Tennis Terminology
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glossary A glossary (from grc, γλῶσσα, ''glossa''; language, speech, wording) also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is an alphabetical list of Term (language), terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Tradi ...
of
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 ...
terminology.


A

*
Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...
: Serve where the tennis ball lands inside the '' service box'' and is not touched by the receiver; thus, a shot that is both a serve and a winner is an ace. Aces are usually powerful and generally land on or near one of the corners at the back of the service box. Initially, the term was used to indicate the scoring of a point. * Action: Synonym of '' spin''. * Ad court: Left side of the court of each player, so called because the ''ad'' (''advantage'') point immediately following a deuce is always served to this side of the court. * Ad in: '' Advantage'' to the ''
server Server may refer to: Computing *Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients Role * Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...
''. * Ad out: '' Advantage'' to the '' receiver''. * Ad: Used by the chair umpire to announce the score when a player has the '' advantage'', meaning they won the point immediately after a ''
deuce Deuce, Deuces, or The Deuce may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Deuce, in the ''Danger Girl'' comic book series * Deuce, a character in ''Shake It Up'' * Deuce, in the ''Wild Cards'' science fiction universe * Deuce Biga ...
''. See
scoring in tennis The tennis scoring system is a standard widespread method for scoring tennis matches, including pick-up games. Some tennis matches are played as part of a tournament, which may have various categories, such as singles and doubles. The great majo ...
. * Advantage set: Set won by a player or team having won at least six games with a two-game advantage over the opponent (as opposed to a tiebreak format). Final sets in the singles draws of the
French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
remains the only major tennis event to use all advantage sets. In the past, they were used at Olympic tennis events (until 2012),
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
(until 2015),
Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
(until 2015),
Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
(until 2018) and
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
(until 2018) when they all switched to tie breaks. * Advantage: When one player wins the first point from a ''
deuce Deuce, Deuces, or The Deuce may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Deuce, in the ''Danger Girl'' comic book series * Deuce, a character in ''Shake It Up'' * Deuce, in the ''Wild Cards'' science fiction universe * Deuce Biga ...
'' and needs one more point to win the game; not applicable when using deciding points. * All-Comers: Tournament in which all players took part except the reigning champion. The winner of the All-Comers event would play the title holder in the ''
Challenge Round Challenge may refer to: * Voter challenging or caging, a method of challenging the registration status of voters * Euphemism for disability * Peremptory challenge, a dismissal of potential jurors from jury duty Places Geography *Challenge, C ...
''. * All-court (or all-court game): Style of play that is a composite of all the different playing styles, which includes baseline, transition, and serve and volley styles. * All-courter: Player with an ''all-court game''. * All: Used by the chair umpire to announce scores when both players have the same number of points or the same number of games. When both players are at 40, the preferred term is ''
deuce Deuce, Deuces, or The Deuce may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Deuce, in the ''Danger Girl'' comic book series * Deuce, a character in ''Shake It Up'' * Deuce, in the ''Wild Cards'' science fiction universe * Deuce Biga ...
''. * Alley: Area of the court between the singles and the doubles sidelines, which together are known as ''
tramlines The Tramlines Festival is an annual music festival held in Sheffield, UK. The festival was originally free to attend, but now requires tickets. The line-up consists of national and local artists. The festival was curated and organised by a pan ...
''. * Alternate: Player or team that gains acceptance into the main draw of a tournament when a main draw player or team withdraws. Such a player may be a ''
lucky loser A lucky loser is a sports competitor (player or team) who loses a match in a knockout tournament or loses in qualifying, but who then enters the main draw, usually when another competitor withdraws during the tournament because of illness, injury ...
''. * American doubles (or American singles, Australian doubles and cut-throat tennis): Informal and unsanctioned variation of tennis played with three players—two on one side of the court and one on the other. The team of two players can only hit the ball within the single player's singles lines, whilst the single player can hit into the full doubles court on the doubles team's side. After each ''
game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
'', the players rotate such that each player plays in every position on court during the match. See also: ''
Canadian doubles Canadian doubles, similar to cutthroat tennis, is a method of playing tennis with three players. It pits two players against one player on the court at the same time. The only major rule variation between Canadian doubles and traditional doubles ...
''. * Approach shot (or approach): A ''
groundstroke In racket sports a groundstroke, or ground stroke, refers to a forehand or backhand shot that is executed after the ball has bounced on the court. The term is commonly used in the sports of tennis and pickleball, and is counter to a volley shot ...
'' shot used as a setup as the player approaches the net, often using underspin or topspin. *
ATP Finals The ATP Finals is the season-ending championship of the ATP Tour. It is the most significant event in the annual ATP calendar after the four majors as it features the top-eight singles players and top-eight doubles teams based on their results th ...
: (formerly Masters Grand Prix, ATP Tour World Championship, Tennis Masters Cup and ATP World Tour Finals): Annual season-ending tournament of the
ATP Tour The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organis ...
featuring the eight top-ranked men in the world (plus two '' alternates''). *
ATP Race The Pepperstone ATP rankings are the merit-based method used by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for determining the qualification for entry as well as the seeding of players in all singles and doubles tournaments. The first rankings ...
(or ATP Race to Milan/Turin/London; formerly ATP Champions Race): ATP point ranking system that starts at the beginning of the year and by the end of the year mirrors the ATP entry system ranking. The top eight players at the end of the year qualify for the
ATP Finals The ATP Finals is the season-ending championship of the ATP Tour. It is the most significant event in the annual ATP calendar after the four majors as it features the top-eight singles players and top-eight doubles teams based on their results th ...
. *
ATP Tour The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organis ...
(formerly ATP World Tour): Worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the
Association of Tennis Professionals The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. It was formed in September 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, an ...
. * ATP: Abbreviation for
Association of Tennis Professionals The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. It was formed in September 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, an ...
, the main organizing body of men's professional tennis; governs the
ATP Tour The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organis ...
with the largest tournaments for men. *
Australian doubles Traditionally, tennis is played between two people in a singles match, or two pairs in a doubles match. Tennis can also be played on different courts, including grass courts, clay courts, hard courts, and artificial grass courts. Standard types ...
: See '' American doubles''. * Australian formation: In doubles, a formation where the server and partner stand on the same side of the court before starting the point.


