Lawn Tennis

History of Tennis

The modern tennis game is associated with England, and in fact, it was this
country that began to elevate this sport to new audiences and make it as
popular as it is today, being proof of this the tournament of Wimbledon,
which is the oldest Tournament of the world, taking place in London from
1877

A Londoner, Major Walter Wingfield, invented a game called Sphairistikè

(Greek for "playing ball") in 1873, from which modern tennis evolved.
Wingfield's game was played on an hourglass-shaped court and created a
sensation in Europe, the United States, and even China

Tennis is currently an Olympic sport, since 1988 in Seoul, but this sport had
already been an Olympic modality previously and still for several years but
was eventually removed, because there were still no rules so fixed and
comprehensive on all sides. The International Federation of Tennis Rules
solved this situation in 1924, and this was one of the reasons for the sport
to start to evolve more and the emergence of more and more clubs.
How to Play Tennis

As has been said, tennis can be played singly or in doubles.

The goal is to send the ball to the other side, and it must move inside the
opponent’s field and always do so until a player does not hit the ball or
ends up making a mistake.

The game of tennis is composed of 3 sets, and who wins the game is who
manages to win first 2 sets.

The goal is to get to 6 games first. For the set to end, there must be at least
one difference between 2 matches between players. If 6 / 6 stays in games,
a tie-break will have to be played, which works like an extra game, and
whoever can win this game and reach the 7 game first, wins the set.

The games are punctuated as follows: 15, 30, 40. Each time the player wins
a move, the player gains 15, then goes to 30, … until after the 40, if he wins
another move, he wins the game if he has an advantage of 2 played. If 40 /
40 stays, for example, it is called deuce each time they are tied and the
game only ends when one of them reaches an advantage of 2 plays

Tennis Court

The tennis is played in a rectangular field; the two measures vary if played
individually or in pairs, thus making it wider.

The court has 23,77 meters long and in width has 8,23 meters for
singulares and about 10,97 meters for doubles. Around the court, it also
takes some extra space for players to reach the balls.
The field is divided in two by a network, which at the ends measures about
1,07 meters and in the center measures 91,4 centimeters. It is also divided
by different lines and the sides and the bottom delimit the field, then has a
space of 6,4 meters from the net to each side of it, which is then divided in
two, which is called the service area. This zone serves as a reference for
where the ball has to bounce in the service of the opponent player

Its surface can also change a lot, with 3 main variations for it.

Clay / Earth

clay, and is the slowest floor, both for players to run and for the ball when it
hits the ground.

If you are one of those players who relies too much on your speed or who
has an absolutely fast and strong blow, this floor is not the best for you-
Hardcourt

Hardcourt, or hard floor, is already faster than the previous one and can be
made of different materials like cement, tartan, asphalt or even wood.
Trenches like the Australian Open or the US Open are played on this type of
ground.

Grass

Definitely the type of court with a faster game, being that offers little
friction and so the ball travels faster. It may also have small irregularities
because of the grass cut that although small, may make some difference in
the direction of the ball. The Wimbledon tournament is played on
grass/lawn
Equipment

The equipment for practicing tennis are very basic. In terms of clothing,
there is no rule that uniforms what should wear, and each player usually
wears clothes of similar format that hinder their travel as little as possible.
The rest, on just the racket and the ball.

Racket

The racket must be of a flat surface, formed with horizontal and vertical
ropes crossing, and the string must be uniform.

In terms of dimensions, it should not exceed 73,7 inches long and 31,7
inches wide. The racket should not contain anything that changes the
player’s performance, such as something that changes the racket’s weight
distribution
Ball

It is usually yellow, with a uniform outer surface, and there can be no

visible seams. It should have a diameter between 6,35 and 6,67 centimeters
and have a weight between 56,7 and 58,5 grams

Judges

In a tennis match, there are in total about 12 judges divided into chair
Judge, network judge, side and centerline judges, service judges and serve
judges. Below you will see who is each of them and what their functions.
Observe the figure above with the explanations below.

•Chair Judge: Is responsible for commanding the match. He announces the

score and has the power to reverse the decisions of the other referees.
Applies penalties such as warning, point loss, and suspension.
•Network Judge: Checks whether or not the ball touches the net during a
serve. An electronic device can assist you.

•Serving Judge: It’s two blocks away. They are responsible for taking care
of whether the serve given by the opposing player has not left the service
line.

•Service Judge: Are two. They observe if the athlete does not step on the
line at the time of the service.

•Line Judges: There are four line judges, two on each side of the court.
They are responsible for identifying whether the service has entered the
service area or not and advises the chair judge regarding the absences.

•Central Line Judge: There are two as well. They observe if the ball hits
the correct side of the court at the time of service.

