Tomas Berdych.net
a.k.a. The Birdman
Tennis Glossary
-A-
Ace
A serve
that the opponent cannot return; as a verb, to serve an ace.
Ad
Short for
advantage; see entries beginning with that word, below.
Advantage
The player
who scores the first point after deuce is said to have the advantage, since
winning the next point will also win the game.
Advantage court
The left
service court, where the receiver takes service when either player has the
advantage.
Advantage in
Indicates
that the server has the advantage; also "ad in"
Advantage out
Indicates
that the receiver has the advantage; also "ad out"
All
Used in
scoring to indicate a tie, as in "40-all."
Alley
One of the
areas outside the singles court that come into play in doubles. The alleys are 4
½ feet wide.
American twist
A serve
that has spin causing it to bounce high and to receiver's left, off a
right-handed player's racket. Opposite of reverse twist.
Approach shot
A shot hit
hard and deep to allow the player to take the net.
Attack the net
See take
the net.
-B-
Backboard
A wall,
usually of wood, that's used for practice. It's often marked with a line at the
height of the net.
Back court
The area of
the court from the baseline to the service line.
Backhand
A shot hit
from the "wrong" side of the body, i.e., the side away from the racket; the left
side for a right-handed player.
Backspin
Backward
rotation on the ball, caused by drawing the racket strings down during the
stroke, that results in a low bounce. On some surfaces, the ball may even bounce
back toward the net. Also known as underspin. See also chip; chop.
Backstop
A fence,
wall, or other boundary behind the end of the court that retains balls within a
limited area.
Ball boy/girl
A youngster
who retrieves balls, usually from errant serves, to keep the court clear during
a match.
Ball toss
The action
of tossing the ball into the air to initiate a serve.
Band
The strip
of canvas at the top of the net.
Baseline
A line at
the end of the court, parallel to the net, that marks the lengthwise boundary of
the playing area.
Baseline game
A playing
style in which the player hits almost all of his or her shots from near the
baseline, rather than taking the net.
Baseline judge
An
official, stationed on a line with the baseline, who is responsible for
determining whether shots are in or out. The baseline judges are seated on the
same side of the court as the umpire.
Baseline player
A player
who practices the baseline game.
Block
To return
the ball by holding the racket stationary rather than swinging it.
Break
To win a
game as receiver; as a noun, a synonym for service break.
Break back
To win a
game as receiver immediately after having suffered a service break.
Break point
A point
which will result in a service break if it's won by the receiver.
Bye
The right
to advance to the next round of a tournament without playing a match. Top-seeded
players are often given byes in the first round. See seed.
-C-
Carry
An illegal
shot, on which the ball is ball is held and/or carried on the racket, rather
being struck. Also used as a verb.
Center court
The main
court at a tennis arena, where the championship and other major matches are
played.
Center line judge
An official
who is responsible for watching the center service line to determine whether a
serve has entered the service court.
Center mark
A line,
Center service line
A line,
extending from the net to the midpoint of the service line, which marks the
boundary for both service courts.
Chair
The
umpire's seat and, by extension, the umpire, as in "The chair ruled that the
shot was out."
Changeover
A 90-second
period after every odd-numbered game in a set, when players change sides.
Chip
A soft
shot, hit with backspin, that just drops over the net; as a verb, to hit such a
shot. It's similar to the drop shot, but is more commonly used against an
opponent who is at the net, forcing a difficult volley.
Chop
A shot hit
with a sharp, downward chopping motion, resulting in a great deal of backspin;
as a verb, to hit such a shot.
Clean winner
A shot that
cannot be reached by the opponent.
Closed grip
A grip in
which the racket face is tilted downward, toward the court.
Closed racket
A racket
held with a closed grip.
Court
The tennis
court is
Court tennis
The
ancestor of modern tennis, court tennis apparently developed during the Middle
Ages in monastery courtyards and then moved into the courtyards of castles,
where it was played by kings and nobles. It has a very complicated scoring
system, which has been somewhat simplified for modern lawn tennis. Also known as
"real tennis," in which "real" is the Spanish word for "royal."