B

* Backboard: Vertical wall, often with the image of a tennis ''
net Net or net may refer to: Mathematics and physics * Net (mathematics), a filter-like topological generalization of a sequence * Net, a linear system of divisors of dimension 2 * Net (polyhedron), an arrangement of polygons that can be folded up ...
'' painted on it, that is used to practice hitting against such that the ball bounces back without the need for a partner. * Backcourt: The area of the tennis court between the '' baseline'' and the '' service line''. *
Backhand The backhand is a shot used in most racket sports, such as tennis and pickleball, where the back of the hand precedes the palm when swinging the racket. Except in the phrase ''backhand volley'', the term refers to a groundstroke (where th ...
: Stroke in which the ball is hit with the back of the racket hand facing the ball at the moment of contact. A backhand is often hit by a right-handed player when the ball is on the left side of the court, and vice versa. * Backhand smash: A type of '' smash'' played over the backhand side. *
Backspin In racquet sports and golf, backspin or underspin refers to the reverse rotation of a ball, in relation to the ball's trajectory, that is imparted on the ball by a slice or chop shot. Backspin generates an upward force that lifts the ball (see M ...
: Shot that rotates the ball backwards after it is hit; also known as '' slice'' or ''underspin''. The trajectory of the shot is affected by an upward force that lifts the ball. See
Magnus effect The Magnus effect is an observable phenomenon commonly associated with a spinning object moving through a fluid. The path of the spinning object is deflected in a manner not present when the object is not spinning. The deflection can be expl ...
. * Backswing: Portion of a swing where the racket is swung backwards in preparation for the forward motion to hit the ball. *
Bagel A bagel ( yi, בײגל, translit=beygl; pl, bajgiel; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into a roughly hand-sized ring from yeasted wheat dough that is first ...
: Colloquial term for winning or losing a set 6–0 (the shape of the zero being reminiscent of the round shape of a
bagel A bagel ( yi, בײגל, translit=beygl; pl, bajgiel; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into a roughly hand-sized ring from yeasted wheat dough that is first ...
). See also ''
breadstick Breadsticks, also known as grissini, grissino or dipping sticks, (''ghërsin'' in ) are generally pencil-sized sticks of crisp, dry baked bread that originated in Piedmont, a region of Italy. There is also a soft-baked breadstick version popula ...
''. * Bagnall-Wild: A method of draw which places all byes in the first round. Introduced in the 1880s by Ralph Bagnall Bagnall-Wild. *
Ball boy Ball boys and ball girls, also known as ball kids are individuals, usually human youths but sometimes dogs, who retrieve and supply balls for players or officials in sports such as association football, American football, bandy, cricket, tenn ...
(also ball girl or ballkid): a person, commonly a child, tasked with retrieving tennis balls from the court that have gone out of play and supplying the balls to the players before their service. Ball boys in ''net'' positions normally kneel near the net and run across the court to collect the ball, while ball boys in the ''back'' positions stand in the back along the perimeter of the arena. Ball boys in the back are responsible for giving the balls to the player serving. * Ball toss: The action of throwing up the ball prior to the '' serve''. * Ball machine: Machine that shoots tennis balls onto the court at a similar speed and trajectory as a human player, allowing an individual to practice their ''
strokes A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop funct ...
'' without the need for a partner. * Banana shot or banana forehand: Forehand hit '' down the line'' with sufficient spin that it curves in the air outside over the '' tramline'' and then back into the court again. A signature shot of
Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (, ; born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No. 2 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been ranked List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis ...
. * Baseline: Line at the farthest ends of the court indicating the boundary of the area of play. If the ball goes over the baseline it will be the other player's point. * Baseliner: Player who plays around the baseline during play and relies on the quality of their ground strokes. * Big serve: Forceful serve, usually giving an advantage in the point for the server. *
Billie Jean King Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
(formerly Fed Cup or Federation Cup): International, annual women's tennis competition in which teams from participating countries compete in a single-elimination format tournament with matches occurring at several stages during the year. * Bisque: One stroke (point), which may be claimed by the receiver at any part of the set. Part of the handicapping odds and used during the early era of the sport. Abolished by the LTA in 1890. * Block (or blocked shot, blocked return): Defensive shot with relatively little backswing and shortened action instead of a full swing, usually while returning a serve. * Bounce: The upward movement of the ball after it has hit the ground. The trajectory of the bounce can be affected by the surface and weather, the amount and type of spin and the power of the shot. * Breadstick: Colloquial term for winning or losing a set 6–1, with the straight shape of the one supposedly being reminiscent of the straight shape of a breadstick. See also ''
bagel A bagel ( yi, בײגל, translit=beygl; pl, bajgiel; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into a roughly hand-sized ring from yeasted wheat dough that is first ...
''. * Break back: To win a game as the receiving player or team immediately after losing the previous game as the serving player or team. * Break point: Point which, if won by the receiver, would result in a break of service; arises when the score is 30–40 or 40–ad. A double break point or two break points arises at 15–40; a triple break point or three break points arises at 0–40. *
Break Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning res ...
: To win a game as the receiving player or team, thereby breaking serve. At high level of play the server is more likely to win a game, so breaks are often key moments of a match. Noun: ''break (service break)'' (e.g. "to be a break down" means "to have, in a set, one break fewer than the opponent", "to be a double break up" means "to have, in a set, two breaks more than the opponent"). * Breaker: Colloquial term for ''
tiebreak In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests. General operation In matches In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
''. * Brutaliser: Hitting the ball directly at the opponent. * Buggy whip: Forehand hit with a follow-through that does not go across the body and finish on the opposite side, but rather goes from low to high, crosses the opposite shoulder (optionally) and finishes on the same side (similar to the driver of a horse-drawn carriage whipping a horse). Used, for example, by
Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (, ; born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No. 2 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been ranked List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis ...
(racket head crosses the opposite shoulder) and
Maria Sharapova Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ( , ; rus, Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова, p=mɐˈrʲijə ʂɐˈrapəvə, a=Maria_sharapova.ogg; born 19 April 1987) is a Russian former List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 ...
(racket head stays on the same shoulder). * Bumper guard: A piece of plastic that protects the outside of the upper-half of the racket head. * Bye: Automatic advancement of a player to the next round of a tournament without facing an opponent. Byes are often awarded in the first round to the top-seeded players in a tournament. * Bunt: To use the power of the opponents shot and hit it back with a short swing.


C

* Call: Verbal utterance by a line judge or chair umpire declaring that a ball landed outside the valid area of play. *
Canadian doubles Canadian doubles, similar to cutthroat tennis, is a method of playing tennis with three players. It pits two players against one player on the court at the same time. The only major rule variation between Canadian doubles and traditional doubles ...
: Informal and unsanctioned variation of tennis played with three players—two on one side of the court and one on the other. The team of two players can only hit the ball within the single player's singles lines, whilst the single player can hit into the full doubles court on the doubles team's side. See also: '' American doubles''. * Can opener: Serve hit by a right-handed player with slice, landing on or near the intersection of the singles tramline and service line in the deuce court (or in the ad court for a left-handed server). * Cannonball: Somewhat archaic term for a very fast, flat serve. *
Career Golden Slam The Grand Slam in tennis is the achievement of winning all four major championships in one discipline in a calendar year, also referred to as the "Calendar-year Grand Slam" or "Calendar Slam". In doubles, a team may accomplish the Grand Slam p ...
: In addition to having won all four major titles in their career, a player that has also won an Olympic gold medal is said to have achieved a career Golden Slam. Only four players have ever achieved this in singles:
Steffi Graf Stefanie Maria Graf ( , ; born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 for a record 377 weeks and won 22 major singles titles, ...
(1988),
Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi ( ; born April 29, 1970) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is an eight-time major champion and an Olympic gold medalist, as well as a runner-up in seven other majors. Agassi is the second of five men to ach ...
(1996),
Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (, ; born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No. 2 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been ranked List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis ...
(2010) and
Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...
(2012). The term is rarely used in doubles, although the feat has been more common in that discipline. It has been achieved individually by nine wheelchair tennis players and three able-bodied players (
Pam Shriver Pamela Howard Shriver (born July 4, 1962) is an American former professional tennis player and current tennis broadcaster and pundit. During the 1980s and 1990s, Shriver won 133 titles, including 21 singles titles, 111 women's doubles titles, an ...
, Gigi Fernández,
Daniel Nestor Daniel Mark Nestor ( ; sr, Данијел Нестор, Danijel Nestor; born September 4, 1972) is a Canadian former professional tennis player. Nestor won 91 men's doubles titles (with 11 different partners), including an Olympic gold medal ...
), and by three teams (
The Woodies The Woodies was the nickname given to the tennis doubles pairing of Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, one of the most successful pairings in tennis history. The Woodies combined Woodforde's left-handed baseline play with Woodbr ...
, the
Williams sisters The Williams sisters are two professional American tennis players: Venus Williams (b. 1980), a seven-time Grand Slam title winner (singles), and Serena Williams (b. 1981), twenty-three-time Grand Slam title winner (singles), both of whom were c ...
, and the
Bryan brothers The Bryan brothers, identical twin brothers Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, are retired American professional doubles tennis players and the most successful duo of all time. They were born on April 29, 1978, with Mike being the elder by two minutes. ...
).
Tennis at the Olympics Tennis was part of the Summer Olympic Games program from the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics, but was dropped after the 1924 Summer Olympics due to disputes between the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the International Olympic Committ ...
was not played from 1928 to 1984. * Career Grand Slam (or career slam): Players who have won all four Major championships over the course of their career (but not within the same calendar year) are said to have won a career Grand Slam. *
Carpet court A carpet court is a type of tennis court. The International Tennis Federation describes the surface as a "textile or polymeric material supplied in rolls or sheets of finished product." It is one of the fastest court types, second only to grass co ...
: A surface for tennis courts consisting of textile or polymer materials supplied in rolls. Previously common for indoor professional events, the surface was dropped from major pro tournaments in 2009. See
carpet court A carpet court is a type of tennis court. The International Tennis Federation describes the surface as a "textile or polymeric material supplied in rolls or sheets of finished product." It is one of the fastest court types, second only to grass co ...
. * Carve: To hit a groundstroke shot with a combination of sidespin and underspin. * Centre mark: Small mark located at the centre of the baseline. When serving the player must stand on the correct side of the mark corresponding with the score. * Chair umpire: See ''
umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...
''. * Challenge Round: Final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a
single-elimination A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
(from 1877 through 1921) and the US Open (from 1884 through 1911), and, until 1972, in the
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
. * Challenge: When a player requests an official review of the spot where the ball landed, using electronic ball tracking technology. See
Hawk-Eye Hawk-Eye is a computer vision system used in numerous sports such as cricket, tennis, Gaelic football, badminton, hurling, rugby union, association football and volleyball, to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a profile o ...
. Challenges are only available in some large tournaments. * Challenger: A tour of tournaments one level below the top-tier
ATP Tour The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organis ...
. Currently, Challenger tournaments compose the
ATP Challenger Tour The ATP Challenger Tour, known until the end of 2008 as the ATP Challenger Series, is a series of international men's professional tennis tournaments. The Challenger Tour events are the second-highest tier of tennis competition, behind the ATP T ...
. Players, generally ranked around world no. 80 to world no. 300, compete on the Challenger tour in an effort to gain ranking points which allow them to gain entry to tournaments on the ATP Tour. * Champions tiebreak: See '' super tiebreak''. * Change-over (or change of ends): 90 second rest time after every odd-numbered game when the players change ends. * Chip and charge: Type of approach shot which involves hitting a slice shot while rapidly moving forward and following the shot into the net. Aimed at putting the opponent under pressure. * Chip: Blocking a shot with underspin, creating a low trajectory. * Chop: Shot hit with extreme underspin, opposite of topspin. *
Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
(or clay court, claycourt): a natural surface made of crushed
shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...
,
stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
,
brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
or
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
on which tennis is played, most notably at the
French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
. See:
clay court A clay court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Clay courts are made of crushed stone, brick, shale, or other unbound mineral aggregate depending on the tournament. ...
. * Claycourter (or clay-courter, clay courter): Player who is particularly proficient or a specialist on ''clay courts''. * Closed tournament: Entries to “closed” tournaments are restricted, normally by a requirement of residency within a specified geographic area. * Closed stance: Classic technique in which the ball is hit while the hitter's body is facing at an angle between parallel to the baseline and with their back turned to the opponent. * Code violation: a rule violation at a men's and women's professional tour match called by the chair umpire which results in a player receiving an official warning or a penalty. The first violation results in a warning; the second, a point penalty; the third and successive violations, a game penalty each. A code violation may also be judged severe enough to result in the player having to forfeit the match immediately (without having to go through the three or more automatic penalty stages). There often follows additional monetary fine for each code violation. * Consolidate (a break): To hold serve in the game immediately following a break of serve. * Continental grip: way of holding the racket in which the bottom knuckle of the index finger is in contact with the top of the handle and the heel of the hand with the bevel directly clockwise from it. * Counterpuncher: Defensive '' baseliner''. See
tennis strategy Players use different strategies while playing tennis to enhance their own strengths and exploit their opponent's weaknesses in order to gain the advantage and win more points. Players typically specialize or naturally play in a certain way, bas ...
. *
Court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...
: Area designated for playing a game of tennis. * Cross-over: Player crossing the net into the opponent's court. It can be done either in a friendly fashion, or maliciously, thereby invoking a code violation. The latter sometimes happens when it is uncertain whether the ball on a decisive point landed inside or outside the court when playing on clay, thus leaving a mark. * Crosscourt shot: Hitting the ball diagonally into the opponent's court. *
Cut-throat tennis Traditionally, tennis is played between two people in a singles match, or two pairs in a doubles match. Tennis can also be played on different courts, including Grass court, grass courts, Clay court, clay courts, Hardcourt, hard courts, and artifi ...
(or cutthroat tennis): see '' American doubles''. *
Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
: Device formerly used at
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
and other tournaments to detect a serve that landed long, past the service line. The device emitted an audible noise when the serve was long. Succeeded by ''
Hawk-Eye Hawk-Eye is a computer vision system used in numerous sports such as cricket, tennis, Gaelic football, badminton, hurling, rugby union, association football and volleyball, to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a profile o ...
''.


D

* Dampener A small rubber device affixed to the strings of the racket to absorb some of the vibration caused by hitting the ball. *
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
: International, annual men's tennis competition in which teams from participating countries compete in a single-elimination format, with matches occurring at several stages during the year. * Dead net (or dead net cord): Situation in which a player scores by inadvertently hitting the ball in such a way that it touches the upper cord of the net and rolls over to the other side; the player is said to have "gotten (caught) a dead net (dead net cord)" and considered to be lucky. *
Dead rubber Dead rubber is a term used in sporting parlance to describe a match in a series where the series result has already been decided by earlier matches. The dead rubber match therefore has no effect on the winner and loser of the series, other than the ...
: Davis/Fed Cup match which is played after the victor of the tie has already been decided. Dead rubbers may or may not be played, depending on the coaches' agreement to do so, and are usually best of three, instead of five, sets. Typically, players who play the dead rubber are lower-ranked members of the team looking to gain Davis/Fed Cup match experience. * Deciding point: In doubles, the point played when the game score reaches deuce and there is no ad play; the game is decided in favor of whichever team wins the deuce point. * Deep shot: Shot that lands near the baseline, as opposed to near the net or mid-court. * Default: Disqualification of a player in a match by the chair umpire after the player has received four code violation warnings, generally for their conduct on court. A default can occur with less than four code violations warnings if the code violation is judged severe enough to warrant it. A double default occurs when both players are disqualified. Defaults also occur when a player misses a match with no valid excuse. Defaults are considered losses. * Deuce court: Right side of the court of each player, so called because it is the area into which the ball is served when the score is deuce. * Deuce: Score of 40–40 in a game. A player must win two consecutive points from a deuce to win the game, unless the tournament employs ''deciding points'', as in the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals. A player who has won one point after deuce is said to have the ''advantage''. * Dig: A shot where the player hits the ball just before the second bounce. So named because the '' racket'' is positioned in a downward position, similar to a shovel digging a hole. * Dink:
Onomatopoetic Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
term for a shot with little ''pace'', usually hit close to the net. * Dirtballer: Colloquial term for a
clay court specialist A clay court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Clay courts are made of crushed stone, brick, shale, or other unbound mineral aggregate depending on the tournament. T ...
. * Double bagel: Two sets won to love; see ''
bagel A bagel ( yi, בײגל, translit=beygl; pl, bajgiel; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into a roughly hand-sized ring from yeasted wheat dough that is first ...
''. * Double break point: A situation where the '' receiver'' has two consecutive ''
break point Break Point may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Break Point'' (film), a 2014 American comedy film directed by Jay Karas. Television * ''Break Point'' (2021 TV series), a 2021 Indian documentary series * ''Break Point'' (2023 TV series), a 2 ...
'' opportunities in ''
game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
'', or a score of 15–40. * Double break (or double-break): An advantage of two '' breaks of service'' in a set. *
Double fault On the x86 architecture, a double fault exception occurs if the processor encounters a problem while trying to service a pending interrupt or exception. An example situation when a double fault would occur is when an interrupt is triggered but ...
: Two serving '' faults'' in a row in one point, causing the player serving to lose the point. * Double-handed backhand (or double-hander): See '' two-handed backhand''. * Doubles net: A ''
net Net or net may refer to: Mathematics and physics * Net (mathematics), a filter-like topological generalization of a sequence * Net, a linear system of divisors of dimension 2 * Net (polyhedron), an arrangement of polygons that can be folded up ...
'' used for playing ''doubles''; longer than a '' singles net''. * Doubles: Match played by four players, two per side of the court. A doubles court is 9 ft (2.97m) wider than a singles court. * Down the line: Ball hit straight along the sideline to the opponent's side of the court. * Draw: The schedule of matches in a tennis tournament. The starting fixtures are determined by a combined process of player ''seeding'' and random selection, and may or may not involve a public ''draw ceremony''. A ''qualifying draw'' is set up to arrange the starting lineup of the qualifying competition (''qualies''), from where ''unseeded'' players qualify for a place in the starting lineup or the ''main draw'' of the tournament. *
Drive volley 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 ba ...
(or drive-volley, swing volley): a tennis volley executed with full swing or topspin drive, thus with pace and conventionally at shoulder height; in the manner of a forehand or backhand swing. * Drive: ''
Groundstroke In racket sports a groundstroke, or ground stroke, refers to a forehand or backhand shot that is executed after the ball has bounced on the court. The term is commonly used in the sports of tennis and pickleball, and is counter to a volley shot ...
'' hit with a flat trajectory. * Drop (a set): to lose (the set) *
Drop shot A drop shot is a shot in some racket sports in which the ball (or birdie) is hit relatively softly, sometimes with topspin or backspin, so that it lands just over and close to the net. A well-placed and well-timed drop shot will make it difficu ...
(colloquial: dropper): Play in which the player hits the ball lightly enough to just go over the net, usually with ''backspin''; designed to catch a player who is away from the net off guard. * Drop volley: ''Drop shot'' executed from a ''volley'' position.


E

* Elbow: Corner of the baseline and the doubles alley. * Entry system: Ranking system used by the ATP and WTA tours, so named because it determines whether a player has a sufficiently high ranking to gain direct acceptance (not as a qualifier or wild card) into the main draw of a tournament. A player's Entry System ranking is different from their Race ranking, which is reset to zero at the beginning of each year. A player carries points and the associated Entry ranking continuously unless those points are lost at a tournament at which the player had previously earned them. * Error: A shot that does not land (correctly) in the opponent's court, resulting in the loss of a point. * Exhibition: Tournament in which players compete for the purpose of entertaining the crowd or raising money, but not ranking points on the ATP or WTA tours.


