Tennis Review Sheet

Historians credit the first origins of the game to 11th or 12th century French monks who began playing games of handball against walls or in court yards The game took on the name jeu de paume, which means "game of the hand/palm." In 1874, Major Walter C. Wingfield patented in London the equipment and rules for a game very similar to modern tennis. In 1877, the All England Club held the first Wimbledon tournament and thus began the saga of a game that is immensely popular all over the world. Today there are four Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open, the French open Wimbledon and US Open
The Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year and begins in January. It is played on a synthetic hard court o The French Open is the second of the Grand slam tournaments held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is played on a clay court o Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the only one still played on the game's original surface, grass. o The US Open has been chronologically the fourth and final Grand Slam tennis tournament each year. It is held annually in August and September over a two-week period. It is played on an acrylic hard court. o
TYPES OF COURTS Hard - Most common court. Surface is concrete Its the fastest type of court, which means that the balls bounce up very quickly after they hit the ground. Its also an easy surface to run on so the players dont have to worry about losing their footing much. Clay - Clay courts are very hard packed clay or sand covered by some loose clay or sand. The ball wont bounce as fast off of these courts since the ground is softer than hard court. Also, since the players are running on loose sand, they tend to slide around a lot. Grass The grass court is the most difficult type to play on. The grass is very short, tough grass, growing on hard packed dirt, not unlike the grass on a golf course green. If the dirt is packed very well, then the ball can bounce almost as fast as it would on hard court. However, the courts can also have very unpredictable bounces. Carpet - Not like youre living room carpet, this carpet is tough and thin, usually placed over cement, and is a little like astro turf in a football stadium. Generally, either carpet or hard court is used for indoor tennis courts. The ball will bounce predictably, like on hard court, but the friction between ball and the carpet will slow the ball down when it bounces.

STROKES Forehand Shot/Stroke made from Dominant side of body. Backhand Shot/Stroke made from Non-Dominant side of body. Serve Shot/Stroke made from over the head. Used to begin each point. Same motion as the Overhead shot. Lob - A lob is a ball hit in a high arc, usually over the opponent's head. For the most part it is played when the opponent is standing at the net. Volley - a shot that is hit before the ball bounces on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net. Hit with a short backswing and a punching stroke.

Overhead Smash a shot that is hit above the head with a serve-like motion, fairly near the net or in mid-court before the ball bounces. It is generally against lobs. The right to serve, receive, choose your side, or give the opponent these choices is decided by a toss of a coin or racquet. If the choice of service or receiver is chosen, the opponent chooses which side to start. If the server misses his/her target twice, he/she loses the point. If the ball hits the net and goes in the correct service box, another serve is granted. If the server steps on the baseline before contact is made, the serve is deemed a fault. A ball that hits the boundary lines of the court is considered in or in fair play.

SCORING LOVE = 0 15 = First Point 30 = Second Point 40 = Third Point GAME = Fourth Point *When games are tied at a specific number, the number is said, followed by All. For Example: Game tied at 1515 is said as 15 All. Or Game tied at 30-30 is said as 30 All. **When the score is tied at 40-40, it is known as Deuce. Game must be won by two points when the score is tied at deuce. Games equal 1. The first to win 6 games, by two, wins the set. The first to win 2 sets wins the match. A player loses the point if he/she hits the ball into the net, hits the ball outside the boundaries of the court, or lets the ball bounce MORE THAN ONCE on their side of the court (while the ball was in play). They also lose the point if they touch the net, drop their racquet while hitting the ball or bounce the ball over the net.

Doubles alley is in bounds play during doubles games but out of bounds during a singles game Serves are done from the baseline, over the net, and must bounce once in the service box (Ad court or Deuce court) opposite server. Doubles court is 36 feet wide Singles court is 27 feet wide Entire court is 78 feet long Net is 3 1/2 feet high