Tennis Terminology: A Comprehensive Glossary
Ace: A perfect serve in bounds that the opponent cannot return and is not touched by the receiver.
Advantage: The player who scores the first point after deuce is said to have the advantage, since winning the next point will also win the game.
Advantage court: The left service court, where the receiver takes service when either player has the advantage.
Advantage in (Ad in): Indicates that the server has the advantage.
Advantage out (Ad out): Indicates that the receiver has the advantage.
All: Indicates the scores are level.
Alley: Area on each side of the singles court that enlarges the court area when doubles is being played; also known as the tramlines.
Approach shot: A shot hit hard and deep to allow the player to take the net; used from inside the baseline to enable a player to attack the net.
Attack the net: To move into the forecourt and toward the net to be able to hit volleys quickly into the opponent’s side of the court.
Back court: The area of the court from the baseline to the service line.
Backhand: A stroke made by drawing the racket across and in front of player’s body. Can be hit with one or two hands.
Backspin: Backward rotation on the ball, caused by rapidly bringing the racket strings down during the stroke as the ball is hit, which results in a low bounce; hitting the underside of the ball.
Ball boy/girl: Professional tournaments use young boys or girls to collect tennis balls during a game.
Ball toss: The action of tossing the ball into the air to initiate a serve.
Baseline: The line marking the front and back of a tennis court.
Baseline judge: An official, stationed on a line with the baseline, who is responsible for determining whether shots are in or out. The baseline judges are seated on the same side of the court as the umpire.
Block: To return the ball by holding the racket stationary rather than swinging it.
Bounce: When a tennis ball hits the ground, it goes back into the air.
Break: To win a game as receiver (as a noun); also short for a service break.
Break point: A point which will result in a service break if it’s won by the receiver.
Center line: A line extending from the net to the midpoint of the service line, which marks the boundary for both service courts.
Center line judge: An official who is responsible for watching the center service line to determine whether a serve has entered the service court.
Center mark: A line measuring 2 inches wide and 14 inches long, which marks the midpoint of the baseline.
Chair: The umpire’s seat. Also the term used to reference the umpire.
Changeover: A 90-second period after every odd-numbered game in a set when players change sides.
Chip shot: A soft dipping shot hit with a backspin that just drops over the net.
Chop shot: A shot hit with a heavy backspin, hit with a sharp, downward chopping motion; when hit correctly, it results in a shot with significant backspin.
Clean winner: A shot that cannot be reached by the opponent.
Defensive lob: A high, deep shot, which allows the player on the defence time to recover court position and forces the offensive player away from the net.
Deuce: If a score gets to 40-40, the score is called deuce – at this stage, the winner of the game is the first player to now win two points in a row.
Deuce court: Side, on which the first point of each game begins, also called the right court or the forehand court.
Double-fault: Failure to hit either of two serves in play.
Double hit: The act of striking the ball twice during a single stroke; it results in loss of the point.
Draw: The process by which matches are arranged and scheduled for a tournament.
Drop volley: Same as the drop shot, but hit off a volley, usually from a position close to the net.
Drive: A hard, straight shot often used to pass an opponent at the net.
Drop shot: A gently played shot that just gets over the net so the other player can’t reach it.
Fast courts: Court surfaces, such as wood and grass, which allow the ball to bounce faster and lower than others.
Fault: A serve which hits the net and / or lands outside the service box.
Flat serve: Hit with little or no spin, usually it is hit with great speed and power.
Follow-through: The finishing motion of the swing after the ball has been hit.
Foot fault: This happens when a server’s foot touches the ground in front of the baseline or the wrong side of the centre mark (on the baseline) before the player hits the ball.
Foot fault judge: An official responsible for calling foot faults. The foot fault judge is positioned on a line with the baseline, on the opposite side of the court from the baseline judge.
Forecourt: The area between the net and the service line.
Forehand: A shot hit from the racket side of the player’s body; the right side for a right-hander.
Forty: The third point of a game for either player or side.
Frame: The oval portion of the racket that contains the strings; an unstrung racket.
Game: A player wins a game if, generally, they are the first player to win four points.
Grip of the tennis racquet: How the tennis racquet is held to effectively hit shots during a tennis set.
Groundstroke: Hitting the ball after it has bounced, usually from between the area of the service line and baseline.
Gallery: The spectator area at the ends and sides of a court.