F

* Fault: Serve that fails to land the ball in the opponent's service box, therefore not starting the point. See also ''
double fault On the x86 architecture, a double fault exception occurs if the processor encounters a problem while trying to service a pending interrupt or exception. An example situation when a double fault would occur is when an interrupt is triggered but ...
'' and '' foot fault''. *
Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
(or Federation Cup): See ''
Billie Jean King Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
''. * First serve: The first of the two attempts to serve that a player is allowed at the beginning of a point. A let serve that lands inbounds does not count as a serve. * Five: Number of games completed (e.g. "7–5" is spoken as "seven–five"), or a spoken abbreviation of "15" in points (e.g. a score of 40–15 is sometimes spoken as "forty–five"). *
Flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...
(or flat shot): Shot with relatively little spin and usually hard-hit. * Flatliner: Player who hits the ball ''flat'' with a very low trajectory with exceptional depth and accuracy. Examples include
Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi ( ; born April 29, 1970) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is an eight-time major champion and an Olympic gold medalist, as well as a runner-up in seven other majors. Agassi is the second of five men to ach ...
and
Lindsay Davenport Lindsay Ann Davenport Leach (born June 8, 1976) is an American former professional tennis player. Davenport was ranked singles world No. 1 for a total of 98 weeks, and was the year-end singles world No. 1 four times (1998, 2001, 2004, and 2005) ...
. * Follow through: Portion of a swing after the ball is hit. * Foot fault (or footfault): Type of service fault in which a player, during the serve, steps on or over the baseline into the court before striking the ball. A foot fault may also occur if the player steps on or across the center hash mark and its imaginary perpendicular extension from the baseline to the net. The definition of a foot fault has changed several times since the introduction of (lawn) tennis. * Forced error: Error caused by an opponent's good play; contrasted with an ''
unforced error This page is a glossary of tennis terminology. A * Ace: Serve where the tennis ball lands inside the '' service box'' and is not touched by the receiver; thus, a shot that is both a serve and a winner is an ace. Aces are usually powerful and ge ...
''. Counting forced errors as well as unforced errors is partly subjective. * Forehand: Stroke in which the player hits the ball with the front of the racket hand facing the ball; contrasted with ''backhand''. * Frame shot (or frame, wood shot): A mishit on the frame of the racket rather than the strings. * Fry: See ''
breadstick Breadsticks, also known as grissini, grissino or dipping sticks, (''ghërsin'' in ) are generally pencil-sized sticks of crisp, dry baked bread that originated in Piedmont, a region of Italy. There is also a soft-baked breadstick version popula ...
''. * Futures: Series of men's tour tennis tournaments which compose the
ITF Men's Circuit The ITF World Tennis Tour (formerly known as the ''ITF Men's World Tennis Tour'', and previously ''ITF Men's Circuit'') is a series of professional tennis tournaments held around the world that are organized by the International Tennis Federation. ...
, a tour two levels below the ATP Tour and one level below the ATP Challenger Tour. Players compete in Futures events (generally when ranked below world no. 300 or so) to garner enough ranking points to gain entry into Challenger events.


G

* Game point: Situation in which the server is leading and needs one more point to win the game. See also ''
break point Break Point may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Break Point'' (film), a 2014 American comedy film directed by Jay Karas. Television * ''Break Point'' (2021 TV series), a 2021 Indian documentary series * ''Break Point'' (2023 TV series), a 2 ...
''. * Game, set, match: Expression used at the conclusion of a ''
match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
'' to indicate that one of the competitors has prevailed. * Game: A game consists of a sequence of '' points'' played with the same player serving and is a segment of a ''set''. Each ''set'' consists of at least six games. * Get: Reaching and returning a ball that is difficult to retrieve. * Ghost in to the net: To approach the net from the baseline while the opposing player is focused on retrieving a ball and therefore unaware that the player is approaching the net. *
Golden set In tennis, a golden set is a set which is won without losing a single point. This means scoring the 24 minimum points required to win the set 6–0, without conceding any points. In professional tennis, this has occurred twice in the main draw o ...
: A set that is won without dropping a single point. *
Golden Slam The Grand Slam in tennis is the achievement of winning all four major championships in one discipline in a calendar year, also referred to as the "Calendar-year Grand Slam" or "Calendar Slam". In doubles, a team may accomplish the Grand Slam p ...
: Winning the Grand Slam and the tennis Olympic gold medal in a calendar year. This has only ever been achieved once, by
Steffi Graf Stefanie Maria Graf ( , ; born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 for a record 377 weeks and won 22 major singles titles, ...
in 1988. See also ''
Career Golden Slam The Grand Slam in tennis is the achievement of winning all four major championships in one discipline in a calendar year, also referred to as the "Calendar-year Grand Slam" or "Calendar Slam". In doubles, a team may accomplish the Grand Slam p ...
''. *
Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...
: Winning all four of the prestigious major tournaments in a calendar year. "Grand Slam" is also commonly used to refer to any one of the four tournaments: the
Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
, the
French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
(Roland Garros),
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
, and the US Open. See also Career Grand Slam. *
Grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
(or grass court): A natural
turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...
surface tennis is played on, most notably at
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
. See:
grass court A grass court is one of the four different types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Grass courts are made of grasses in different compositions depending on the tournament. Although grass c ...
. * Grasscourter (or grass-courter, grass courter): Player who is particularly proficient or a specialist on ''grass courts''. * Grinding: Playing out points with a series of shots from the baseline. See also
attrition Attrition may refer to *Attrition warfare, the military strategy of wearing down the enemy by continual losses in personnel and material **War of Attrition, fought between Egypt and Israel from 1968 to 1970 **War of attrition (game), a model of agg ...
. * Grip: A way of holding the racket in order to hit shots during a match. The three most commonly used conventional grips are the Continental, the Eastern and the Western. Most players change grips during a match depending on which shot they are hitting. For further information on grips, including all the types, see
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 ...
. * Grommet strip: A strip of plastic containing small tubes that are placed in the frame's string holes to prevent the strings from rubbing against the abrasive frame. * Groundie: Colloquial word for a ''
groundstroke In racket sports a groundstroke, or ground stroke, refers to a forehand or backhand shot that is executed after the ball has bounced on the court. The term is commonly used in the sports of tennis and pickleball, and is counter to a volley shot ...
''. *
Groundstroke In racket sports a groundstroke, or ground stroke, refers to a forehand or backhand shot that is executed after the ball has bounced on the court. The term is commonly used in the sports of tennis and pickleball, and is counter to a volley shot ...
: Forehand or backhand shot that is executed after the ball bounces once on the court. * Grunting: Noises made by players while either serving or hitting the ball. * Gut: Type of racket string. Can be made from
catgut Catgut (also known as gut) is a type of cord that is prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls of animal Gut (anatomy), intestines. Catgut makers usually use sheep or goat intestines, but occasionally use the intestines of cattle, Domest ...
or synthetic gut.


H

* Hacker: Player whose clumsy strokes seem more accidental than intentional. * Hail Mary: Extremely high lob, for defensive purposes. * Half court: The area of the court in the vicinity of the service line. *
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 shoul ...
: A groundstroke shot made immediately after a bounce or simultaneous to the bounce and played with the racket close to the ground. * Handicapping A system in which competitors are given advantages or compensations to equalize the chances of winning. *
Hardcourt A hardcourt (or hard court) is a surface or floor on which a sport is played, most usually in reference to tennis courts. It is typically made of rigid materials such as asphalt or concrete, and covered with acrylic resins to seal the surface and ...
(or hard court): A type of court which is made of asphalt or concrete with a synthetic/acrylic layer on top. They can vary in color and tend to play medium-fast to fast. * Hardcourter (or hard-courter, hard courter): Player who is particularly proficient or a specialist on ''hard courts''. * Hawk-Eye Live: Advanced version of the ''
Hawk-Eye Hawk-Eye is a computer vision system used in numerous sports such as cricket, tennis, Gaelic football, badminton, hurling, rugby union, association football and volleyball, to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a profile o ...
'' technology that calls shots in or out in real time (through speakers), fully replacing human '' line judges''. *
Hawk-Eye Hawk-Eye is a computer vision system used in numerous sports such as cricket, tennis, Gaelic football, badminton, hurling, rugby union, association football and volleyball, to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a profile o ...
: Computer system connected to cameras to track the path of the ball for replay purposes; used with the player challenge system to contest and review designated
line call In sports, a line call occurs when there is doubt as to whether a specific and significant event took place, for example, whether the ball in tennis touched the line rather than landing outside the court. The phrase ''line call'' is more generall ...
s. * Head (or racket head): Portion of the racket that contains the strings. * Heavy (ball): Ball hit with so much topspin that it feels "heavy" when the opposing player strikes it. * Hit and giggle: non-competitive social tennis. * Hitting partner (or sparring partner): specialist employed by a tennis player to practice strokes during training. * Hold (or hold serve): To win the game when serving. Compare ''break''. * Hot Dog: A shot where the player hits the ball between their legs.


I

*
I-formation The I formation is one of the most common offensive formations in American football. The I formation draws its name from the vertical (as viewed from the opposing endzone) alignment of quarterback, fullback, and running back, particularly when ...
: Formation used in doubles where the net player on the serving team crouches roughly at the centre service line; used mainly to counter teams that prefer a crosscourt return. * Inside-in: Running around the backhand side to hit a forehand ''down the line.'' Vice versa for inside in backhand. * Inside-out: Running around the backhand side and hitting a ''crosscourt'' forehand. Vice versa for inside out backhand. * Insurance break: Break that achieves an overall advantage of two breaks of serve. * IPIN: Abbreviation for International Player Identification Number, a registration number required for all professional tennis players and administered by the governing body ITF. * ITF entry: High-ranking ITF players can be awarded a spot into ATP Challenger and ITF women's tournaments main draws based on their ITF ranking. * ITF: Abbreviation for
International Tennis Federation The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the governing body of world tennis, wheelchair tennis, and beach tennis. It was founded in 1913 as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by twelve national tennis associations. As of 2016, there a ...
, the governing body of world tennis. Founded in 1913 as the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF).


