Half-volley
A half volley in tennis is a shot that is hit immediately after the ball bounces but before it reaches the apex of its bounce. It is sometimes called an "on the rise shot", or "short hop". Technique The player who is hitting the half volley should not take a full backswing, but should still follow through. The grip for this shot is a standard continental. Also, staying down when hitting the shot is very important, or else it will go long. This is the basic form for the volley, hence the name: half volley. The two parts of the tennis court where this shot is generally used are on the baseline and the service line. Strategy A half volley is a difficult shot to make. Often a player hits a half volley only when forced by the opponent or caught out of position. The half-volley came to prominence in the hands of George Caridia and Ernest Lewis in the early 1900s.The Times, ''Borora's Record'', 23 Oct. 1935 Arguably the greatest half-volleyer in history is John McEnroe; other profes ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court. The object of the game is to manoeuvre the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. The player who is unable to return the ball validly will not gain a point, while the opposite player will. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society and at all ages. The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including wheelchair users. The modern game of tennis originated in Birmingham, England, in the late 19th century as lawn tennis. It had close connections both to various field (lawn) games such as croquet and bowls as well as to the older racket sport today called real tennis. The rules of modern tennis have ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Grip (tennis)
In tennis, a grip is a way of holding the racquet in order to hit shots during a match. The three most commonly used conventional grips are: the Continental (or "Chopper"), the Eastern and the Semi-Western. Most players change grips during a match depending on what shot they are hitting. The octagonal handle In order to understand the grips, it is important to know that the handle of a racquet always consists of 8 sides or, in other words, it has an octagonal shape. A square shape would hurt the hand, while a round shape would not give enough friction to gain a firm grip. The eight sides of the handle are called bevels. They can be numbered from 1 to 8 as follows. If the blade of the racquet is perpendicular to the ground, the bevel facing up is bevel #1. For the right-handed, rotating the racquet counter-clockwise (i.e. exposing to the ground more of the forehand hitting side) the next bevel facing up is bevel #2, and so on to identify all 8 bevels. Symmetrically, for the l ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Volley (tennis)
A volley in tennis is a shot in which the ball is struck before it bounces on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net, although it can be executed farther back, in the middle of the tennis court or even near the baseline. The word derives from M. French ''volée'' meaning flight. The primary objective of the volley is to go on the offensive and cut the amount of time for the opponent to react. Another advantage is that a player eliminates any possibility of a bad bounce from an uneven surface such as on some grass and clay courts. Also, if near the net, a volleyer has a wider choice of angles to hit into the opponent's court. However, quick reflexes and hand–eye coordination are required to execute this shot. The primary means of countering a volley are the passing shot and the lob. Generally, a player who advances to the net in the serve and volley type of game will make the initial volley fairly near the service line. The player will then ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tennis Court
A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be used to create a tennis court, each with its own characteristics which affect the playing style of the game. Dimensions The dimensions of a tennis court are defined and regulated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) governing body and are written down in the annual 'Rules of Tennis' document. The court is long. Its width is for singles matches and for doubles matches. The service line is from the net. Additional clear space around the court is needed in order for players to reach overrun balls for a total of wide and long. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal ends. The net is high at the posts, and high in the center. The net posts are outside the d ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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George Caridia
George Aristides Caridia ( el, Γεώργιος Αριστείδης Καρυδιάς; 20 February 1869 – 21 April 1937) was a male tennis player from Great Britain and a two-time Olympic silver medalist. Career At the 1908 London Olympics Caridia won those medals in the men's singles and doubles (with George Simond) event (both were contested ''indoor''). In both finals he lost to fellow British player Arthur Gore. Caridia reached the singles semifinals of Wimbledon in 1903 (losing in four sets to Major Ritchie) and the quarterfinals in 1904 and 1909. Caridia was reportedly best on covered courts which suited his strong half-volley, he won the Welsh Covered Court Championships nine times between 1899 and 1909, playing at Craigside, Llandudno, Wales for 20 consecutive years. In 1900 he won the French Covered Court Championships in Paris against Harold Mahony. In addition he was a finalist at the London Covered Court Championships (1906) losing to Tony Wilding, and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ernest Lewis (tennis)
