Tennis
Skyler and Twiggs
Rules & Gameplay
- Rules:
- The game of tennis played on a rectangular court with a net running across the center. The aim is to hit the ball over the net landing the ball within the margins of the court and in a way that results in your opponent being unable to return the ball. You win a point every time your opponent is unable to return the ball within the court.
- The game starts with a coin toss to determine which player must serve first and which side they want to serve from.
- The server must then serve each point from alternative sides on the base line. At no point must the server’s feet move in front of the baseline on the court prior to hitting their serve.
- If the server fails to get their first serve in they may take advantage of a second serve. If they again fail to get their second serve in then a double fault will be called and the point lost.
- If the server clips the net but the ball goes in the service area still then let is called and they get to take that serve again without penalty. If the ball hits the net and fails to go in the service area then out is called and they lose that serve.
- The receiver may stand where they wish upon receipt of the serve. If the ball is struck without the serve bouncing then the server will receive the point.
- If a player touches the net, distracts his opponent or impedes in anyway then they automatically lose the point.
- The ball can hit any part of the line for the point to be called in, outside the line and the ball is out.
- The balls in a tennis match are changed for new balls every 6 games
- A player loses a point if they fail to return the ball in either the correct areas on the court, hits the net and doesn’t go into opponent’s area or fails to return the ball before it bounces twice in their half.
Scoring
- Scoring:
The Court
- The Court:
Serving
- Serving:
- Terms to know:
- Ace: legal serve that isn't touched giving server a point
- Double Fault: Two consecutive faults ( Foot fault, Illegal release fault of ball, or ball hits wrong).
- Alley: Side of court only used in doubles.
- Deuce: Player needs two consecutive points to win.
- Ground Stroke: Forehand or backhand hit after ball bounces.
- Volley: Ball struck before bouncing.
History
- History:
- While evidence is thin on the ground, the game of tennis is believed to hark back thousands of years, with several indicators suggesting the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans played precursors to tennis. For example, the Arabic word for the palm of the hand is rahat, similar to the word racket, while the Egyptian town Tinnis again bears a resemblance to tennis. More substantial evidence emerges from around 1000, when French monks began playing a crude courtyard ball game. This sport, played against their monastery walls or over a rope hung across a courtyard, took on the name je de paume – ‘game of the hand.’ According to this theory, the word ‘tennis’ was coined by these monks, who would shout the word ‘tenez’, the French for ‘to take’, while they served the ball.
- Over the next few centuries, the game grew in popularity exponentially, with its reach spreading beyond the monastery walls to become adopted by the nobility throughout Europe. Some accounts claim that by the 13th century there were as many as 1,800 indoor courts. Indeed, the game became so popular that several members of the Church, including the Pope, as well as King Louis IV, tried to ban the game, although to no avail.
Singles vs. Doubles
- Singles Vs. Doubles:
- Most of the singles tennis rules and guidelines are applicable in doubles tennis, but there a few exceptions. First and foremost, the court size is wider. The boundaries are extended from side to side to the doubles sidelines.
- This includes the alleys between the singles and doubles sidelines on the court. Keep in mind though that the doubles tennis court boundaries are only in play after the ball is served.