In the context of tennis, peripheral vision is an ability to monitor many factors simultaneously while focusing your attention on the ball. For example, if your opponent hits the ball to you, your primary focus must be running to the spot where the ball will land so you can hit the ball back. But effective players use their peripheral vision to maintain a sense of their opponents' positioning as well.
Function
Having good peripheral vision means you are aware of everything that's happening on the court without having to stare directly at it or focus your concentration on it. Tennis players who have advanced peripheral vision seem to have an unconscious ability to react quickly and send the ball to the perfect spot on the opposite court. For example, when returning a volley, the most effective shot will be on the opposite side of the court from your opponent. If you have good peripheral vision, you'll know to which side of the court you should hit the ball without having to look up.
Considerations
The key to developing an ability to monitor multiple factors at once is to train your brain and eyes to take in as much information as possible, as quickly as possible. For example, as you're running to the ball, a slight movement by your opponent that occurs in your peripheral vision might provide all the information you need to know where to send the ball.
Test
A simple test of your peripheral vision is to walk in a straight line with your eyes directed forward while doing your best to register details about the objects you pass on either side. During your tennis practices, you can perform a similar test by forcing your eyes to stay on the ball while trying to register mentally all the activity on the other side of the court. This is difficult to perform because it splits your focus, but over time you'll get a sense of what your opponents are up to without having to look directly at them.
Drills
You can also perform drills that train your brain to react quickly to low levels of input. For example, hit a ball over the net to a practice partner. Then hit another over. Volleying two balls forces you and your partner to react quickly and monitor what's happening across the net. Another technique is to write numbers or letters on several balls and have someone toss them to you one at a time. Try to call out the number or letter of each ball before you catch it.
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