Outline of tennis

For an alphabetical glossary of tennis terms, see glossary of tennis.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to tennis:

Tennis – sport usually played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a specialized racquet that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court.

Nature of tennis

Main article: Tennis

Tennis can be described as all of the following:

• Exercise – any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health or wellness.
  • Aerobic exercise – physical exercise that intends to improve the oxygen system.^[1] Aerobic means "with oxygen", and refers to the use of oxygen in the body's energy-generating process (the citric acid cycle).
• Game – structured activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more concerned with the expression of ideas. However, the distinction is not clear-cut, and many games are also considered to be work (such as professional sports).
  • Ball game – a game played with a ball. There are many kinds of ball games, racquet-and-ball games being just one category of them.
• Sport
  • Racquet sport – a sport in which players use racquets (or rackets) to hit a ball or other object.
  • One-on-one sport
  • Team sport
  • Recreational sport
  • Spectator sport
  • Professional sport

Types of tennis

Types of tennis matches

Main article: Types of tennis match

• Standard matches – are played in official tournaments and during casual play.
  • Singles – two players compete, usually two men or two women, although games between a man and a woman may be played on an informal basis. Singles matches do not include the part of the tennis court called the alley.
  • Doubles – two teams of two players each, most often all-male or all-female. The two players on the receiving side change positions after each point played: one at the net and the other near the baseline preparing to return serve. The full court is used in doubles matches, that is, the area in the alley is included.
  • Mixed doubles – same as doubles, but with one man and one woman on each team.
• Other informal matches
  • Canadian doubles – two players play against one player, where the duo can only hit the ball within the single player's singles lines. Often used for training, or when the single player is much better than the other two.

Types of tennis games

Main article: Tennis games

Besides standard tennis, other forms of tennis include:

Games to practice skills for singles matches

• One Ball Live – eight players, with two on a side at a time, with two balls active initially.
• Tag Team Singles
• King of the Court
• Champs and Chumps
• On-Off Singles

Games to practice skills for doubles matches

• Team Doubles –
• All Position Doubles –
• King of the Court Doubles –
• Rush N' Crush –
• Triples –
• Monkey in the Middle –
• Deep Desperation –
• Wipe Out –
• Around the World –
• Touch the Curtain –

Equipment used in the game

Main article: Tennis technology

• Tennis ball – hollow rubber ball approximately 6.7 cm (2.7 in.) in diameter, covered in bright green-yellow fibrous fluffy felt. For recreational play tennis balls can be any color.
• Tennis racquet –
• Tennis court –
  • There are four types of tennis court:
    1. Clay court –
    2. Grass court –
    3. Hard court –
    4. Carpet court –
  • The parts of a tennis court include:
    • Ad court – short for "advantage court", it is the left side of the receiving team, or the right side of the opponent's court as viewed from the server's side, significant as the receiving side for an ad point.
    • Alley (Tramlines) – zone between the singles court and the doubles court. There are two alleys, one on the Ad side and one on the Deuce side. These are only used when playing doubles.
    • Back court – area between the baseline and the service line, also called no man's land. It is not recommended to stand in this area because this is where balls usually bounce.
    • Baseline – line marking the end of the court, at the back of the back court and the alleys.
    • Center line – line dividing the two service boxes in the center of the court.
    • Center mark – 12-inch mark at the halfway point of the baseline used to distinguish the right and left halves of a tennis court.
    • Deuce court – right side of the receiving team, the left side of the opponent's court as viewed from the server's side, significant as the receiving side for a deuce point.
    • Middle T – See T.
    • Net –
    • Service box – area bordered by the net, the singles sideline, the service line, and the center line. There are a left and a right service box on each side of the court, separated by the center line.
    • Service line – line located between the net and the baseline, parallel to the net, marking the end of the service boxes.
    • Side T – T-shape formed by the service line and the sideline. There are two such side Ts.
    • T or Middle T – T-shape formed by the service line and the center line.
• Accessories often used in tennis:
  • Athletic shoe –
  • Wristband –

Rules of tennis

• Match – To win a match in tennis, a player or a doubles team must win the majority of prescribed sets. A match consists of best of three sets or, only on the men's side, the best of five in grand slams and Davis Cup play. Doubles matches are usually the best of three sets, with the third set being played in a match tie break form.
  • Sets – a maximum of 12 games, unless a player or team reach 6 or 7 games and are clear by two. If the set gets to 6-all then a tie breaker is played
    • Games – which are the first to four points and clear by two, and a maximum of 12 games make up a set.
      • Tie break – In regular play if the scores reach 6 all then a tie break is played. It is played to the first to seven points and must be won by at least two points. If not then play continues until one player is two points ahead.
        • Points – Points are a passages of play which players win points to make a game. The scoring is based on a clock face. The scoring is fifteen, thirty, forty five (although this was shortened to forty to make it easier for the umpire) and game. However if the players are tied at 40-all, otherwise known as deuce, then a player must win two points consecutively from deuce to win the game.

Game play

Tennis moves

Tennis shots

Main article: Tennis shots

There are eight basic shots in the game of tennis:

1. Serve – a shot to start a point. A player begins a serve by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it (usually near the highest point of the toss) into the diagonally opposite service box without being stopped by the net.
   • Ace – a legal serve that is not touched by the receiver. Aces are usually powerful and generally land on or near one of the corners at the back of the service box.
2. Forehand – shot made by swinging the racquet across one's body in the direction of where the player wants to place the shot. It is considered the easiest shot to master, perhaps because it is the most natural stroke.
3. Backhand – shot in which one swings the racquet around one's body in the direction where one wants the ball to go, usually performed from the baseline or as an approach shot. The backhand can be a one-handed or two-handed stroke.
4. Volley –
5. Half volley – (pick-up ball)
6. Overhead smash –
7. Drop shot –
8. Lob –

Strategy and styles of play

Main article: Tennis strategy

Players are often described by their style of play:

• Offensive baseliner –
• Defensive baseliner –
• Serve-and-volleyer –
• All-court player –

Doubles strategies include:

• Both-up strategy –
• Up-and-back strategy –
• Both-back strategy –

History of tennis

Main article: History of tennis

Most historians believe that tennis originated in France in the 12th century, but the ball was then struck with the palm of the hand. It was not until the 16th century that rackets came into use, and the game began to be called "tennis." It was popular in England and France, although the game was only played indoors where the ball could be hit off the wall. Henry VIII of England was a big fan of this game, which historians now refer to as real tennis.[1]

Harry Gem and his friend Augurio Perera developed a game that combined elements of rackets and the Basque ball game pelota, which they played on Perera's croquet lawn in Birmingham, United Kingdom.[2][3] In 1872, along with two local doctors, they founded the world's first tennis club in Leamington Spa.[4]

In December 1873, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield designed and patented a similar game—which he called sphairistike (Greek: σφάίρίστική, from ancient Greek meaning "skill at playing at ball"), and was soon known simply as "sticky"—for the amusement of his guests at a garden party on his estate of Nantclwyd, in Llanelidan, Wales.[5] He likely based his game on the evolving sport of outdoor tennis including real tennis. According to some tennis historians, modern tennis terminology also derives from this period, as Wingfield borrowed both the name and much of the French vocabulary of real tennis and applied them to his new game.[citation needed]

The first championships at Wimbledon in London were played in 1877.[6] The first Championships culminated a significant debate on how to standardize the rules.

In America in 1874 Mary Ewing Outerbridge, a young socialite, returned from Bermuda where she met Major Wingfield. She laid out a tennis court at the Staten Island Cricket Club in New Brighton Staten Island, New York. The exact location of the club was under what is now the Staten Island Ferry terminal. The first American National tournament in 1880 was played there. An Englishman named O.E Woodhouse won the singles match. There was also a doubles match which was won by a local pair. There were different rules at each club. The ball in Boston was larger than the one normally used in NY. On May 21, 1881, the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (now the United States Tennis Association) was formed to standardize the rules and organize competitions.[7] The U.S. National Men's Singles Championship, now the US Open, was first held in 1881 at Newport, Rhode Island.[8] The U.S. National Women's Singles Championships were first held in 1887.[9] Tennis was also popular in France, where the French Open dates to 1891.[10] Thus, Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open, and the Australian Open (dating to 1905) became and have remained the most prestigious events in tennis.[6][11] Together these four events are called the Majors or Slams (a term borrowed from bridge rather than baseball).[12]

The comprehensive rules promulgated in 1924 by the International Lawn Tennis Federation, now known as the International Tennis Federation, have remained remarkably stable in the ensuing eighty years, the one major change being the addition of the tie-break system designed by James Van Alen.[13] That same year, tennis withdrew from the Olympics after the 1924 Games but returned 60 years later as a 21-and-under demonstration event in 1984. This reinstatement was credited by the efforts by the then ITF President Philippe Chatrier, ITF General Secretary David Gray and ITF Vice President Pablo Llorens, and support from IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. The success of the event was overwhelming and the IOC decided to reintroduce tennis as a full medal sport at Seoul in 1988.