Ernest Wool Lewis (5 April 1867 – 19 April 1930) was a British amateur lawn tennis player who was active at the end of the 19th century. Career Ernest Lewis reached the final of the first Wimbledon Championships gentlemen's doubles competition held in 1884. Partnering E.L. Williams they lost the final to the famous tennis brothers Ernest Renshaw and William Renshaw in four sets. With partner George Hillyard he reached and lost the 1889 and 1890 gentlemen's doubles finals. In 1892 he won his first and only Wimbledon title when together with Harry S. Barlow they defeated another famous team of tennis brothers, Herbert Baddeley and Wilfred Baddeley, in four sets. In total Lewis would reach seven doubles finals at the Wimbledon Championships during his career (1884,1889, 1890, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895). In the gentlemen's singles competition at Wimbledon his best result was reaching the final of the all-comers tournament on four occasions ( 1886, 1888, 1892 and 1894). In 1886 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court behavior, which frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities. McEnroe is the only male player in tennis history to hold the world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles simultaneously. Only one other male player, Stefan Edberg, ever attained No. 1 in both, although at different times. McEnroe finished his career with 77 singles titles on the ATP Tour and 78 doubles titles; this remains the highest men's combined total of the Open Era. He is the only male player to win more than 70 titles in both the men's singles and the men's doubles categories. He also won 25 singles titles on the ATP Champions tour. He won seven Grand Slam singles titles (four at the US Open and three at Wimbledon), nine Grand Slam men's doubl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stefan Edberg
Stefan Bengt Edberg (; born 19 January 1966) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles between 1985 and 1996. He is one of only two men in the Open Era to have been ranked world No. 1 in both singles and doubles (the other being John McEnroe). He also won the Masters Grand Prix and was a part of the Swedish Davis Cup-winning team four times. In addition, he won four Masters Series titles, four Championship Series titles and the unofficial 1984 Olympic tournament, was ranked in the singles top 10 for ten successive years, and ranked nine years in the top 5.After retirement, Edberg began coaching Roger Federer in January 2014, with this partnership ending in December 2015. Career Edberg first came to the tennis world's attention as a junior player. He won all four Grand Slam junior titles in 1983 to become the first (and only) player ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pete Sampras
Petros "Pete" Sampras ( el, Πέτρος Σάμπρας; born August 12, 1971) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. His professional career began in 1988 and ended at the 2002 US Open, which he won, defeating longtime rival Andre Agassi in the final. Sampras won 14 major singles titles during his career, which was an all-time record at the time of his retirement: a then-record seven Wimbledon titles, two Australian Opens and a joint Open Era record five US Open titles. He won 64 singles titles in total. He first reached the world No. 1 ranking in 1993, and held that position for a total of 286 weeks (third all time), including an Open Era record of six consecutive Year-End No. 1 rankings from 1993 to 1998. A right-handed player with a single-handed backhand, his precise and powerful serve earned him the nickname "Pistol Pete". In 2007, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Early life Petros Sampras ( el, Πέτρος "Πητ" Σάμπρα ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Roger Federer
Roger Federer (; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at No. 1, world No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 310 weeks, including a record 237 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. He won 103 ATP singles titles, the second most of all time, including 20 Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, Grand Slam singles titles, a record eight men's singles Wimbledon Championships, Wimbledon titles, an Open Era record-tying five men's singles US Open (tennis), US Open titles, and a record-tying six ATP Finals, year-end championships. Federer played during an era where he dominated men's tennis along with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the Big Three (tennis), Big Three, collectively considered by some to be the three most successful male tennis players of all time. Federer's 20 Grand Slam singles titles also put him at third most of all time, on ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jack Kramer
John Albert Kramer (August 1, 1921 – September 12, 2009) was an American tennis player of the 1940s and 1950s. He won three Grand Slam tournaments (the U.S. Championships in 1946 and 1947, Wimbledon in 1947). He led the U.S. Davis Cup tennis team to victory in the 1946 and 1947 Davis Cup finals. Kramer won the U.S. Pro Championship at Forest Hills in 1948 and the Wembley Pro Championships in 1949. He won world professional championship 2-man tours in 1948 (against Riggs), 1949/50 (against Gonzales), 1950/51 (against Segura), and 1953 (against Sedgman). He was ranked world No. 1 amateur player for 1946 by Pierre Gillou, Harry Hopman and Ned Potter. He was ranked World No. 1 amateur player for 1947 by John Olliff, Pierre Gillou and Ned Potter. In 1948 he was ranked the U.S. No. 1 professional in the USPLTA contemporary rankings for U.S. pro tennis play. Some recent tennis writers have considered Kramer to be the World No. 1 player from 1946 to 1953, spanning his last amateur ye ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pancho Gonzales
Ricardo Alonso "Pancho" González (May 9, 1928 – July 3, 1995), known sometimes as Richard Gonzales, was an American tennis player. He won 15 major singles titles, including two U.S. National Singles Championships in 1948 and 1949, and 13 Professional Grand Slam titles. He also won three Tournament of Champions professional events in 1957, 1958, and 1959. He was ranked world amateur No. 1 in 1948 by Ned Potter and in 1949 by Potter and John Olliff. Gonzales was a prominent professional champion in the 1950s and 1960s, winning world professional championship tours between 1954 and 1961; he was ranked world No. 1 professional in some rankings between 1952 and 1961. Gonzales was a determined competitor with a fierce temper. He was often at odds with officials and promoters. However, he was a fan favorite who drew many spectators. Career Amateur Gonzales was given a 51-cent racquet by his mother when he was 12 years old. He received tennis analysis from his friend, Chuck Pa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |