Lawn Tennis Terms

The modern game of tennis originated in Birmingham, England, in the late 19th century as lawn tennis. It had close connections both to various field (lawn) games such as croquet and bowls as well as to the older racket sport today called real tennis. The right side of the tennis court. It is called Deuce-Court because all deuce points are played from this side. A match that ends with the score 6-0 6-0 is often called a double bagel in tennis circles. One of the funniest tennis terms in my opinion.

There are a lot of different tennis terms used by tennis players and fans. If you want to be a tennis player then you should be familiar with almost all of these terms!

Tennis Terms

Ace

A serve that lands inside the lines and is untouched by the opponent

Advantage

Are you looking for Tennis slogans, chants, sayings & phrases to support your favorite Player or Team? Or You want to express your passion and love for Tennis? In this post, you will find Tennis slogans, phrases, one-liners & chants for t-shirts, posters, banners etc. You will also find funny Tennis. Ace - a serve that is a winner without the receiving tennis player able to return the ball. Ad court - the part of the tennis court that is to the left of the tennis players Advantage - when a tennis player needs one more point to win the game after the score was deuce. Game Rules for Lawn Tennis. You probably refer to the game of lawn tennis as simply “tennis.” The origin of the name stems from the game being played on the lawn. Some clubs, most notably Wimbledon, still use grass courts. Most modern tennis in the United States.

The point that follows a deuce score. If the player wins this point he wins the game, otherwise it goes back to deuce!

Ad-Court

The left side of the tennis court. It is called Ad-Court because the ad points are always played from this side.

Approach Shot

A shot that the player follows to the net is called an approach shot

ATP

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of men’s Tennis!

Backspin

On a shot with backspin the ball rotates backwards. These shots usually stay pretty low

Break

When you win a game during which your opponent was serving that is called a break in Tennis!

Break Point

The receiver is said to have a break point whenever he is in a situation where a point won results in him winning the game off of the server.

Cross-Court

A shot that is hit diagonally into the opponent?s court

Deep

A shot that lands very close to the baseline rather than short around the service line

Deuce

An expression that is used when the actual score is 40-40

Deuce-Court

The right side of the tennis court. It is called Deuce-Court because all deuce points are played from this side

Double Bagel

A match that ends with the score 6-0 6-0 is often called a double bagel in tennis circles. One of the funniest tennis terms in my opinion

Double Fault

The server has two serves to start the point. Whenever he misses both he looses one point in the game and this situation is called a double fault.

Doubles

When you have four players on the court and two are playing against two this is called a doubles match.

Down the Line

A shot that is hit straight along the sideline into the opponent?s court

Error

Any shot in Tennis that does not land within the lines that it is supposed to land within is called an error

Foot Fault

The server is not allowed to move over or even touch the baseline during his service motion. If he does so it is a so-called foot-fault and his serve is considered a fault.

Forced Error

When Player 1 hits a really good shot that forces Player 2 to miss that is called a forced error

Groundstroke

Whenever the ball bounces on your side before you hit it that is called a Groundstroke. Forehands, Backhands, and Slice Backhands are all groundstrokes.

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Hold

When you win your service game it is called a hold.

Inside-Out Forehand

Tennis commentators often mention the so-called inside-out forehand. This is a situation where a player hits a forehand, usually from the backhand side of the court, towards the backhand side of his opponent. The ball takes an inside-out swing pattern and therefore the shot is called an inside-out forehand

Kick Serve

A serve hit with lots of topspin. The ball usually jumps high on this kind of shot!

Let

The umpire calls a let whenever a serve touches the net and still lands in the service box. The serve is then replayed

Match Point

When you have match point you only need to win one more point to win and end the entire match.

Mini-Break

If you win a point on your opponents serve during a tiebreak that is called a mini-break

Moonball

A shot hit very high over the net. These are usually defensive shots and many tennis player dislike playing against players that hit moonballs. Just hearing the tennis term “Moonball” can cause some tennis players to get into a bad mood.

Overhead

When you are at the net and your opponent tries to lob you with a high shot you will hit an overhead.

Singles

Whenever two players play a match against each other in tennis it is called a singles match

Orange Lawn Tennis

Smash

Same thing as an overhead.

Tiebreak

A tiebreak is played when the score in a set reaches 6:6. The tiebreak is played up to 7 points and the idea is to bring the set to an end because without a tiebreak it could take forever

Underspin

Lawn Tennis Terms Meaning

This is another expression for backspin. The ball rotates backwards and stays low on these shots

Unforced Error

When Player 1 misses an easy shot that is called an unforced error

What Are Some Tennis Terms

Volley

Lawn Tennis Quotes

Whenever your hit the ball before it bounces on your side it is called a volley

Wild Card

All England Lawn Tennis

To get into many tournaments you need to have a certain rankings position. If you do not have that position the tournament officials can award you a wild card. With a wild card young players can often enter pro tournaments that they usually could not enter according to the ranking system

Lawn Tennis Terms Definition

So that’s it for the tennis terms explanations. If you think a tennis term is missing then feel free to send me an email and I will include it!

Lawn Tennis Terms 2020

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About Tennis Wimbledon Winners Glossary Ace A service of a tennis ball that is not returned by an opponent and is deemed to be in play by the umpire. Ad court The left side of the court of each player Advantage When one player wins a point from a deuce and needs one more point to win the game Alley The area of the court between the singles and doubles sidelines, also known as the tramlines Approach shot A shot used as a setup as the player runs up to the net, often using underspin ATP Association of Tennis Professionals, the men's professional circuit Backhand A method of wielding a tennis racquet where the player hits the tennis ball with a stroke that comes across their body with the back of their racquet hand facing the ball Backswing The portion of a swing before the ball is hit Bagel Winning a set 6-0. A double bagel is winning 6-0, 6-0. Ball Boy A person, male or female, tasked with retrieving tennis balls from the court that have gone out of play Baseline the chalk line at the farthest ends of the court indicating the boundary of the area of play. Baseliner a player whose strategy is to stay at the baseline during play Big serve a forceful serve, usually giving an advantage in the point for the server Block a defensive shot with relatively little backswing, usually while returning a serve Bread stick winning a set 6-1. See also bagel Break to lose a game to an opponent when you are serving Break point one point away from a break Closed stance hitting the ball with the body facing between parallel to the baseline and backturned to the opponent; it is known as a classic technique. Chip blocking a shot with underspin Chip and charge an aggressive strategy to return the opponent's serve with underspin and move forward to the net Chop a shot with extreme underspin Counterpuncher a defensive baseliner. See tennis strategy Court the area designated for playing a game of tennis Crosscourt hitting the ball diagonally into the opponent's court Deep a shot that lands near the baseline, as opposed to near the net Deuce the score 40-40 in a game. A player must win two consecutive points from a deuce before winning the game. See advantage Deuce court the right side of the court of each player Dink hitting a shot with no pace Dirtballer a clay court specialist Double Fault two faults in a row in one point, causing the player serving to lose the Point Doubles a tennis game played by four players, two per side of the court Down the line hitting the ball straight ahead into the opponent's court Drop shot a play in which the player hits the ball lightly enough to just go over the net; designed to catch a player off guard who is away from the net Drop volley a drop shot executed from a volley Fault an unsuccessful serve that fails to place the ball in the correct area of play therefore not starting the Point First Service the first of the two serves of a tennis ball a player is allowed at the beginning of a Point. Flat e.g. a flat serve; a shot with relatively no spin Follow through the portion a swing after the ball is hit Foot fault a fault caused by the server stepping into the tennis court Forehand a method of wielding a tennis racquet where the player hits the tennis ball with a stroke that comes from behind their body with the front of their racquet hand facing the ball Game point one point away to win the game. Golden set winning a set without losing a point Golden Slam winning the Grand Slam and the tennis Olympic gold medal in a calendar year Grand Slam the four most prestigious tournaments in a year: the Australian Open, the French Open (or Roland Garros), Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Winning the Grand Slam is winning all four in a calendar year. Groundies see Groundstroke Groundstroke a forehand or backhand shot that is executed after the ball bounces once on the court Hail Mary an extremely high lob, for defensive purposes Head (racket) the portion of the