The Davis Cup, an annual competition between men's national teams, dates to 1900.[14] The analogous competition for women's national teams, the Fed Cup, was founded as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the ITF also known as International Tennis Federation.[15]

In 1926, promoter C.C. Pyle established the first professional tennis tour with a group of American and French tennis players playing exhibition matches to paying audiences.[11][16] The most notable of these early professionals were the American Vinnie Richards and the Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen.[11][17] Once a player turned pro he or she could not compete in the major (amateur) tournaments.[11]

In 1968, commercial pressures and rumors of some amateurs taking money under the table led to the abandonment of this distinction, inaugurating the open era, in which all players could compete in all tournaments, and top players were able to make their living from tennis.[18] With the beginning of the open era, the establishment of an international professional tennis circuit, and revenues from the sale of television rights, tennis's popularity has spread worldwide, and the sport has shed its upper/middle-class English-speaking image[19] (although it is acknowledged that this stereotype still exists).[19][20][21]

Governing Bodies

International

• Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) – principal organizing body to protect men's professional tennis.
• Women's Tennis Association (WTA) – principal organizing body to protect women's professional tennis.
• International Tennis Federation (ITF) – principal organizing body to protect professional tennis.
• Tennis Europe – organizing body to protect European professional tennis.

National

• Tennis Australia – principal organizing body to protect Australian tennis.
• Confederação Brasileira de Tênis (CBT) –
• Tennis Canada –
• Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) –
• Croatian Tennis Association, (CTA) –
• Cyprus Tennis Federation –
• Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) – principal organizing body to protect French tennis.
• Deutscher Tennis Bund (DTB) –
• All India Tennis Association (AITA) –
• Tennis Ireland – principal organizing body to protect Ireland tennis.
• Israel Tennis Association (ITA) –
• Lithuanian Tennis Association (LTS) –
• Luxembourg Tennis Federation (FLT) –
• Tennis Federation of Montenegro (TSCG) –
• Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) – principal organizing body to protect British tennis.
• United States Tennis Association (USTA) – principal organizing body to protect American tennis.

Regional

• Tennis Wales –
• USTA South Carolina –

Tournaments

Grand Slam

Main article: Grand slam

The Grand Slams, the four major tournaments in tennis,^[2] are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are:

1. Australian Open –
2. French Open – the youngest of the Grand Slam tournaments
3. Wimbledon – the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world,^[3][4][5][6] held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877.
4. US Open –

Persons influential in the sport

Famous tennis players

• List of male tennis players
• List of female tennis players

By championship

• List of Australian Open champions
• List of French Open champions
• List of Wimbledon champions
• List of U.S. Open champions

Famous tennis coaches

See also

Tennis portal

• Table tennis

References

1. ^ Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Eleventh Edition)
2. ^ Fox Sports. "[1]"
3. ^ Clarey, Christopher (7 May 2008). "Traditional Final: It's Nadal and Federer". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/sports/tennis/05wimbledon.html?ref=tennis. Retrieved 17 July 2008. "Federer said[:] 'I love playing him, especially here at Wimbledon, the most prestigious tournament we have.'" 
4. ^ Will Kaufman & Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson, ed (2005). "Tennis". Britain And The Americas. 1 : Culture, Politics, and History. ABC-CLIO. pp. 958. ISBN 1851094318. "this first tennis championship, which later evolved into the Wimbledon Tournament ... continues as the world's most prestigious event." 
5. ^ "Wimbledon's reputation and why it is considered the most prestigious". Iloveindia.com. http://www.iloveindia.com/sports/wimbledon/index.html. Retrieved 14 September 2010. 
6. ^ "Djokovic describes Wimbledon as "the most prestigious event"". BBC News. 26 June 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/8121289.stm. Retrieved 14 September 2010. 

External links

• International Tennis Federation site
• ATP Tennis: Men's Professional Tennis
• Sony Ericsson WTA Tour:Women's Professional Tennis
• USTA: United States Tennis Association
• Tennis Grand Slam tournaments history