Cross-court
Descriptive
of a shot that is hit from one side of the court to the other, as well as over
the net. For example, the player hits from the right-hand side of the back court
to the right-hand side of the opponent's backcourt.
Cut
To hit the
ball with a short, downward slicing motion, often drawing the racket strings
across it to give some sideways spin in addition to backspin.
-D-
Daisy cutter
A low shot
that skids or takes a very low bounce, usually because of backspin.
Default
The failure
or refusal of a player to take part in or complete a match, resulting in a
victory for the opponent. Also used as a verb, as in "Smith was forced to
default because of a knee injury."
Defensive lob
A high
shot, often used against an opponent at or near the net, designed to buy time.
Defensive volley
A volley,
usually hit from below the top of the net, simply as a means of returning the
opponent's shot to keep a rally going. See offensive volley; volley.
Deuce
When
players are tied at 40 (three points each), the score is called "deuce." At
deuce, a player must win two points in a row to win the game. If the players
split the following two points, the score reverts to deuce.
Deuce court
The
receiver's right service court, where he or she receives serve when the score is
deuce. The opposite of advantage court.
Double fault
The server
is given two attempts at a valid serve. If both attempts fail, it is a double
fault and the receiver wins the point. Also used as a verb.
Double hit
The act of
striking the ball twice during a single stroke; it results in loss of the point.
Doubles
A match
between two teams of two players each.
Doubles court
The playing
area for a doubles match, which includes the two alleys as well as the singles
court. The area is
Down the line
Descriptive
of a shot that is hit straight from near the sideline, as opposed to a
cross-court shot.
Drag volley
A volley
hit with backspin.
Draw
The process
by which matches are arranged and scheduled for a tournament. Generally, seeded
players are given byes or scheduled before the draw, and names of the other
entrants are then randomly selected to determine match-ups and order of play.
The word is also used to mean the schedule itself, after the draw has been
completed. See also seed.
Drop Shot
A soft shot
that drops just over the net; usually hit with backspin to minimize its bounce.
It's most commonly used against an opponent who is playing deep, as contrasted
with the chip shot.
Drop volley
A drop shot
that's hit before the ball has bounced.
-E-
Error
A shot that fails to cross the net or lands out of the court, resulting in loss of the point. See forced error; unforced error.
-F-
Face
The flat
area of the racket formed by the strings and bounded by the frame.
Fault
An invalid
service attempt. It is a fault if the serve fails to land in the receiver's
service court; if the server swings and misses the ball entirely; or if the
serve is made from beyond the baseline or from the wrong side of the center
mark. See also double fault; foot fault; serve.
Fifteen
The first
point of a game for either player or side. See point; scoring system.
First flight
The flight
of the ball after it leaves the racket and before it bounces.
Flat
Descriptive
of a low, fast, straight shot without spin.
Follow
through
The motion
of the arm and racket after the ball has been struck.
Foot Fault
Usually a
fault caused by the server's foot entering the court before the racket contacts
the ball. It is also a foot fault if any part of the server's foot is on the
wrong side of the center mark, or the server is walking or running while
delivering the serve. See also serve.
Foot Fault Judge
An official
responsible for calling foot faults. The foot fault judge is positioned on a
line with the baseline, on the opposite side of the court from the baseline
judge.
Forced error
An error
resulting from a good shot by the opponent. See error; unforced error.
Forcing shot
A shot that
puts the opponent on the defensive; often an approach shot.
Forecourt
The area
between the net and the service line.
Forehand
A shot hit
from the racket side of the player's body; the right side for a right-hander.
Forty
The third
point of a game for either player or side. If both reach forty, it is called
deuce.
Frame
The oval portion of the racket that contains the strings; an unstrung racket.