J

* Jamming: Serving or returning straight into the opponent's body. * Junior exempt ("JE"): High-ranking junior players can be awarded a spot in the draw of a tournament through the ITF's junior exempt project. * Junk ball: A shot or return stroke in which the ball tends to be slow and possibly also without spin; often introduced unpredictably to upset the flow of the game and the rhythm of the opposition. * Junk baller (or junkballer): Player that hits ''junk balls''; often used in a derogative manner.


K

*
Kick serve A serve (or, more formally, a service) in tennis is a shot to start a point. A player will hit the ball with a racquet so it will fall into the diagonally opposite service box without being stopped by the net. Normally players begin a serve by t ...
: Type of spin serve that bounces high. Introduced in the United States in the late 1880s and called the ''American twist''. * Knock-up: Practice or warm-up session without scoring which usually precedes the start of competitive play.


L

* Lawn tennis: "Regular" tennis, as opposed to
real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...
, the game from which tennis is derived. Reflects the fact that the game was first played on grass. * Let-check: Electronic sensor on the net that assists chair umpires in calling lets by detecting vibration. Typically, it is used only on show courts in professional matches, like electronic review. Players and commentators occasionally complain that such devices are too sensitive, that is, indicate too many
false positive A false positive is an error in binary classification in which a test result incorrectly indicates the presence of a condition (such as a disease when the disease is not present), while a false negative is the opposite error, where the test resul ...
s. * Let: A call that requires the point to be replayed. The umpire indicates this type of let by announcing "Let. First serve", or "Let. Second serve." Lets typically occur when an otherwise-valid serve makes contact with the net before hitting the ground. Theoretically, a player could serve an unlimited number of otherwise-valid let serves, but a serve that touches the net and then lands out of bounds counts as one of the two allowed serves. A let can also be called during play when there is some distraction to either player not caused by the players themselves, such as a ball boy moving behind a receiver, debris flying across the court in windy conditions, or a ball accidentally falling out of a player's pocket or entering from a neighboring court. The call is made by the chair umpire when one is assigned to the match, as in professional matches, or one of the players when there is no chair umpire. When a receiver is legitimately unprepared for a serve, a let is technically the result, even if the word goes unspoken. *
Line call In sports, a line call occurs when there is doubt as to whether a specific and significant event took place, for example, whether the ball in tennis touched the line rather than landing outside the court. The phrase ''line call'' is more generall ...
(or call): Call made by the '' line judge''. A call of 'out' will be made in combination with an outstretched arm pointing sideways if a ball lands outside the court and if the ball is 'in', i.e. lands on or within the outer lines, this is indicated by holding both hands flattened and the arms stretched downwards. * Line judge (or linesman, lineswoman or line umpire): Person designated to observe the passage of tennis balls over the boundary lines of the court. A line judge can declare that a play was inside or outside the play area and cannot be overruled by the players. Line judges must defer to an umpire's decision, even when it contradicts their own observations. * Lingering death tiebreak: Version of the tiebreak played as the best of twelve points, with a two-point advantage needed to clinch the set. * Lob volley: Type of '' volley'' shot aimed at lobbing the ball over the opponent and normally played when the opponent is in the vicinity of the net. *
Lob Lob may refer to: Sports * Lob (pickleball) * Lob (tennis) * Lob (association football), a lofted pass or shot in association football * Lob bowling, an archaic bowling style in cricket People * Lob Brown, American college football player * L ...
: Stroke in which the ball is hit high above the net. If the opposing player or players are up at the net, the intention may be an offensive lob in order to win the point outright. In a defensive lob, the intent is to give the player time to recover and get in position, or, if the opponents are at the net, to force them to chase down the lob. See also '' moonball''. * Long: A call to indicate that the ball has landed out of court, beyond the '' baseline''. * Love game: Shutout game, won without the opponent scoring a single point. * Love hold: Game won by the server without the opponent scoring a single point. * Love: A score of zero (e.g. "15-0" is spoken "fifteen-love"; "to hold to love" means "to win the game when serving with the opponent scoring zero points"; "to break to love" means "to win the game when receiving with the opponent scoring zero points"). Thought to be derived from the French term, ''l'oeuf'', literally ''the egg'', meaning nothing; less popular alternative theory claiming it to be from the Dutch word ''lof doen'', meaning honour. *
Lucky loser A lucky loser is a sports competitor (player or team) who loses a match in a knockout tournament or loses in qualifying, but who then enters the main draw, usually when another competitor withdraws during the tournament because of illness, injury ...
("LL"): Highest-ranked player to lose in the final round of qualifying for a tournament, but still ends up qualifying because of a sudden withdrawal by one of the players already in the main draw. In Grand Slam events, one of the four highest-ranked losers in the final qualifying round is randomly picked as the lucky loser.


M

* Mac-Cam: High-speed video camera used for televised instant replays of close shots landing on/near the baseline. Name derived from
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 beha ...
. *
Masters Cup The ATP Finals is the season-ending championship of the ATP Tour. It is the most significant event in the annual ATP calendar after the four majors as it features the top-eight singles players and top-eight doubles teams based on their results th ...
(or Tennis Masters Cup) Former name of the year-end ATP championship, in which the eight highest-ranked players compete in a round-robin format. See
ATP Finals The ATP Finals is the season-ending championship of the ATP Tour. It is the most significant event in the annual ATP calendar after the four majors as it features the top-eight singles players and top-eight doubles teams based on their results th ...
. * Masters: Colloquial name for a tournament in the
ATP Tour Masters 1000 The ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (previously known as ATP Masters Series) is an annual series of nine tennis tournaments featuring the top-ranked players on the ATP Tour. The series' events have been held in Europe and North America since the ...
category on the
ATP Tour The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organis ...
. * Match: A contest between two players (singles match) or two teams of players (doubles match), normally played as the best of three or five sets. * Match point: Situation in which the player who is leading needs one more point to win the match. Variations of the term are possible; e.g. ''championship point'' is the match point in the final match of a championship or a ''gold medal point'' is the match point in the final match of the Olympics. * Mercedes Super 9: Former name for the nine
ATP Tour Masters 1000 The ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (previously known as ATP Masters Series) is an annual series of nine tennis tournaments featuring the top-ranked players on the ATP Tour. The series' events have been held in Europe and North America since the ...
tournaments. * Match tiebreak: A final set played under a
tiebreak In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests. General operation In matches In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
or super tiebreak format. The match tiebreak is used in ATP and WTA doubles tournaments, as well as the Australian Open, US Open and French Open mixed doubles tournaments. * Mini-break: Point won from the opponent's serve. The term is usually used in a tiebreak, but it can be used during normal service games as well. To be "up a mini-break" means that the player has one more mini-break than the opponent. * Mini-hold: Point won by the server, usually in a tiebreak. * MIPTC: Abbreviation for Men's International Professional Tennis Council, administrative body of the tournaments that composed the
Grand Prix tennis circuit The Grand Prix tennis circuit was a professional tennis tour for male players that existed from 1970 to 1989. The Grand Prix and World Championship Tennis (WCT) were the two predecessors to the current tour for male players, the ATP Tour, with t ...
. Existed from 1974 until the creation of the
ATP Tour The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organis ...
in 1989. * Mis-hit (or mishit): Stroke in which the racket fails to make contact with the ball in the "sweetspot" area of the strings. * Mixed doubles: Match played by four players, two male, two female, one of each sex per side of the court. * Moonball: A type of groundstroke that is hit with a lot of topspin, usually with the forehand, to create a high, slow, floating shot that lands close to the opponent's baseline. See also ''
lob Lob may refer to: Sports * Lob (pickleball) * Lob (tennis) * Lob (association football), a lofted pass or shot in association football * Lob bowling, an archaic bowling style in cricket People * Lob Brown, American college football player * L ...
''. * MOP: Point at 0–30; stands for major opportunity point. * Main draw: See ''
draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to: Common uses * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...
''.


N

* Net cord: See '' dead net cord''. * Net point: Point won or lost on approaching the net, as opposed to a point won or lost by a stroke from the baseline. * Net out: Fault occurred when the ball hits the net and lands outside the court during a serve. * Net posts: Posts on each side of the court which hold up the net. The net posts are placed 3 feet (0.914 m) outside the doubles court on each side, unless a singles net is used, in which case the posts are placed 3 feet (0.914 m) outside the singles court. * Net sticks (or singles sticks): Pair of poles placed on the singles line to support the net during a singles match. * Net: Interlaced fabric, cord, and tape stretched across the entire width of the court; it is held up by the posts. * New balls: A new set of balls replacing an old set, usually after seven or nine games have been played (depending on the point of the match), and requested by the chair umpire calling for "new balls, please." A necessary move since constant strokes cause balls to heat up and lose pressure and velocity, which leads to an alteration of their bounce characteristics. As a courtesy, the player first to serve a new ball will show it to their opponent before serving. * No ad scoring: Game format in which the player who wins the first point after deuce wins the game. The receiver determines whether the server serves to the deuce or ad court. Typically used in matches with time constraints. * No-man's land: Area between the service line and the baseline, where a player is most vulnerable. * Non-endemic products: Products for tennis sponsorship that are not intrinsic to the sport such as watches, cars, jewelry. * Not up: Call given by the umpire when a player plays a ball that has already bounced twice, i.e. the ball was out of play when the player played it. * NTRP rating: National Tennis Rating Program rating; system used in the United States to rank players on a scale from 1 to 7, with 1 being an absolute beginner and 7 a touring pro.