•Court Judge: He can suspend the game because of bad weather, for
example. Also, an athlete may be disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct.

•Ball catcher: He is responsible for catching the balls on the court and
reaches them to the tennis player
Tournaments

In tennis, there are several categories of tournaments, being separated by a

number of points for the ATP ranking of tennis players worldwide.

The Four Majors

The four majors or Grand Slam tournaments, the four biggest competitions
on the tennis circuit, are Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open, and
the Australian Open. Since the mid 1920s they became and have remained
the most prestigious events in tennis. Winning these four tournaments in
the same year is called the Grand Slam

1877: Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon, were founded by the All England Club in

1877 to raise money for the club. The first Championships were contested
by 22 men and the winner received a Silver Gilt Cup proclaiming the
winner to be "The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion
of the World

Surface : Grass
1881: U.S. Open

Tennis was first played in the U.S. on a grass court set up on the Estate of
Col. William Appleton in Nahant Massachusetts by James Dwight, Richard
Dudley Sears and Fred Sears in 1874. In 1881, the desire to play tennis
competitively led to the establishment of tennis clubs

The tournament was made officially one of the tennis 'Majors' from 1924
by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF).

Surface :Hard DecoTurf

1891/1925: French Open ( Roland Garros )

Tennis was predominantly a sport of the English-speaking world,

dominated by Great Britain and the United States.[57] It was also popular
in France, where the French Open dates to 1891 as the Championat de
France International de Tennis. This tournament was not recognised as a
Major or Grand Slam tournament until it was opened to all nationalities in
1925

Surface :Clay

1905: Australian Open

The Australian Open was first played in 1905 as The Australasian

(Australia and New Zealand) Championships. Because of its geographic
remoteness, historically, the event did not gain attendance from the top
tennis players. It became one of the major tennis tournaments starting in
1924 (designated by the ILTF). In 1927, because of New Zealand tennis
authorities releasing their commitments to the tournament, it became
known as the Australian Championships

Surface : Hard Plexicushion

Terms used in Tennis

(Ace / Ace) – When a player does a service that the opponent could not
even answer;

(Approach) – It is when the player makes a move to get close to the net to
try to close the play by reducing the amplitude of the opponent’s move.

Backhand – Beat with the back of the hand facing forward (happens when
it is hitting the opposite side of its dominant);

break – Win the game that opponent has the service;

Break Point – When the player is about to win the game when the
opposing player is serving.

Drive – Blow of the bottom of the field;

Amortie – When the player gives a spin effect on the ball to play short and
close to the net;

Lack – When the player does not perform a valid service. If he makes two
consecutive fouls, he is punished with a point for the opponent.

Forehand – It is when he gives a blow with the palm facing forward

(opposite of the backhand)

Net – When in the service the ball hits the net and falls in the opponent’s
field, which has to be repeated and does not count as a foul;

Lob – Played in a balloon to the bottom of the court;

Passing Shot – Make a long stroke to get past the opponent and fall on his
back;

Advantage – Advantage point when tied, for example, were 40 / 40, and
the player scored a point, thus gaining the advantage, with only one point
left to win the game
Tennis Rules

Tennis is a sport that originated in England around the 19th century and is
now played in a host of countries around the world. There are four major
tournaments known as the ‘majors’ that include Wimbledon, US Open,
French Open and Australian tournament

Objective of the Game

The game of tennis played on a rectangular court with a net running across
the centre. 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

Scoring

You need to score four points to win a game of tennis. The points are
known as 15 (1 point), 30 (two points), 40 (three points) and the fourth
would result in the winning point and the end of that game. If the scores
went to 40-40 this would be known as deuce. When a game reaches deuce
the player must then win by two clear points
Winning the Game

To win the game you must win a certain amount of sets (best of three for
women’s matches and best of 5 sets for men’s matches). Winning a set is
simply the first player to reach 6 games but have to be clear by at least 2
games. If your opponent wins 5 games you must win the set 7-5. If the set
goes to 6-6 then a tie break is played and it’s simply the first player to 7
points

Rules of Tennis

•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.
•Once a serve has been made the amount of shots between the players can
be unlimited. The point is won by hitting the ball so the opponent fails to
return it in the scoring areas.

•Points are awarded in scores of 15, 30 and 40. 15 represent 1 point, 30 = 2

and 40 = 3. You

•need 4 points to win a game. If a game lands on 40-40 it’s known as deuce.
From deuce a player needs to win 2 consecutive points to win the game.
After winning one point from deuce they player is on advantage. If the
player wins the next point they win the game, if they lose it goes back to
deuce.

•To win the set a player must win 6 games by 2 or more. The opening sets
will go to a tie break if its ends up 6-6 where players play first to 7 points.
The final set will not have a tie break and requires players to win by two
games with no limits.

•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