Tennis for Beginners Getting Ready to Hit the Court Midwest Sports Table of Contents Tennis: An Introduction ........................................................................................ i Section 1: The Basics ................................................................................................. 3 Chapter 1:Tennis Terms to Know .......................................................... 4 Chapter 2: The Ins and Outs of Tennis Scoring .................................... 8 Chapter 3: Finding the Perfect Beginners’ Racquet and Equipment . 11 Chapter 4: Outfitting Yourself for the Court ...................................... 17 Section 2: The Essential Elements of Play .................................................. 21 Chapter 5: The Grip............................................................................... 22 Chapter 6: The Serve ............................................................................. 25 Chapter 7: The Forehand ...................................................................... 28 Chapter 8: The Backhand ...................................................................... 31 Chapter 9: Volleys .................................................................................. 34 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 36 Sources ............................................................................................................. 37 i ii TENNIS FOR BEGINNERS Tennis: An Introduction Have you been struck with a love or curiosity of tennis? Thinking about trying your hand at this beloved sport? Maybe you caught a glimpse of Roger Federer’s awe-inspiring shot between the legs… or you stumbled on a lively match at your neighborhood court… or you simply want to have some fun and get fit. Whatever brings you to 1 MIDWEST SPORTS the court, there’s quite a bit of information and skills to learn as you begin your tennis journey. Before you shell out for expensive tennis lessons, let’s go over some basics of the game, including important terms, scoring, rules, equipment, and basic apparel. We’ll provide you with the ins and outs of tennis racquets, tennis balls, tennis strings, tennis shoes, and more. Then we’ll introduce you to the essential elements of how to play tennis, from serves on the baseline to volleys at the net. By the end, you’ll have a foundational understanding of the game and be ready to find your way forward. Like with most sports, learning how to play tennis is all about practice, practice, and more practice. We can’t promise you’ll be the next Nadal or Sharapova, but remember us if you happen to make it to the top! 2 TENNIS FOR BEGINNERS Section 1: The Basics “The primary conception of tennis is to get the ball over the net and at the same time to keep it within bounds of the court; failing this, within the borders of the neighborhood.” – Elliot Chaze Beginner tennis players may be a bit flustered when confronted with the rules and terms of tennis, but it’s not as complicated as it looks! It’s a logical and sensible system that starts small with points and progresses to games, sets, and finally the match. The scoring and rules ingeniously ensure a victor for every match – there are no ties in tennis. You can’t split a point, a game, or a set. This is the ultimate sport for competitors who strive to be the best, and there’s always a clear and decisive winner. Before we get into the details of scoring, let’s go over some basic terms you’ll need to know. 3 MIDWEST SPORTS Chapter 1 Tennis Terms to Know The language of tennis is often befuddling. While there are many theories exploring the emergence of confusing terms like “love” and a scoring system that inexplicably jumps from zero to 15 to 30 to 40, at the end of the day one simply has to shrug the shoulders and play. On the plus side, many tennis terms are easier to remember due to their uniqueness! As you continue reading, feel free to return to this chapter if you stumble across an unfamiliar term. Ace: a point won on a legal serve that is not touched by the opponent. Advantage or ad: when a player scores a point after deuce (a score of 40-40), he or she is said to have the “advantage.” If this player earns a point while holding the advantage, he or she wins the game. If he or she does not earn a point, the score returns to deuce. Alley: area of the court between the singles and doubles sidelines. In singles play, the alley is out of bounds; in doubles play, it is in bounds. Backhand: a basic tennis shot that is swung around the body with the back of the hand facing forward. 4 TENNIS FOR BEGINNERS Baseline: the boundary line at the farthest back end of each side of the court. Crosscourt: hitting the tennis ball diagonally across the court to the opponent. Drop shot: a shot hit lightly (usually with backspin) to just go over the net, catching opponents off guard. Doubles: tennis played with a team of two players on each side of the court. Double fault: when a server hits two faults in a row and loses a point Deuce: a 40-40 game score. Once the score reaches deuce, a player must earn two consecutive points to win the game. Fault: a serve that falls out of the proper area of play. Foot fault: a fault during the serve resulting from a player stepping on or over the baseline or across the center mark before striking the tennis ball. Forehand: a basic tennis shot that is swung with the front of the hand facing forward toward the ball. Grand Slam: A player wins the Grand Slam when he or she wins all four major tournaments in a calendar year. 5 MIDWEST SPORTS Grip: how a player holds the racquet. There are several different grips, and players often change grips during a game depending on the type of shot played. Groundstroke: a shot – either backhand or forehand – that is hit after the ball bounces once off the ground. Head: the main stringed face of a tennis racquet. Lob: a tennis shot that is hit high in the air with the intention of either winning a point over an opponent who is up close to the net or providing time to move into a better position. Love: a score of zero. For example, a game score of 30-0 would be called “thirty-love.” Match point: when a player is one point away from winning the match. Overhead: a stroke that is hit when the ball is over one’s head. An overhead shot is often strongly hit and is also known as a “smash.” Passing shot: a tennis shot that is hit past an opponent who is at the net, as opposed to a lob which is hit high in the air over the opponent. Point: a point is won when you or your opponent cannot return the ball before it bounces twice. Other ways to earn a point: You or your opponent hit the tennis ball into the net You or your opponent serve two faults in a row (a double fault) You or your opponent hit the ball out of bounds 6 TENNIS FOR BEGINNERS Rally: a sequence of back-and-forth shots between opponents. Serve: the starting point shot of a game that is hit to the opponent diagonally across the court into the “service box,” a square part of the court marked by service lines and sidelines. Spin: the way in which a ball rotates through the air. Spin can be applied to a shot so that the ball’s bounce and trajectory are affected. Sweet spot: the center spot on the head of the racquet that makes the best contact with the ball. Volley: a tennis shot that is hit before the ball bounces on the player’s side of the court. 7 MIDWEST SPORTS Chapter 2 The Ins and Outs of Tennis Scoring Maybe you’ve stumbled across a tennis match while channel surfing and been enamored with the competitive back- and-forth action. But to truly appreciate the game and all its drama, you need to understand how to keep score. The tennis scoring system is designed to ensure a winner at the end of each game, set, and match. If you win enough games, you’ll win sets, and if you win enough sets, you win the match. That easy! Let’s get more specific: Game-Set-Match A player must achieve at least 4 points to win a game A player must win at least 6 games to win a set A player must win no less than 2 sets (sometimes 3) to win a match 8 TENNIS FOR BEGINNERS What’s the point? In tennis, it’s just too easy to just call one point “one” or three points “three.” Instead points are called out as zero or “love”, fifteen, thirty, and forty, plus the game point and advantage. This chart below gives us the simple rundown: Points Won Game Points Zero 0 or “love” One 15 Two 30 Three 40 Four Game, but must win by 2 points Deuces Wild “Deuce” is a tied score of 40-40. To win in this situation, a player must score two consecutive points. When a player scores, he or she is said to have the “advantage,” which is often shortened to “ad” for scoring. If this player earns a second consecutive point while holding the advantage, he or she wins the game. If the player does not earn a point, the score returns to deuce, 40-40. Game Point Game point is called out when one player is a single point away from winning the game (either a 40-30 or an Ad-40 score). A double game point means the player has two chances to win the game (40-15 score). And a triple game point means the player has three chances (40-0 score). 9 MIDWEST SPORTS Winning a Set The scoring in sets functions much like the scoring in games, but on a larger scale. A set is won when a player has won at least six games and has a two-game advantage (just like a game requires a two-point advantage).