O

*
Official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their ...
: Member of the officiating team: tournament referee, chair umpire, or linesman. * On one's racket: A situation in which a player can win the match, set, or tiebreak by holding serve. This occurs when a player breaks the opponent's serve or achieves a mini break in a tiebreak. * On serve: Situation where both players or teams have the same number of breaks in a set. While on serve, neither player or team can win the set without a break of serve. An advantage set requires at least one break to win. * One-handed backhand (or single-handed backhand, single-hander, one-hander): ''
Backhand The backhand is a shot used in most racket sports, such as tennis and pickleball, where the back of the hand precedes the palm when swinging the racket. Except in the phrase ''backhand volley'', the term refers to a groundstroke (where th ...
'' stroke hit with one hand on the '' grip''. * One-two punch: When a server wins a point in two shots, where the second shot results in a winner or an opponent's forced error due to the positioning of both players after the serve. *
Open Era The racket sport traditionally named lawn tennis, invented in Birmingham, England now commonly known simply as tennis, is the direct descendant of what is now denoted real tennis or royal tennis, which continues to be played today as a separate sp ...
: Period in tennis which began in 1968 when tournaments became open to both amateurs and professional players. * Open stance: Modern technique in which the hitter's body facing is at an angle between parallel to the baseline and facing the opponent. See also '' closed stance''. * OP: Stands for opportunity point; 15–30, an opportunity to potentially break serve. * Order of play ("OOP"): Schedule of matches in a tennis tournament. * Out: An error in which the ball lands outside the playing area. * Overgrip (or overwrap): padded tape spirally wrapped over the handle or grip of the racket to absorb moisture or add gripping assistance. * Overhead: Stroke in which the player hits the ball over their head; if the shot is hit relatively strongly, it is referred to as a smash; smashes are often referred to as simply ''overheads'', although not every overhead shot is a smash. * Overrule: To reverse a call made by a '' line judge'', done by the ''
umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...
''.


P

* Pace: The speed and power of the ball after it is struck by the racket. Pace is used to control the tempo of the game. * Paint the lines: To hit shots that land as close to the lines of the court as possible. * Pass (or passing shot): Type of shot, usually played in the vicinity of thvee baseline, that passes by (not over) the opponent at the net. See also ''
lob Lob may refer to: Sports * Lob (pickleball) * Lob (tennis) * Lob (association football), a lofted pass or shot in association football * Lob bowling, an archaic bowling style in cricket People * Lob Brown, American college football player * L ...
''. * Percentage tennis: Style of play consisting of safe shots with large margins of error. Aimed at keeping the ball in play in anticipation of an opponent's error. * Ping it: To hit an offensive shot and place the ball deep to the corners of the court. * Poaching (noun: poach): In doubles, an aggressive move where the player at the net moves to volley a shot intended for their partner. * Point penalty: ''
Point Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...
'' awarded to a player's opponent following successive '' code violations''. *
Point Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...
: Period of play between the first successful service of a ball and the point at which that ball goes out of play. It is the smallest unit of ''
scoring Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...
'' in tennis. * Pre-qualifying: Tournament in which the winner(s) earn a wild card into a tournament's qualifying draw. * Pressureless ball: Special type of tennis ball that does not have a core of pressurized air as standard balls do, but rather has a core made of solid rubber, or a core filled tightly with micro-particles. Quality pressureless balls are approved for top-pro play generally, but pressureless balls are typically used mostly at high altitudes, where standard balls would be greatly affected by the difference between the high pressure in the ball and the thin air. * protected ranking ("PR") or special ranking ("SR") : Players injured for a minimum of six months can ask for a protected ranking, which is based on their average ranking during the first three months of their injury. The player can use their protected ranking to enter tournaments' main draws or qualifying competitions when coming back from injury (or some occurrences such as
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
frozen ranking concerns in 2020–21). It is also used in the WTA for players returning from
pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...
leave. * Pull the trigger: To hit a powerful offensive shot, particularly after patiently waiting for the right opportunity to arise during a ''
rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sport ...
''. * Pulp: 30–30, not quite ''
deuce Deuce, Deuces, or The Deuce may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Deuce, in the ''Danger Girl'' comic book series * Deuce, a character in ''Shake It Up'' * Deuce, in the ''Wild Cards'' science fiction universe * Deuce Biga ...
'' (a pun on the
homophone A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...
"juice"). * Pusher: Player who does not try to hit winners, but only to return the ball safely; often used in a derogative manner. * Putaway: Offensive shot to try to end the point with no hope of a return.


Q

* Qualies: Short for ''qualification rounds'' or similar. * Qualification round: Final round of play in a pre-tournament qualification competition, also known as ''qualies''. * Qualifier ("Q"): Player who reaches the tournament's main draw by competing in a pre-tournament qualifying competition instead of automatically qualified by virtue of their world ranking, being a wild card, or other exemption. * Qualifying draw: See ''
draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to: Common uses * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...
''.


R

* Racket (or racquet): Bat with a long handle and a large looped frame with a string mesh tautly stretched across it, the frame made of wood, metal, graphite, composite, or some other synthetic material, used by a tennis player to hit the tennis ball during a game of tennis. * Racket abuse (racquet abuse): When a player slams their racket into the ground or net in frustration. Can result in a warning from the umpire or docking of points. *
Rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sport ...
: Following the service of a tennis ball, a series of return hits of the ball that ends when one or other player fails to return the ball within the court boundary or fails to return a ball that falls within the play area. * Rankings: A hierarchical listing of players based on their recent achievements. Used to determine qualification for entry and seeding in tournaments. * Rating: A system used by national tennis organizations to group players of comparable skills. The rating of players is dependent on their match record. *
Real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...
(also royal tennis or court tennis): An indoor racket sport which was the predecessor of the modern game of (lawn) tennis. The term ''real'' is used as a
retronym A retronym is a newer name for an existing thing that helps differentiate the original form/version from a more recent one. It is thus a word or phrase created to avoid confusion between older and newer types, whereas previously (before there were ...
to distinguish the ancient game from the modern game of lawn tennis. Known also as ''court tennis'' in the United States or ''royal tennis'' in Australia. * Receiver: Player who is receiving the '' service'' of the opponent. *
Referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...
: Person in charge of enforcing the rules in a tournament, as opposed to a tennis match. See also ''
umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...
''. * Reflex volley: Volley in which the player has no time to plan the shot, and instead reacts instinctively to get the racket in position to return the ball. This occurs frequently in doubles and in advanced singles. * Registered player: A designation used during the beginning of the Open Era to identify a category of amateur tennis players who were allowed to compete for prize money but stayed under the control of their national associations. * Retirement ("ret."): Player's withdrawal during a match, causing the player to forfeit the tournament. Usually this happens due to injury. For a pre-match withdrawal, see ''
walkover John_Carpenter_was_disqualified,_prompting_his_teammates_John_Taylor_(athlete).html" ;"title="John_Carpenter_(athlete).html" "title="Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres">men's 400 metres running in a walkover. Americ ...
''. * Retriever: Defensive '' baseliner'' who relies on returning the ball rather than scoring direct winners. See
tennis strategy Players use different strategies while playing tennis to enhance their own strengths and exploit their opponent's weaknesses in order to gain the advantage and win more points. Players typically specialize or naturally play in a certain way, bas ...
. * Return: Stroke made by the receiver of a '' service''. * Return ace: Shot in which the opponent serves, the receiver returns the serve, and the opponent does not hit the ball. * Rising shot: Shot in which the ball is hit before it reaches its apex; also ''hitting on the rise''. * Round of 16: Round of a tournament prior to the quarterfinals in which there are 16 players remaining, corresponds to the fourth round of 128-draw tournament, the third round of a 64-draw, and second round of a 32-draw tournament. * Round robin ("RR"): Tournament format in which players are organised into groups of three or four players and compete against all other members of the group. Players are then ranked according to number of matches, sets, and games won and head-to-head records. The top one, two, or four players then qualify for the next stage of the tournament. * Rubber: Individual match, singles or doubles, within a
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
or
Billie Jean King Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
'' tie''. * Run around the ball: To quickly move laterally on the court during a rally so as to be able to hit a '' forehand'' instead of a ''
backhand The backhand is a shot used in most racket sports, such as tennis and pickleball, where the back of the hand precedes the palm when swinging the racket. Except in the phrase ''backhand volley'', the term refers to a groundstroke (where th ...
'', or vice versa.