-G-
Gallery
The
spectator area at the ends and sides of a court. By extension, the spectators,
as in, "The gallery really applauded that shot."
Game
A contest
in which one player or side serves throughout. The first contestant to take four
points wins the game, but the margin of victory must be at least two points.
Scoring follows the sequence, Fifteen-Thirty-Forty-Game. If both players or
sides reach forty, it's called deuce. See also advantage; deuce; set; match.
Game point
A point
that will end the game if it is won by the leading player or side. See also set
point; match point.
Game-set
Part of an
announcement that a player has won the decisive game in a set, as in, "Game-set
to Miss Jones."
Game-set-match
Part of an
announcement that a player has won the decisive game in a match, as in,
"Game-set-match to Miss Jones."
Grand Slam
There are
four tournaments in the "Grand Slam" of tennis: The Australian, French, and U.
S. Opens and England's Wimbledon championship. The phrase came from contract
bridge by way of golf.
Groundstroke
A shot hit
from the back court or behind the baseline after the ball has bounced; the
standard shot in tennis.
-H-
Half court
The area of
the court in the vicinity of the service line.
Half-court line
Another
name for the center service line.
Half volley
A shot on
which the ball is struck just after it has hit the court. Also used as a verb.
Hawk
Eye
Hawk-Eye is
a computer system used to visually track the path of the ball and display a
record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image. It is now part
of the adjudication process. It was developed by engineers at Roke Manor
Research Limited of Romsey, Hampshire in the UK, in
2001.
Head
The part of
the racket comprising the frame and strings.
Heavy ball
A shot hit
with topspin, which drops sharply.
Hit
on the rise
To play the
ball before it has reached the highest point of its bounce.
Hold serve
To win a
game in which the player is serving.
Hopper
A container
that holds large quantities of tennis balls.
-I-
In
Descriptive
of a good shot that lands in the opponent's court.
-J-
Jam
To hit the
ball at or near the opponent's body, forcing an awkward or weak return.
Jump smash
A smash
that is hit while the player is jumping into the air.
-K-
Kick serve
A serve hit
with a great deal of spin, causing it to change direction when it bounces. See
twist.
Kill
To hit the ball hard into an area where the opponent can't reach it. See smash.
-L-
Lawn tennis
The
original name for modern tennis, based on the fact that it's played on grass, to
distinguish it from court tennis.
Left court
Same as
advantage court.
Let
A stroke
that doesn't count and must be replayed. This most commonly happens when a serve
touches the net before entering the proper service court. It's also a let if the
serve is delivered before the receiver is ready, if play is interrupted by some
unusual occurrence (such as an animal running onto the court), or if a
linesman's decision that resulted in stoppage of play is reversed by the umpire.
Line judge
An official
who is responsible for determining whether or not a shot landed in the court.
They include the baseline judges, service line judges, and sideline judges.
Lob
A shot that
is hit in a high arc, usually over the opponent's head. See defensive lob;
offensive lob.
Long
Descriptive
of a shot that is out because it hits the court beyond the opponent's baseline.
Love
Zero; no
points. For example, a score of 40-love means that the server has scored three
points and the receiver hasn't scored any. In a set score, it means that the
player hasn't won any games. Probably derived from the old French word for egg,
l'ove, because a zero is egg-shaped.
Love game
A game in
which the loser scored no points.
Love set
A set in
which the loser won no games.
-M-
Match
A tennis
contest made up of sets, as a set is made up of games. In major competition, a
men's match is made up of five sets and the winner is the player who first wins
three sets. Women usually play best-of-three matches.
Match point
A point
that will end the match if it is won by the leading player or side. See also set
point; game point.
Midcourt
The area of
the court in the vicinity of the service line.
Mini-break
Loss of a
point on service during a tie-breaker.
Mixed doubles
Doubles
competition in which each team is made up of one female and one male player.
