onto the service court.
Match Point When the leading player can win the match with just one point.
Mixed Doubles A doubles match where each team contains one male and one female.
Net White netting spanning the middle of the tennis court.
No-Man's Land Area of the tennis court between the baseline and service line.
Out Any tennis ball that goes outside of the designated playing area.
Receiver The player who is receiving the serve.
Singles A two-player game of tennis, with one player on each side of the court.
Stroke Way of hitting a tennis ball. Can be forehand or backhand.