PHYSICALEDUCATIONT LEARNING PACKET# 3 TENNIS INSTRUCTIONS This Learning Packethas two parts: (1) text to read and (2) questionsto answer. The text describesa particular sport or physical activity, and relates its history rules, playing techniques,scoring, notes and news. The ResponseForms (questionsand puzzles) check your understandingand apprecia- tion of the sport or physical activity. INTRODUCTION Tennis is among the most popular sports in the United States.It is played by amateursand profes- sionals,children and adultsowomen and men.It can be played for sheerenjoyment or in fiercely com- petitivetournaments, such as the famousDavis Cup, Wightman Cup and the Wimbledon tournament. Like badmintonoit requires agility, speedand al- most continuousmotion on the part of the player.It is often recommendedas a good meansof aerobic exercise. HISTORY OF TENNIS The game that we know as "tennis" today (officially known as "lawn tennis") was createdby a British citizen,MajorWalter C. Wingfield, who introduced the game to Britain in 1873. The following year saw the introduction of the already-populargame to America. However,the real history of tennis apparentlygoes back far beyond Major Wingfield's day.A version of tennis was played in ancient Greeceand in Francein the 1400s. The first tennis tournament was played at Wimbledon in England in 1877. While Wimbledon is still consideredthe most famous and prestigioustennis tournamentin the world, the Davis Cup andWightman Cup tournamentsare alsoimportant annualevents. PhysicalEducation Learning Packets #3 Tennis Text @ 2000 TheAdvantage Press,Inc. HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED A tennis game always startswith the serve.The server standsbehind the base line on the right side of the court. The ball is tossedinto the air and hit diagonally across the net into the opponent's court. The opponentthen has to hit the ball after the first bounce,and return it back acrossthe net to the server. "fault" A is committed when the serverhits the net with the ball or when the ball is hit outside the service court. The secondtime a server tries to serve and fails, "a double fault" occurs.The opponentautomatically gains a point after a double fault. Faults can also occur when the servertouches the baseline or any other part of the court with his/her feet while serving. "let A ball" is a servethat touchesthe net but landsin the correct place. This type of ball doesnot count; the servermust serveagain. A ball that touchesthe net during play is calleda"netball." Net balls arelegal andmust be played. Once the first point is made, the server then servesfrom behind the left baseline. The server continuesuntil the opponent wins the serve or until a fault occurs. The first point in a tennisgame is 15,the second is 30 andthe third is 40. The final score(or fourth point) is the GAME POINT. A player must scorefour points in order to win a game.In a tie garrue,both sides or players may scorethree points, or 40-40 (a 'DEUCE"). If a playeror sidewins two more points after adeuce, the gameis won. The "AD" or ADVANTAGE is the first point scoredafter the deuce.When both players score Physical Education Learning Packets #3 Tennis Text @ 2000 The Advantage Press,Inc. a point after a deuce,the gamereturns to 40-40 again. The score"LOVE" means zero.If a game /, {, has the score30-1ove. it meansthe scoreis talilr-E ! 30 to zero. Nobody knows why the term -I-f -\- "love" is used in tennis, but it is generally believed to have originated from the French word "l'ouve," which means"egg." An egg is round like a circle" henceits association with a zero. A SET meansthat one sideor playerhas won six games.The winner of the setmust win by two games.A MATCH meansthat two out of three setshave been won. PLAYING TECHNIQUES THE SERVE There are four types of servesin tennis: the flat serye,the slice serve.the kick serveand the American twist. While the sliceis the most common and effective serve,all four types of serves demanda controlledtoss and good follow-through. To executethe serveproperly, the playerraisesthe racquetback to a point where it reachesover his or her right shoulder.The player's elbow is kept straightin the air. The proper stanceis straight, not bent at the waist. The ball is then tossedup into the air. As the ball comesdown, the servermoves forward and strikesthe ball with the racquet,driving it over the net toward the other player or players. FOREHAND DRIVE This move is one of the two main strokesused for returning the ball after one bounce. When the ball approachesthe player's racquet-handside, the forehand drive is used- basically, as a way of blocking the ball. The wrist maintains a firm position and keeps the racquetface open.All contactwith the ball shouldtake place in front of the player's bodv. Physical Education Learning Packets #3 Tennis Text @ 2000 The Advantage Press,Inc. BACKHANDDRIVE This move is the other main stroke used to return a ball after one bounce.In the backhanddrive, the ball goes to the oppo- site sideof the racquethand. The player movesthe arm across the body and, aswith the forehanddrive, maintainsa firm wrist and elbow. Again, contact with the ball is made in front of the player'sbody. VOLLEY The famous Martina Navratilova once offered this advice about the volley: "Keep it short and simple." The player's knees should be bent and legs slightly apart while the weight of the body is forward. The elbows should be turned in toward the body as the body pivots and the shoulderturns toward the ball. The power of the volley comesnot from the swing, but from a firm wrist, good timing and the ability to keep one's body weight forward. LOB The lob featuresa short backswing, zn open racquet face and an upward motion. The follow-through on this shot is shorterthan on other shots.The goal of the lob is to hit the ball over the opponentoshead in order to drive him/trer back in the court. SLICE The forehand and backhandslices are used to make the ball spin and bouncecrookedly. In the forehand slice,the player's shouldersshould turn asthe racquet is broughtback abovethe level of the ball. The racquet head is tilted upward at this point, while the player's weight is kept forward. Ideally, the follow-through on this shot is kept short. In the backhand slice, the player turns as the racquet is brought back abovethe level of the ball. The wrist is kept stiff as contactwith the ball occursin front of the player's body. Physical Education Learning Packets #3 Tennis Text @ 2000 The Advantage Press,Inc. EQUIPMENTAND CLOTHING Tennis is usually played in loose-fitting shorts for men or short skirts for women. Ath- letic shoesare neededto bracethe feet and anklesduring violent maneuvers.Light polo shirts or blousesare wom to provide freedom of movement. TENNIS NOTESAND NEWS As 1997ended, people had good reasonfor sayingthat PeteSampras might be the great- est player in tennis history. Samprashad finished atop the official AIP tour rankings for a fifth straight year.But 1998 did not follow the expectedscript. Four different players won the four 1998 Slams! Peteregained some of his form in L999,but it was clearly Agassi who becamethe player to beat. L999 Grand Slam Champions Men Women Australian Championships Yevgeny Kafelnikov Martina Hingis French Championships Andre Agassi Steffi Graf Wimbledon Championships Pete Sampras Lindsay Davenport United StatesChampionships Andre Agassi SerenaWilliams T\e 1999Wimbledon men's singlesmatch featured Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.Sampras came aWay with the win,6-3,6-4, 7-5, but Agassi regainedhis Number One world ranking. On the women's side, tearswere clearly visible in the eyesof Lindsay Davenport, the Number 3 seed,who seemedto have trouble believing she'd actually won her first Wimbledon title by beatingseven-time champion Steffi Graf 6-4,7-5. Tennisis also an Olympic sport. 1996 Atlanta Olympic Gold Medalists in- cluded Andre Agassi and Lindsay Davenport both from the United States. Tennis is an exciting sport to play and to watch. Keep current with this ever-popularsport by visiting thesetennis web sites: http ://www.atptour. com/ http://www.ncaa. org/champ s/m_tennis/ http ://www.tennisserver.com/ Phvsical Education Learnins Packets #3 Tennis Text @ 2000 The Advantage Press,Inc. STUDENT RESPONSEPACKET TENNIS NAME DAIE WHATTO DO The following questionswill help you to have a greaterappreciation and understanding of tennis. Write your answersin the spacesbelow the questions.If there is not enough room, write on the backs of these sheets.Be neat, spell correctly,and write in complete sentences. 1. What are the physical benefits of playing tennis? 2. What is "a fault" in tennis? 3. What is a "let ball?" a"net ball?" 4. When and where was tennis first played? Physical Education Learning Packets #3 Tennis Text @ 2000 The Advantage Press, Inc. 5. Name the four types of servesin tennis. 6. What is the tennis volley and how is it executed? 7. What does the score"love" mean in tennis? 8. What does "a set" in tennis mean? 9. What is the first point in a tennis score? 10. What comprises"a matcho'in tennis? PhysicalEducationlearningPackets #3 Tennis Text@ 2000 TheAdvantagePress,Inc. FU Name: Date: o oflo FD fij ,- - (-. o FD Fl' - (J) oE a a 1. f-t ,- l-. Across: Down: 1. Martina sayskeep it short and 2. Comesfrom the French word for "egg" simple 5. A popular tennis tournament 3. Tennis was originally played on 7. Most famous tennis tournament this 9. One must win at leastsix of 4. This major introducedtennis to theseto win the set Englandin 1873 12. Love in tennis meansthis for a 6.