-N-
Net
The barrier
that divides a tennis court into lengthwise halves. It's a web, usually made of
braided synthetic material, suspended from a steel cable that's strung between
two 3½-foot metal posts located
Net
Cord
The cable
that supports the net.
Net
Cord Judge
An official
who is responsible for calling lets on service. This judge sits in front of the
umpire's chair, at one end of the net, and rests one hand on top of the net in
order to feel vibrations set up if the ball hits the net cord. Also called net
judge. See let.
Net
game
A playing
style in which the player takes every opportunity to rush the net. To be
contrasted with baseline game.
Net
man
In doubles,
the partner who is stationed near the net during his or her partner's service.
No-man's land
The area
between the baseline and the service line, so called because a player who is
caught there finds it difficult to hit ground strokes and isn't close enough to
the net to hit slams.
Not
up
Said of a
ball that is hit just as it's bouncing for the second time. Results in loss of
point.
-O-
Offensive lob
A lob that
is an attempt to score, rather than being purely defensive. It's typically hit
very deep into the opponent's court when the opponent is at the net. See also
defensive lob.
Offensive volley
A volley,
usually hit from above the net, that's meant to score a point. See also
defensive volley.
Open tournament
In the
early days of tennis, clubs held two types of tournaments: Closed, to which only
club members were admitted, and open, which non-members could also enter. With
the advent of professionalism, "open" came to mean a tournament that could be
entered by amateurs and professionals alike. Today, all major tournaments are
opens.
Open grip
A grip in
which the racket face is tilted upward, away from the court.
Open racket
A racket
held with an open grip.
Out
Descriptive
of a shot that lands outside the playing area, wide and/or long.
Overhead
A shot hit
much like a serve, when the ball is above the player's head, usually a smash.
It's often used by a player at net or in the forecourt against a lob that hasn't
been hit deep enough.
Overspin
Topspin.
-P-
Pace
The speed
at which the ball is hit. It's commonly used to mean a great deal of speed, but
in fact a well-paced shot may be hit rather slowly. A common tactic against a
hard-hitting opponent is to vary the pace from one shot to the next.
Pair
A doubles
team.
Partner
One of the
two players on a doubles team.
Pass
To hit a
shot that goes past the opponent, usually when the opponent is at or near the
net.
Passing shot
A shot that
passes the opponent.
Penalty point
See point
penalty.
Pickup shot
Another
name for a half volley.
Placement
A shot hit
to an area where the opponent cannot reach it.
Poach
In doubles,
to hit a ball, usually with a volley, that would ordinarily have been played by
the partner.
Point
The basic
scoring unit in tennis. The points are numbered "fifteen," "thirty," "forty,"
and "game." One player serves throughout a game and the first player to win four
points wins the game, with the provision that the margin of victory must be at
least two points. See advantage; deuce; game; match; set, scoring system.
Point penalty
A penalty
which costs the player a point in the current game. The umpire may assess a
point penalty for various kinds of unsportsmanlike conduct, such as verbal or
physical abuse of an official, using obscenity, or delaying a game through
incessant argument of a call.
Puddler
A player
who hits a lot of chip shots and drop shots.
Punch volley
A volley
hit with a very short, punching stroke.
Put
away
Same as kill.
-R-
Racket
The
instrument that's used to hit the ball. It has a long, straight handle and an
oval frame strung with natural gut or a synthetic material. Up until the late
1960s, rackets were made of wood, but then steel and aluminum frames were
introduced, followed by frames of graphite, fiberglass, titanium, and carbon.
Maximum dimensions are 29 ½ inches in overall length, 12 ½ inches in overall
width. The hitting surface can be no more than 15 ½ inches long and 11 ½ inches
wide. Also spelled racquet.
Rally
An extended
exchange of shots between players or sides.
Ready position
The
position adopted by the receiver in anticipation of the serve.
Receiver
The player
who receives service throughout a game.
Referee
The
official who is in overall charge of a tournament. The referee doesn't officiate
at matches, but may be called upon by the umpire to interpret a rule.
