The tennis highlight reels tell the story: players hitting the ball between their legs, players hitting the ball behind their backs, and players hitting the ball while they're in mid-flight. While those techniques are not always recommended, the rules of tennis allow plenty of room for creativity. The basic rules require you to hit the ball with your racket before it bounces twice, to get it over the net and to keep it in bounds. Beyond that, you have the freedom to play as you want.
Court Dimensions
A tennis court is 78 feet long and 36 feet wide and is divided in half by a net. The two alleys on each side of the court--which are each 4 feet, 6 inches wide--are in bounds only in doubles play and are disregarded in singles. The net is 3 feet, 6 inches high at the sidelines, and it sags to 3 feet high in the middle of the court. The service boxes on each side are 21 feet long and 13 feet, 6 inches wide.
Serves
The serve is always the first shot of a point, and many players also try to make it the last. The server must stand behind the baseline and hit the ball diagonally across the net into the service box. The server cannot let the ball bounce prior to contact. A server's feet cannot touch or cross the baseline prior to contact. A server gets two chances to put the ball in play. The first miss is called a fault, and the second is a double-fault, which results in a point for the other player. If a ball hits the tape on the top of the net and falls into the proper service court, it is a "let," or a do-over. Many players choose to go for a hard, fast first serve and play it safe on the second by using more spin, putting a premium on placement rather than power. After each game, the server becomes the returner and the returner becomes the server.
Groundstrokes
The rules require a player to let the ball bounce before hitting a return-of-serve, and many players choose to let the ball bounce before hitting most of their shots. Groundstrokes are shots a player hits after letting the ball bounce, and they are either hit with a forehand or backhand stroke. For a right-hander, a forehand is hit when the ball is on the right side of his body. A backhand is hit from the left side. Groundstrokes can be hit a variety of spins, they can clear the net by a little or a lot, and they can land deep in the court or close to the net. Many players try to use groundstrokes to move their opponent around the court and wait for an opening or an error.
Volleys
When a player hits the ball before it bounces, it is called a volley. Most players like to get as close to the net as possible to execute these shots. Caution is needed, though, because if any part of the player or his racket hits the net, the point is awarded to the other player. Like groundstrokes, players can hit forehand and backhand volleys, and they can use a variety of spins and angles. For shots that are sailing high over the net, many players choose to hit an overhead, which is usually a good opportunity to win the point. A common strategy in tennis is called serve-and-volley, which is executed by charging the net to hit a volley right after the serve.
Scoring
The goal in tennis is to win a match, which is made up of points, games and sets. Tennis uses a different numerical system to keep track of points: Zero is called love, one is called 15, two is called 30, and three is called 40. If a player wins four points, he wins the game--unless, that is, the score is tied 40-40, called deuce. Then a player needs to win two points in a row to win the game. The first player to win six games leading by two wins the set. Most matches are best-of-three sets. If a set is tied 6-6, a tiebreaker is usually played. The first person to win seven points leading by two wins the set.
Member Comments