S

* Satellite: Intermediate junior level of play, equivalent of Level 6. *
Scoring Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...
: Method of tracking progress of a match. A match consists of ''points'', ''game'' and ''sets''. * Scratch: Withdrawal from a match due to an injury. * Second serve (or second service): Second and final of the two serve attempts a player is allowed at the beginning of a point, not counting net cord let serves that would otherwise be good. * Second snap: a tennis ball struck for top spin against lubricated or co-poly strings will get extra rotation on the ball from the mains popping back in position before the ball leaves contact with the racket. * Seed (or seeding): Player whose position in a tournament has been arranged based on their ranking so as not to meet other ranking players in the early rounds of play. Named for the similarity to scattering seeds widely over the ground to plant them. For a given tournament there is a specified number of seeds, depending on the size of the draw. For ATP tournaments, typically one out of four players are seeds. For example, a 32-draw
ATP Tour 250 The ATP 250 tournaments (previously known as the ''ATP World Tour 250'' tournaments, ''ATP International Series'', and ''ATP World Series'') are the lowest tier of annual men's tennis tournaments on the main ATP Tour, after the four Grand Slam tou ...
tournament would have eight seeds. The seeds are chosen and ranked by the tournament organizers and are selected because they are the players with the highest ranking who also, in the estimation of the organizers, have the best chance of winning the tournament. Seed ranking is sometimes controversial, because it does not always match the players' current ATP ranking. *
Serve and volley Serve-and-volley is a style of play in tennis where the player serving moves quickly towards the net after hitting a serve (tennis), serve, to attempt to hit a volley (tennis), volley afterwards. In the serve-and-volley playstyle, the server attem ...
: Method of play to serve and immediately move forward to the net to make a volley with the intent to hit a winner and end the point. * Serve-and-volleyer: Player that plays ''serves-and-volleys'' frequently or for all of their service points. * Serve out: To win a set (and possibly therefore, the match) by holding serve. * Serve (verb and noun. Also service, noun): The starting stroke of each point. The ball must be hit into the opponent's ''service box'', specifically the box's half that is diagonally opposite the server. * Service box (or service court): Rectangular area of the court, marked by the sidelines and the service lines, that a serve is supposed to land in. * Service game: With regard to a player, the game in which the player is serving (e.g. "Player A won a love service game" means that Player A has won a game where (s)he was serving without the opponent scoring). * Service line: A line that runs parallel to the net at a distance of 21 ft (6.4m) and forms part of the demarcation of the ''service box''. * Set point: Situation in which the player who is leading needs one more point to win a set. If the player is serving in such a situation, (s)he is said to be "serving for the set". * Set: A unit of scoring. A set consists of games and the first player to win six games with a two-game advantage wins the set. In most tournaments a ''
tiebreak In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests. General operation In matches In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
'' is used at six games all to decide the outcome of a set. * Shallow: Not ''
deep Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...
'' into the court; not close to the '' baseline'' (of a struck ball). * Shamateurism: Amalgamation of 'sham' and 'amateurism', derogatory term for a custom that widely existed before the open era where an amateur player would receive financial remuneration to participate in a tournament in violation of amateur laws. * Shank: Significantly misdirected shot, the result of hitting the ball in an unintentional manner, typically with the frame of the racket. Such shots typically land outside the court, however, it is possible to hit a shank that lands validly in the court. * Shot clock: A publicly displayed clock which is used in between points to ensure that a player serves within 25 seconds. First used in
Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...
s at the
Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
in 2018. * Single-handed backhand (or single-hander): See '' one-handed backhand''. * Singles net: A ''
net Net or net may refer to: Mathematics and physics * Net (mathematics), a filter-like topological generalization of a sequence * Net, a linear system of divisors of dimension 2 * Net (polyhedron), an arrangement of polygons that can be folded up ...
'' used for playing ''singles''; shorter than a '' doubles net''. * Singles sticks (or net sticks): Pair of poles which are placed underneath the net near the singles sideline for the purpose of raising it for singles play. *
Singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
: Match played by two players, one on each side of the court. A singles court is narrower than a doubles court and is bounded by the inner sidelines and the baseline. * Sitter: Shot which is hit with very little pace and no spin, which bounces high after landing, thus being an easy shot to ''put away''. * Skyhook: '' Overhead shot'' hit behind the body. * Sledgehammer: Colloquial term for a two-handed backhand winner down the line. * Slice: Shot with underspin (backspin), or a serve with sidespin. Groundstrokes hit with slice tend to have a flat trajectory and a low bounce. * Smash: Strongly hit '' overhead'', typically executed when the player who hits the shot is very close to the net and can therefore hit the ball nearly vertically, often so that it bounces into the stands, making it unreturnable. * Spank: To hit a groundstroke flat with a lot of pace. * Sparring partner: see '' hitting partner.'' * Special exempt ("SE"): Players who are unable to appear in a tournament's qualifying draw because they are still competing in the final rounds of a previous tournament can be awarded a spot in the main draw by special exempt. * Special ranking ("SR"): See ''
protected ranking This page is a glossary of tennis terminology. A * Ace: Serve where the tennis ball lands inside the '' service box'' and is not touched by the receiver; thus, a shot that is both a serve and a winner is an ace. Aces are usually powerful and ge ...
''. * Spin: Rotation of the ball as it moves through the air, affecting its trajectory and bounce. See ''
backspin In racquet sports and golf, backspin or underspin refers to the reverse rotation of a ball, in relation to the ball's trajectory, that is imparted on the ball by a slice or chop shot. Backspin generates an upward force that lifts the ball (see M ...
'', ''
topspin In ball sports, topspin or overspin is a property of a ball that rotates forwards as it is moving. Topspin on a ball propelled through the air imparts a downward force that causes the ball to drop, due to its interaction with the air (see Magnu ...
'', and '' underspin''. * Split step: a footwork technique in which a player does a small bounce on both feet, just as the opponent hits the ball. This lets the player go more quickly in either direction. * Spot serving/spot server: Serving with precision, resulting in the ball landing either on or near the intersection of the center service line and service line or singles tramline and service line. * Squash shot: Forehand or backhand shot typically hit on the run from a defensive position, either with slice, or from behind the player's stance. * Stance: The way a player stands when hitting the ball. * Stick volley: Volley hit crisply, resulting in shot with a sharp downward trajectory. * Stiffness (or racket stiffness): The resistance of the racket to bending upon impact with the ball. * Stop volley: A softly-hit volley which absorbs almost all the power of the shot resulting in the ball dropping just over the net. * Stopper: Player who will not win or go deep in a tournament but is good enough to stop a top seed from advancing. * Straight sets: Situation in which the winner of a match does not lose a ''
set Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...
''. A ''straight set'' may also mean a set which is won by a score of 6-something; i.e. is won at the first opportunity and does not reach five games all. * Stringbed: Grid of ''
strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
'' within the frame of the '' racket''. * String saver: Tiny piece of plastic that is sometimes inserted where the strings cross, to prevent the strings from abrading each other and prematurely breaking. *
Strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
: Material woven through the face of the racket. The strings are where contact with the ball is supposed to be made. * Stroke: Striking of the ball. * Sudden death tiebreak: Version of a ''
tiebreak In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests. General operation In matches In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
'' played as the best of nine points, with the last being a deciding point to clinch the set. Introduced in 1965 by Jimmy Van Alen as a component of the '' VASSS''. * Super tiebreak (or Champions tiebreak): A ''
tiebreak In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests. General operation In matches In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
'' variation played with a first to ten points format instead of seven; usually used in '' doubles'' to decide a match instead of playing a third set. * Supercoach: A tennis coach who has had a successful professional career. * Sweetspot: Central area of the racket head which is the best location, in terms of control and power, for making contact with the ball. * Swing volley: See ''
drive volley 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 ba ...
''.