Game point: A point that will end the game if it is won by the leading player or side.
Game-set: Part of an announcement that a player has won the decisive game in a set.
Game-set-match: Part of an announcement that a player has won the decisive game in a match.
Grand Slam: There are four tournaments in the “Grand Slam” of tennis.
Half-court: The area of the court midway between the baseline and net, also called mid-court.
Half-court line: Another name for the center service line.
Half volley: A shot on which the ball is struck just after it has hit the court.
Heavy ball: A shot hit with topspin, which drops sharply.
Hold serve: To win a game in which the player is serving.
Hopper: A container that holds large quantities of tennis balls.
In: Descriptive of a good shot that lands in the opponent’s court.
Kick serve: A serve hit with a great deal of spin, causing it to change direction when it bounces.
Lawn tennis: The original name for modern tennis, based on the fact that it’s played on grass, to distinguish it from court tennis.
Let: When a serve hits the top of the net and lands within the service box, it is known as a ‘let’ and the server must serve again.
Line judge: An official who is responsible for determining whether or not a shot landed in the court. They include the baseline judges, service line judges, and sideline judges.
Lob: A shot played deliberately high into the air to land at the back of the opponent’s court.
Love: A score of zero points in a game or zero games in a set.
Love game: A game in which the loser scored no points.
Love set: A set in which the loser won no games.
Lucky Loser: A player who lost in the last round of the qualifying tournament, but got into the tournament’s main draw after a player dropped out due to injury.
Match: Usually, in men’s tennis, the first player to win three sets wins the match. In women’s tennis, the first player to win two sets wins the match.
Mid-court: The area around the service lines, halfway between the net and the baseline.
Match: A tennis contest made up of sets, as a set is made up of games.
Match point: A player who only needs one more point to win the match is said to be at match point.
Mini-break: Loss of a point on service during a tie-breaker.
Net: The piece of material across the middle of the tennis court that divides the court in half.
Net cord: The cable that supports the net.
Net cord judge: An official who is responsible for calling lets on service.
Not up: Said of a ball that is hit just as it’s bouncing for the second time. Results in loss of point.
Open tournament: In the early days of tennis, clubs held two types of tournaments: Closed and Out.
Overhead: A shot hit much like a serve, when the ball is above the player’s head, usually a smash.
Overspin: Topspin.
Passing shot: A groundstroke that passes a player at the net on either side.
Pickup shot: Another name for a half volley.
Ready position: Shot preparation. Weight slightly forward, knees slightly bent, racket up and in front of the body.
Racket: The instrument that’s used to hit the ball. It has a long, straight handle and an oval frame strung with natural gut or a synthetic material.
Rally: The exchange of shots between players. A rally starts when the receiver returns serve and ends when the point is won.
Receiver: The player who hits the ball back after a serve.
Round: A series of matches in an elimination tournament, the winners of which advance to the next round.
Sideline: The left and right edges of a tennis court.
Serve: A point begins with a player serving the ball. This means one player hits the ball towards the other player.
Serve-and-volley: Style of play that involves rushing toward the net immediately after the serve, in order to make a volley off the return.
Server: The player who hits the ball first for each point in a game.
Service box: The area where players serve into.
Set: Generally, the first player to win six games wins a set.
Shot: The act of hitting the ball with the racket.
Sidespin: Spin around the ball’s vertical axis, applied by drawing the racket strings horizontally across the ball at the moment of contact.
Slice: A shot hit with both backspin and sidespin; as a verb, to hit such a shot.
Smash: An overhead shot hit very hard, usually before the ball has bounced.
Stop volley: A shot that slows the ball down a lot and makes it drop just over the net with very little bounce.
Stroke: A swing at the ball; a shot.
Sudden death: A tie-breaker of predetermined length.
Sweet spot: The optimum hitting area, around the middle of the racket face.
“T”: Mid-court area formed by the junction of the centre service line and the service lines.
Tennis elbow: Pain caused by too much play, improper technique, racket tension or even racket grip size.
Tiebreak: If both players win 6 games each then there is a tie-break. In a tiebreak, the first player to win seven points, wins the tiebreak.
Topspin: Forward spin, around the ball’s horizontal axis, that’s applied by drawing the racket strings up and over the ball at the moment of impact.
Triple: The feat of winning the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles championships at a tournament.
Umpire: The official who is in overall charge of a match.
Winner: A shot that wins a point.