racket that contains the strings Hold winning the game when serving I-formation (in doubles) a formation where the server and his partner stand on the same side of the court (deuce- or ad-court) before starting the point Inside-out running around one side (e.g. the backhand side) and hitting a crosscourt shot Inside-in running around one side and hitting it down the line; less popular than the inside-out Jamming to serve or return straight to the opponent's body Kick serve a type of spin serve that bounces high Lawn Tennis tennis played on a court laid out on a grass covered surface Let when the ball touches the net but enters the opponent's half of the court within the play area. The point is replayed Line Judge a person designated to observe the passage of tennis balls over the boundary lines of the court. A Line Judge can declare that a play was within or outside of the play area and cannot be overruled by the players. A line Judge must defer to an Umpire's decision, even when it contradicts their own observations. Lob a stroke in tennis where the ball is lifted high above the net with the intention of it going over the opposing player in the case of him being close to the net, thus nearly guaranteeing the point Love zero (score) Love game a shutout game won without the other player scoring Match point a situation when the player who is leading needs one more point to win the match Mini-break to win a point from the opponent's serve in a tiebreak Mixed Doubles a tennis game played by four players, two players are male, two are female, one of each player sex per side of the court Moonball an extremely high lob No-Man's Land the area between the service line and the baseline, where a player is most vulnerable Open stance hitting the ball with the body facing between parallel to the baseline and facing the opponent; it is known as a modern technique. Out any ball that lands outside the play area Overrule reversing a call from the linesperson, done by the umpire Passing shot A shot that passes by the opponent at the net, but not over him (see lob) Poaching (in doubles) an aggressive move where the player at net moves to volley a shot intended for his/her partner Point the period of play between the first successful service of a ball to the point at which that ball goes out of play Pusher a player who does not try to hit winners, but only to return it safely Putaway a shot to try to end the point from an advantageous situation Racquet a bat with a long handle and a large looped head with a string mesh tautly stretched across it, made of wood, metal or some other synthetic material, that is used by a tennis player to hit the tennis ball during a game of tennis - (see also Racket) Rally (Following the service of a tennis ball) A series of return hits of the ball that ends when one or other player fails to return the ball within the court boundary or fails to return a ball that falls within the play area. Referee a person in charge of enforcing the rules in a tournament, as opposed to a tennis match (see Umpire) Retriever a defensive baseliner. See tennis strategy Set point one point away from winning a set Singles a tennis game played by two players Second Service the second and final of the two serves of a tennis ball a player is allowed at the beginning of a Point Serve to begin a point by hitting the ball into the opponents half of the court Serve and volley a strategy to serve and immediately move forward to make a volley and hopefully a winner Slice (rally) hitting a tennis ball with underspin; (service) serving with sidespin Spin rotation of the ball as it moves through the air, affecting its trajectory and bounce Split step a footwork technique by doing a small hop just before the opponent is hitting the ball Tanking to purposefully lose a match, because of poor mental game or others. Or, to simply purposefully lose one unnecessary set, so as to focus energy and attention on the final and match-deciding set Tennis Ball a soft, hollow, air filled rubber ball coated in a synthetic fur used in the game of tennis Tiebreak a special game at the score 6-6 in a set to decide the winner of the set; the winner is the first to reach at least 7 points with a difference of 2 from the opponent. Topspin spin of a ball that goes forward over the top of the ball, causing the ball to dip and bounce higher Tramline a line defining the limit of play on the side of a singles or doubles court. Underspin spin of a ball that goes forward under of the ball, causing the ball to float and bounce lower Umpire (during play) an independent person designated to enforce the rules of the game in a match, usually sitting on a high chair beside the net Unforced error during play, an error in a service or return shot that cannot be attributed to any factor other than poor judgement by the player. Wild card a player let by organizers to play in a tournament, even if his/her rank is not adequate or does not register in time Winner (rally) a forcing shot that can not be reached by the opponent and wins the point; (service) a forcing serve that is reached by the opponent, but is not returned properly, and wins the point WTA Women's Tennis Association, the women's professional circuit