Tennis Dictionary
ace - a serve that the returner not touch
ad-in - the server has the advantage
ad-out - the server's opponent has the advantage
advantage - the player who scores the first point in deuce has the advantage.
alley - the space between the singles sideline and the doubles sideline
australian doubles - one-on-two tennis, played with one person on one side of the net, and two players on the other side of the net
backcourt - near the back of the court, around the baseline
backhand - two or one-handed shot used to return the ball when the shoulder of the player's stronger arm is facing the net.
ball hopper - basket that holds the tennis balls
baseline - line at the back of the court, behind which the server serves
deuce - score is ties 40-40
double fault - when the server misses both serves thus losing the point
doubles - two-on-two tennis, played with one team of two players on each side of the net
drop shot - lightly tapping the ball over the net fault - when a serve lands outside the server's box
fault - when the server misses the first serve
first serve - two serves are allowed in tennis. this would be the first attempt
five - an abbreviation for "15" points
foot fault - violation called when the server steps over the baseline before their racket touches the ball
forehand - one-handed shot used with player's strong arm when the shoulder of their weaker arm is facing the net.
grip - wraps around the handle of the racket, to absorb moisture and give the player a better grip on the racket.
head - the round part of the racket
hopper - ball hopper. Basket that holds the tennis balls.
let - during a serve, when the ball hits the net, but lands on the opponent's side of the court.
lob - slow, high underhand stroke that hits the ball up high in the air. used in offence when the opponent is close to the net, and in defence to give the player time to get backcourt
long - when the serve lands behind the server's box, or behind the baseline, it is called "long"
love - zero points
no - sometimes called instead of "out" when the serve lands outside the server's box
one-handed backhand - backhand hit using only one arm, for right-handers, your right arm, and for left-handers, your left arm
out - called when the ball lands out of bounds or there is a fault
overgrip - tape that winds onto the handle of the racket to give the player a better grip and also to absorb moisture. Other types of grips are also available, including ones that slide on.
overhead - powerful shot hit back to the opponent when the ball is high in the air
overhead slam - another term for overhead shot
poaching - strategy used in doubles, when the server, after serving the ball, cuts across to the opposite side of the court. At the same time, their partner cuts across to the side of the court that the server started on.
pro-set - a game that ends when the team or player reaches a certain number of games won, rather than playing sets. example - 8 game pro-set in doubles -- first team to win 8 games wins the match. ready position - another term for starting position score cards - cards used to keep score on
second serve - when the server misses the first serev, this is attempted
serve - powerful overhand swing used to send the ball over the net and into the server's box to start the point
server's box - box that the ball must land in when it is served
shock absorber - small object that slides onto the strings of the racket, usually near the bottom, to stop vibration of the racket. Also prevents injury to the elbow.
shot - flight and destination of the ball after you hit it
singles - one-on-one tennis, played with one player on each side of the net
slice - forehand and backhand move that puts underspins on the ball
split step - another name for the starting position. It describes the footwork of the starting position.
starting position - position taken before recieving serves and hitting the the ball
stroke - action of hitting the ball
sweet spot - spot on the racket that gives the cleanest, most powerful shot
tennis court -
two-handed backhand - backhand hit using both hands
volley - hit the ball back over the net before it hits the ground, usually while standing near the net.
wide - when a ball lands to the left or right outside of the server's box, or to the left or right outside of the court, then it is "wide"
winner - a shot that the opponent does not touch
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