Retrieve
To reach
and return a shot that's difficult to get to.
Retriever
A player
who tries to wear down the opponent by concentrating on defense, continually
chasing down and returning difficult shots.
Return
To hit an
opponent's shot back over the net and in play. After service, every successful
shot is a return.
Reverse spin
See
backspin.
Reverse twist
A serve
that has spin causing it to bounce high and to receiver's right, off a
right-handed player's racket. Opposite of American twist.
Round
A series of
matches in an elimination tournament, the winners of which advance to the next
round.
Round robin
A
tournament in which each player meets every other player and final standings are
determined by the won-lost records. Such a tournament is sometimes a preliminary
round to determine seedings and order of play.
Run
around the backhand
To make
excessive movement in order to play a ball on the forehand rather than on the
backhand.
Runback
The area
between the baseline and the backstop.
Run
down
Same as retrieve.
-S-
Scoring system
The scoring
system for modern tennis is based on that of its medieval ancestor, court
tennis. In court tennis, a game comprised four rounds of 15 points each. That
system was imposed on lawn tennis, as it used to be known, with the points
numbered 15, 30, 45, and 60 (or game). Somewhere along the line, 45 was
abbreviated to 40. The point is the basic building block; a game is made up of
points, a set is made up of games, and a match is made up of sets.
Second flight
The flight
of the ball after it bounces.
Seed
Before a
tournament, certain players are ranked, based on their ability and recent
performances. The process is called seeding, the rankings are called seeds, and
the top-ranked player is called the top seed. Matches are then arranged so that
the top-seeded players will not meet until the later rounds of the tournament.
Serve
The shot
that begin each point. Standing behind the baseline, the player must toss the
ball into the air and hit it into the diagonally opposite service court. The
server is given two chances to make a valid serve. A failure is called a fault
and a double fault results in loss of the point. On the first point, the server
must be to the right of the center line, and then alternates sides with each
point. In singles, the players alternate service throughout a match. In doubles,
service alternates between the sides, and all four players serve in turn.
Serve and volley
A style of
play in which the server takes the net after each successful serve in order to
volley the opponent's return.
Server
The player
whose turn it is to serve.
Service
See serve.
Service court
One of the
two rectangles on each side of the net bounded by the service sideline, the
service line, the center service line between them, and the net itself. Each
service court is
Service line
The line
that marks the back boundary of the service courts on each side of the net.
Service line judge
An official
who is responsible for determining whether a serve hits the court beyond the
service line. The service line judges are stationed on the same side of the
court as the umpire and on a line with the service lines.
Service sideline
That part
of the singles sideline, between the net and the service line, that marks the
outside boundary of the service court.
Service winner
A serve
that the receiver hits without making a legal return.
Set
A set is a
group of games that is won by the player or side that first wins at least six
games with a two-game margin, unless a tie-breaker is employed. In major
tournaments, there are usually five sets in a men's match and three in a women's
match. See scoring system; tie-breaker.
Set
point
A point
that, if won by the leader, will result in winning the set. See also game point;
match point.
Shot
The act of
hitting the ball with the racket.
Sideline
The line
that marks the side boundary of the court. The sidelines are
Sideline
judge
An official
who is responsible for determining whether a shot lands outside the sideline or
in the court. There are four sideline judges, two at each end of the court.
Sidespin
Spin around
the ball's vertical axis, applied by drawing the racket strings horizontally
across the ball at the moment of contact.
Singles
A match
between two players.
Singles court
The court
used for a singles match, which is
Singles sideline
One of the
two lines that mark the side boundaries of the singles court.
Slice
A shot hit
with both backspin and sidespin; as a verb, to hit such a shot.
Smash
An overhead
shot that is hit very hard and down into the opponent's side of the net.
Snap volley
A volley
given extra velocity by wrist action at impact.
Stop volley
A volley,
hit with little motion of the racket, that drops just over the net.
Straight sets
Descriptive
of a match in which one player wins all the sets.
