Although it shares similarities with racquetball and badminton, tennis uses its own unique set of rules, code of conduct and phrases and terms. New players can quickly learn the basic rules and etiquette for introductory play. As you play more often, you may hear odd terms or phrases that come from the slang used by tennis players.
Serving Rules
To start a point, stand at one end of the court, to the right of the short line in the middle of the horizontal line at the far end of the court. You must hit the ball out of the air after it leaves your hand and before it hits the court, serving the ball into the square box near the net across from you, or right to left. If your serve goes into the net or misses the box, you make a fault. Two faults equals a loss of point. If the ball hits the net and goes into the box, this results in a "do-over." Like foul balls in baseball, you get unlimited do-overs, or lets, on the serve. After each point, the server and receiver changes sides of the court, left to right. The server must serve into the opposite service box each time.
Playing Rules
Once the server makes a good serve, the receiver must return the ball before it bounces twice, hitting the ball over the net and into the opposite court. The receiver must let the serve bounce before he hits it, but may hit any subsequent ball on a fly or after one bounce. The boundaries of the court include the lines; this means if the ball touches any part of the line, the shot is good. The second set of vertical lines on the outside of a tennis court are only used for doubles and the ball is out in a singles match if the ball lands on that line, or between that line and the singles line. Players make calls on their own side of the net. For example, a player must accept an opponent's call that a shot was out of bounds or only bounced once before he hit it.
Etiquette
During a tennis match, you must give your opponent the benefit of the doubt on all calls. If you are 99 percent sure your opponent's shot was out, you must give your opponent the point. If a ball rolls onto your court from another court, do not return the ball while the other court is playing a point. Wait until the point is over and let the other court know you are returning their ball. If you do not wish to wait until another court finishes a point before returning their ball, you may play your point, or roll the ball to the back fence, in between the two courts. Do not roll the ball behind the other court while a point is in play, even if it's against their fence; you may distract them. You may only question an opponent's call once, for verification; never argue a call.
Terminology
When a player has zero points or games, the score is called, "Love." The right side of the court is known as the deuce court, and the left side of the court is called the ad court. This comes from scoring terminology. When players are tied in a game after six points, the score is deuce. Whoever wins the next point has an advantage, or ad. An ace is a good serve the receiver can't touch. In addition to official terminology, you may hear tennis players use certain slang words or phrases to describe situations. A hook is a purposely bad call. A hacker is an unskilled player that chops at the ball with a hacking motion. A bagel occurs when someone wins no games during a set.
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