Tennis Glossary

Front 1

ace

Back 1

a good serve that is not touched by the opponent

Front 2

ad

Back 2

the abbreviation for advantage

Front 3

advantage

Back 3

the next point after deuce. "advantage in" refers to the server's winning the point, and "advantage out" refers to the receiver's winning the point

Front 4

"all"

Back 4

tie score. this is used when deuce is not applicable, such as "30 all"

Front 5

alley

Back 5

area between the singles side line and the side line on a doubles court

Front 6

backcourt

Back 6

area of the court between the service line and the base line. this area is commonly known as "no man's land"

Front 7

backhand

Back 7

stroke used to hit balls on the left side of a right handed player and on the right side of a left handed player

Front 8

backspin

Back 8

rotation of the ball so that the top of the ball spins backwards

Front 9

base line

Back 9

line at the end of the court

Front 10

break a serve

Back 10

phrase used to indicate winning a game that the opponent served

Front 11

center mark

Back 11

mark four inches long and two inches wide that bisects the base line to indicate one limit of the proper service area.

Front 12

center service line

Back 12

line down the center of the court that separates the two service courts

Front 13

center strap

Back 13

two inch wide piece of canvas that holds the net down at the center

Front 14

chop

Back 14

stroke in which the racket is drawn sharply down under the ball to give it backspin

Front 15

cross court

Back 15

phrase indicating a ball hit diagonally from one corner across the net to the other corner

Front 16

deep

Back 16

term referring to a shot that lands near the baseline

Front 17

deuce

Back 17

even score when each side has won 3 or more points

Front 18

double fault

Back 18

failure on two consecutive services

Front 19

doubles

Back 19

play with two persons on each side

Front 20

drive

Back 20

shot hit hard without much of an arc so that it lands near the opponent's base line

Front 21

drop shot

Back 21

shot hit easily with backspin so that it barely clears the net and does not bounce very high in the opponent's court

Front 22

error

Back 22

failure to make a legal return when racket has hit the ball

Front 23

fault

Back 23

failure to make a legal serve

Front 24

flat

Back 24

shot or serve with little or no spin

Front 25

foot fault

Back 25

illegal movement of the feet during service

Front 26

forcing shot

Back 26

deep, hard shot designed to maneuver an opponent out of position

Front 27

forecourt

Back 27

area of the court between the net and the service line

Front 28

forehand

Back 28

stroke used to hit balls on the right side of a right handed player and on the left side of a left handed player

Front 29

game

Back 29

unit of a set completed by winning four points before the opponent wins 3, or by winning two consecutive points after deuce

Front 30

good

Back 30

shot that lands on or within the proper boundary lines

Front 31

ground stroke

Back 31

stroke made by hitting the ball after it has bounced

Front 32

half volley

Back 32

stroke made by hitting the ball immediately after it has hit the ground

Front 33

kill

Back 33

hard hit or well placed ball that the opponent cannot reach for the return

Front 34

let

Back 34

service or point that is to be replayed because of some type of interference

Front 35

lob

Back 35

shot hit with a high arc so that it lands near the opponent's base line

Front 36

love

Back 36

zero score

Front 37

match point

Back 37

point that, if won, allows a player to win a match

Front 38

match

Back 38

contest between two or four players usually consisting of two sets out of three sets

Front 39

mixed doubles

Back 39

game in which a man and a woman play as partners on each side

Front 40

net man

Back 40

player in doubles who plays near the net while his partner serves

Front 41

overhead smash

Back 41

shot made with a hard overhead stroke so that the ball comes down sharply into the opponent's court. this shot is usually referred to as the "smash"

Front 42

pass

Back 42

shot going to either side of an opponent near the net out of his reach

Front 43

placement

Back 43

shot placed accurately out of the reach of the opponent's

Front 44

rally

Back 44

continued play between the serve and the winning of a point

Front 45

seeding

Back 45

placing of good players in tournament competition so that they do not meet in early round play

Front 46

service

Back 46

putting the ball into play

Front 47

set

Back 47

unit of a match completed by winning of six games, or by winning two consecutive games after each team has won five games

Front 48

set points

Back 48

point that, if won, allows a player to win a set

Front 49

singles

Back 49

play with one person on each side of the net

Front 50

slice

Back 50

stroke in which the racket is drawn sharply down (high to low) producing underspin to the ball

Front 51

take the net

Back 51

player rushes to a position close to the net to volley

Front 52

tape

Back 52

two-to-two-and-one-half-inch piece of canvas that covers the cord or cable at the top of the net

Front 53

topspin

Back 53

rotation of the ball so that the top of the ball spins forward

Front 54

toss

Back 54

the spin of the racket at the beginning of the match to determine choice of serving or receiving side of the court

Front 55

trim

Back 55

small stringing at the top and bottom of the racket head to hold the main strings in place. This stringing is used in the toss to indicate "rough" or "smooth". the rough side contains the loops around the main strings while the smooth is the opposite side

Front 56

volley

Back 56

ball hit in the air before it bounces

Front 57

wide

Back 57

shot that lands beyond the side line