Strings
The hitting
surface of the racket, made up of interlaced strings of gut or synthetic
material.
Stroke
A swing at
the ball; a shot.
Sudden death
A
tie-breaker of predetermined length. The most commonly used are the 9-point
tie-breaker, in which the first player to score 5 points is the winner, and the
13-point tie-breaker, which is won by the first player to score 7 points.
Sweet spot
The optimum hitting area, around the middle of the racket face.
-T-
"T"
The
midcourt area, where the service lines meet the center service line.
Take the net
To move
into the forecourt and toward the net in order to be able to hit volleys into
the opponent's side of the court.
Tandem
A doubles
formation in which each partner is responsible for one half of the court, as
divided by the center line. Compare up and back.
Tape
The band of
white canvas or synthetic material, 2 to 2 ½ inches wide, that covers the top of
the net.
Team tennis
A type of
competition between teams of players, involving singles and doubles matches, in
which the victory is the team that takes the most games.
Tennis ball
The ball
used in tennis is a hollow rubber sphere, 2 ½ to 2 5/8 inches in diameter and
weighing between 2 and 2 1/16 ounces, filled with pressurized air and covered
with a nap of wool and nylon.
Tennis elbow
Tendinitis
of the elbow, often caused by the strains placed on the joint by playing tennis,
though it may have other causes.
Thirty
The second
point scored by a player or side in a game. See point; scoring system.
Throat
The thin
area of a racket handle, where it meets the head.
Tie-break
A
tiebreaker.
Tiebreaker
A method of
determining the winner of a set that's tied. The most commonly used is the
13-point tiebreaker, which is won by the player who first wins 7 points,
provided that the margin of victory is at least 2 points. This is sometimes
called a "lingering death" tiebreaker, on contrast to the sudden death
tiebreaker.
Top
seed
The player
judged to be the best in a given tournament, usually on the basis of computer
rankings. See seed.
Topspin
Forward
spin, around the ball's horizontal axis, that's applied by drawing the racket
strings up and over the ball at the moment of impact. A shot hit with topspin is
more likely to stay in play, because it drops sharply after reaching its highest
point, and it takes a high bounce.
Touch
Precise
control of a shot, often resulting in a placement, as in "She hit that shot with
perfect touch."
Triple
The feat of
winning the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles championships at a tournament.
Twist
A
combination of topspin and sidespin on a serve. See, for example, American twist
and reverse twist.
Two-handed backhand
A backhand
shot on which the player has both hands on the racket handle.
-U-
Umpire
The
official who is in overall charge of a match. The umpire sits in a raised chair
at one end of the net, calls the score after each point, and has final
responsibility for all questions of judgment and fact. He or she may reverse the
decision of a judge or linesman if it is clearly in error and may impose point
penalties or even default a player for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Underspin
See
backspin.
Unforced error
Loss of a
point caused by a poorly hit shot that goes into the net or out of the court.
Compare forced error.
Up
and back
A doubles
formation in which one partner plays in the forecourt, the other in the
backcourt. Compare tandem.
-V-
VASSS
Acronym for
the Van Alen Streamlined Scoring System, developed by James Van Alen. The main
intent is to avoid the very long matches that can arise under the traditional
scoring system. The Van Alen numbers the points from zero through four and
awards a game to the first player to score four points, even if the other player
has three points, thus eliminating deuce. Most important, Van Alen introduced
the tiebreaker, which is now commonly used.
Volley
A shot on
which the ball is hit before it bounces. As a verb, to hit such a shot.
-W-
Walkover
A victory
that results from the opponent's default.
Wide
Descriptive
of a shot that lands beyond the sideline, or beyond the service sideline in the
case of a serve. See also long.
Winner
A shot that
wins a point.
Wood shot
A shot on
which the frame of the racket strikes the ball.
Wrong-foot
To hit a
shot to the side of an opponent who is moving or turned in the other direction.
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