T

* Tanking (noun: tank): Colloquial term for losing a match on purpose; or to purposely lose a non-vital set, so as to focus energy and attention on a match-deciding set. It may result in a temporary ban such as that encountered by Nick Kyrgios at the 2016 and 2017
Shanghai Open The Shanghai Masters ( zh, , s=上海大师赛, also known as Shanghai Rolex Masters for sponsorship reasons) is a professional men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, and held annually in early October at the Qizhong Forest Sport ...
. * Tape it: To play a shot that hits the tape at the top of the net. *
Tennis ball A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in organised competitions, but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous felt which modifies their aerodyna ...
: Soft, hollow, air-filled rubber ball coated in a synthetic fur, used in the game of tennis. The ITF specifies that a tennis ball must have a diameter of 6.54–6.86 cm (2.57–2.70 in) and a weight of 56.0–59.4g. Yellow and white are the only approved colors at tournament level. * Tennis bubble: Indoor tennis facility consisting of a domed structure which is supported by air pressure generated by blowers inside the structure. * Tennis dad: Father of a tennis player, often used in reference to a parent actively participating in the player's tennis development and/or career. *
Tennis elbow Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis or enthesopathy of the extensor carpi radialis origin, is a condition in which the outer part of the elbow becomes painful and tender. The pain may also extend into the back of the forearm. Onse ...
: Common injury in beginner to intermediate tennis players, possibly due to improper technique or a racket which transmits excessive vibration to the arm. * Tennis Hall of Fame: The
International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indo ...
located in
Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
, United States. It was established in 1954 and hosts an annual tournament around the induction ceremony. * The vineyard of tennis:
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
as characterized by tennis commentator and historian
Bud Collins Arthur Worth "Bud" Collins Jr. (June 17, 1929 – March 4, 2016) was an American journalist and television sportscaster, best known for his tennis commentary. Collins was married to photographer Anita Ruthling Klaussen. Education Collins was b ...
. *
Tiebreak In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests. General operation In matches In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
: Special game played when the score is 6–6 in a set to decide the winner of the set; the winner is the first to reach at least seven points with a difference of two points over the opponent. * Tie: Synonymous with ''
match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
'', but used for team competitions such as the
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
and
Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
. *
Topspin In ball sports, topspin or overspin is a property of a ball that rotates forwards as it is moving. Topspin on a ball propelled through the air imparts a downward force that causes the ball to drop, due to its interaction with the air (see Magnu ...
: Spin of a ball where the top of the ball rotates toward the direction of travel; the spin goes forward over the top of the ball, causing the ball to dip and bounce at a higher angle to the court. * Toss: At the beginning of a match, the winner of a coin toss chooses who serves first. In amateur tennis the toss is often performed by spinning the racket. * Touch: Occurs when a player touches any part of the net when the ball is still in play, losing the point. * Tramline: Line defining the limit of play on the side of a singles or doubles court. * Trampolining: Effect which occurs when striking a ball flat with a racket that is strung at a very loose tension. Trampolining results in a shot that has a very high velocity. * Two ball pass: Passing an opponent that has come to the net with a first shot that causes them trouble on the volley followed up by hitting the second ball by them. * Triple bagel: Colloquial term for three sets won to ''
love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
''. See ''
bagel A bagel ( yi, בײגל, translit=beygl; pl, bajgiel; also spelled beigel) is a bread roll originating in the Jewish communities of Poland. It is traditionally shaped by hand into a roughly hand-sized ring from yeasted wheat dough that is first ...
''. *
Triple crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...
: Winning the championship in all three tennis disciplines (singles, doubles and mixed doubles) at one event, especially a Grand Slam tournament. * T (the T): The spot on a
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 u ...
where the center line and the service line intersect perpendicularly to form a "T" shape. * Tube: (Colloquial term) to deliberately and successfully hit the ball at the opponent's body; e.g. "he tubed his opponent." * Tweener (also called tweeny, tweenie, hot dog, Gran Willy or Sabatweenie — the last two being named after
Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Vilas (; born 17 August 1952) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. Vilas was the No. 1 of the Grand Prix seasons in 1974, 1975 and 1977, and won four Grand Slam tournaments, one year-end Masters, nine Grand Prix Super Se ...
and
Gabriela Sabatini Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini (; born 16 May 1970) is an Argentine-Italian former professional tennis player. A former world No. 3 in both singles and doubles, Sabatini was one of the leading players from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, amassing 41 ...
respectively, who pioneered the shot in the 1970s and 80s): A difficult trick shot in which a player hits the ball between their legs. It is usually performed when chasing down a ''
lob Lob may refer to: Sports * Lob (pickleball) * Lob (tennis) * Lob (association football), a lofted pass or shot in association football * Lob bowling, an archaic bowling style in cricket People * Lob Brown, American college football player * L ...
'' with the player's back to the net. Forward-facing tweeners are also sometimes employed, and have been dubbed "front tweeners". *
Tweener racket A racket, or racquet, is a sports implement used for striking a ball or shuttlecock in games such as squash, tennis, racquetball, badminton and padel. In the strictest sense a racket consists of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a ...
: a tennis racket of mid-weight, mid-head size and mid-stiffness, often used as a transitional racket for young professionals. * Twist serve (or American twist serve): Serve hit with a combination of slice and topspin which results in a curving trajectory and high bounce in the opposite direction of the ball's flight trajectory. See also ''
kick serve A serve (or, more formally, a service) in tennis is a shot to start a point. A player will hit the ball with a racquet so it will fall into the diagonally opposite service box without being stopped by the net. Normally players begin a serve by t ...
''. * Two-handed backhand (or double-handed backhand, double-hander, two-hander): ''
Backhand The backhand is a shot used in most racket sports, such as tennis and pickleball, where the back of the hand precedes the palm when swinging the racket. Except in the phrase ''backhand volley'', the term refers to a groundstroke (where th ...
'' stroke hit with both hands on the '' grip''.


U

*
Umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...
(or chair umpire): Person designated to enforce the rules of the game during play, usually sitting on a high chair beside the net. * Underhand serve (or underarm serve): A serve in which the player lobs the ball from below shoulder level. * Underspin (or backspin or undercut): Spin of a ball where the top of the ball rotates away from the direction of travel; the spin is underneath the ball, causing the ball to float and to bounce at a lower angle to the court. * Unforced error: Error in a service or return shot that cannot be attributed to any factor other than poor judgement and execution by the player; contrasted with a '' forced error''. * Unseeded player: Player who is not a ''
seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
'' in a tournament. * Upset: The defeat of a high-ranked player by a lower-ranked player.


V

* Vantage: Archaic term for '' advantage''. * VASSS: Abbreviation for Van Alen Streamlined Scoring System, an alternative scoring method developed by James Van Alen aimed at avoiding very long matches that can arise under the traditional advantage scoring system. The only element of the VASSS to be adopted by tennis authorities was the ''
tiebreak In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests. General operation In matches In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
''. * Volley: A shot hit, usually in the vicinity of the net, by a player before the ball bounces on their own side of the court.


W

*
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("WO" or "w/o"): Unopposed victory. A
walkover John_Carpenter_was_disqualified,_prompting_his_teammates_John_Taylor_(athlete).html" ;"title="John_Carpenter_(athlete).html" "title="Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres">men's 400 metres running in a walkover. Americ ...
is awarded when the opponent fails to start the match for any reason, such as injury. For a mid-match withdrawal, see ''
retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
''. * Western grip: Type of '' grip'' used if a player wants to generate a lot of topspin on the groundstrokes, is created by placing the index knuckle on bevel 5 of the grip. * Whiff: A stroke in which the player misses the ball completely. Whiffing a serve is considered a fault in an official match. * Wide: A call to indicate that the ball has landed out of court, beyond the sideline. * Wild card ("WC"): Player allowed to play in a tournament, even if their rank is not adequate or they do not register in time. Typically a few places in the draw are reserved for wild cards, which may be for local players who do not gain direct acceptance or for players who are just outside the ranking required to gain direct acceptance. Wild cards may also be given to players whose ranking has dropped due to a long-term injury. * Winner: A shot that is not reached by the opponent and wins the point; sometimes also a serve that is reached but not returned into the court. * Wood shot: See '' frame shot''. * WCT: Abbreviation for
World Championship Tennis World Championship Tennis (WCT) was a tour for professional male tennis players established in 1968 (the first players signed a contract at the end of 1967) and lasted until the emergence of the ATP Tour in 1990. A number of tennis tournaments aro ...
, a tour for professional male tennis players established in 1968 which lasted until the emergence of the
ATP Tour The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organis ...
in 1990. * Wrong-foot (or wrong foot, wrongfoot): To hit the ball in the opposite horizontal direction to that expected by the opponent, causing them to switch direction suddenly. *
WTA Finals The WTA Finals (formerly known as the WTA Tour Championships or WTA Championships) is a tournament of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) played annually at the end of the season. The event is uniquely reserved for players at the top of the WTA ...
: The annual season-ending tournament of the
WTA Tour The WTA Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for women organized by the Women's Tennis Association. The second-tier tour is the WTA 125K series, and third-tier is the ITF Women's Circuit. The men's equivalent is the ATP Tour. WTA Tour tourna ...
featuring the eight top-ranked women in the world (plus two '' alternates''). *
WTA Tour The WTA Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for women organized by the Women's Tennis Association. The second-tier tour is the WTA 125K series, and third-tier is the ITF Women's Circuit. The men's equivalent is the ATP Tour. WTA Tour tourna ...
: Worldwide top-tier tennis tour for women organized by the
Women's Tennis Association The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women and was founded to create a better future for women's tenni ...
. * WTA: Abbreviation for
Women's Tennis Association The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women and was founded to create a better future for women's tenni ...
, the main organizing body of women's professional tennis; governs the
WTA Tour The WTA Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for women organized by the Women's Tennis Association. The second-tier tour is the WTA 125K series, and third-tier is the ITF Women's Circuit. The men's equivalent is the ATP Tour. WTA Tour tourna ...
with the largest tournaments for women.


Y

* Yo-yo: Situation in which a player scores by hitting the ball in backspin in such a way that the ball touches the opponent's court first and returns back to the player side after the first bounce.


Z

* Zero pointer: Ranking points received by skipping selected professional tennis tour events which a top ranked player is committed to participate in (mandatory tournaments). Therefore, the player risks getting no points added to their ranking even when participating in an alternative tournament in place of the mandatory event.


See also

*
Tennis shots In tennis, there are a variety of types of shots (ways of hitting the ball) which can be categorized in various ways. The grip you place on will help you have different types of shots, the lower your grip means that the ball is most likely going to ...


References

;Sources * * * * *


External links


Glossary of tennis terms at britishtennis.comGlossary of tennis terms at Tennis Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glossary Of Tennis
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 ...