Tennis Terms List
Tennis Terms
Ace
Tennis, like any sport, has its own lingo, and tennis uses perhaps the most well-known sports term — love, which means zero. The following list offers definitions of basic tennis terms: ace: A serve that the returner doesn’t even touch with her racquet. Baseline: marks the long boundaries of a court. The server must stand behind the baseline, between. Tennis vocabulary, Tennis word list - a free resource used in over 40,000 schools to enhance vocabulary mastery & written/verbal skills with Latin & Greek roots. Game: A game is the second stage of the tennis scoring system. In essence, it is an accumulation of 4 or more points won by the same player. Grand Slam: In tennis, Grand Slams are the 4 biggest tournaments in the world – both in terms of points and prize money.The 4 Grand Slams are the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. Synonyms, crossword answers and other related words for TENNIS TERM deuce We hope that the following list of synonyms for the word deuce will help you to finish your crossword today. We've arranged the synonyms in length order so that they are easier to find. 3 letter words ACE.
A serve that lands inside the lines and is untouched by the opponent
Advantage
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
10 Tennis Terms
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
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
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
Volley
Whenever your hit the ball before it bounces on your side it is called a volley
Wild Card
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
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!
Rules, naming and tennis expressions can seem foreign to new players and to those unfamiliar with competitive play. Below is a list of common tennis expressions, phrases and terminology you may hear on the court.
Abuse
The pleasurable, often therapeutic act of mistreating your equipment (typically a racket) by means of smacking it on the ground, tossing, throwing, smashing, cutting in half with a chainsaw etc. when upset about how awful you're playing. Can also refer to the act of a player verbally abusing themselves or their doubles partner after a bad shot.
Ace
A serve hit so hard and fast or placed so well on the court that the receiver can't hit the ball. Can also refer to the nickname of an opponent you should not wager with, especially for money.
Ad or Advantage
When one player is within 1 point of winning a game. Also refers to the left side of the court (when facing the net) where the second and final point of each game is played.
Approach Shot
A shot hit as a player is approaching the net. Can also refer to taking a shot of booze to calm ones nerves before hitting on someone.
Asshole
Bad name used to refer to any player on the court, a coach, the crowd, a ball boy or girl or umpire, your spouse, parent or child, depending on the situation.
Backspin
The ball being hit so that it spins backwards, from bottom to top in the opposite direction than it's traveling. Can also refer to a celebratory break-dance move where a player spins on their back on the ground.
Bad Call
When a ball that was really in is called out. Can also refer to someone's poor outfit choice or hairstyle.
Bagel
When a player is beaten in a set 6-0. Can also refer to a delicious breakfast item.
Ball
The fuzzy round yellow object we try to hit, sometimes more successfully than others. Can also refer to a testicle.
Break
When a player wins a game in which their opponent was serving.
Break Point
The point in a game when a player wins the game off the server.
Bullshit
The English word often said when an opponent makes a bad line call. Can also refer to a player's methods or style of play being less than desirable.
Changeover
The act of changing sides of the court during a set after the first game and every 3 subsequent (odd number) games. Can also refer to switching from Gatorade to vodka when things aren't going well or to a player who keeps changing outfits during a match e.g. 'After every set, George keeps on changeover and over again.'
Cross-Court
A ball hit on the diagonal across the court. Can also refer to walking across the court e.g. 'Don't hit me with a ball, I'm about to walk cross-court.'
Dampener
Also referred to as aTennis vibration dampener or racket shock absorber, a small rubber device installed between racket strings to absorb vibration when a ball is hit.
Deep
A ball hit so it lands very close to the opponent's baseline. Can also refer to someone displaying mental or emotional depth of thought or being philosophical.
Deuce
The score in a game when the players are tied 40-40. Can also be a slang reference to a bowel movement e.g. 'After the next game I need to take a break and go drop a deuce.'
Doubles
Playing as a foursome where two 2-person teams compete and players play together as partners, 2 on each side of the court. Can also refer to doubling up on alcohol consumption during changeovers e.g. 'Hey Sally, after the next point we're doing doubles.'
Foot Fault
When the server steps on or over the baseline while serving and is in violation of a rule. Can also refer to a player's poor choice in footwear style or their shoes not matching the rest of their outfit.
Forced Error
When a player misses a shot as a result of a really good or difficult to return shot being hit by an opponent. Can also refer to making a mistake intentionally when forced to throw a match you've bet on because you owe your bookie money from last week's football and horse racing bets and need to repay him.
Game
A single game where the winner must win by 1 point, finishing with advantage for the winning player. Can also refer to the amount of swagger a player has when interacting with players of the opposite sex and getting them to agree to romantic liaisons.
Gaming or Gamesmanship
The unsportsmanlike act of using mental tricks, delays and other such nonsense to get in the head of your opponent and make them play badly or throw off their rhythm or momentum. This can be intentional bad line calls, faking injury, yelling or grunting unnecessarily during points or other distraction methods, chugging one too many beers during changeovers, taking too much time between points, games, sets or causing other delays, arguing calls, intentionally lobbing offensively just to disrupt 'normal' point play and so on. Can also refer to a player who constantly interrupts play to try to play games or gamble e.g. 'Hey Ronnie, stop gaming, quit playing dice with the other team, it's your turn to serve.'
Grip
The handle or part of the racket we hold onto. Can also refer to a player's hold on reality e.g. 'Bob, I know you missed that easy volley but please, get a grip.' Also slang for having a lot of something e.g. 'Did you see Dave? He has a grip of the new Penn tennis balls.'
Groundstroke
A ball that bounces on the other side of the court before being returned.
Hack or Hacker
Someone who lacks traditional stroke technique and resorts to slashing and chopping away at the ball to create a lot of weird spin to make the ball bounce funny and be more difficult to return so they can try to trick their opponent in lieu of being able to hit better shots. Can also refer to a player who is an actual computer hacker.
Hold
When the serving player wins a game while serving. Can also refer to a doubles partner needing to be hugged and comforted after a particularly upsetting point and/or because they are emotionally needy.
Hooker
A person who 'hooks', also known as making bad line calls and calling balls out when they are really in. Can also refer to a prostitute on the court or in the crowd.
Junk Baller
More or less the same thing as a hack or hacker, someone who can't consistently hit a good ball and instead, uses a slow shot with no spin or a ton of side spin and back spin on most shots to keep their opponent guessing and to frustrate their opponent. Can also refer to a junk dealer who has made a lot of money and reached 'baller' status.
Kick Serve
A serve hit high and/or with a lot of top-spin so it bounces very high after landing.
Let
A serve that hits the top of the net before bouncing into the receiving player's service box.
Lob
Hitting the ball high up in the air in an arc so it goes over the other player's head. Can also refer to an intoxicated player wanting to go for lobster post-match e.g. 'Hey guys, when the match is done let's get some lob...'
Match
A series of sets, generally best of 3 with the exception of professional play which can go to the best of 5 sets.
Match Point
The final point before the match ends.
Mental Tennis
Mental tennis refers to the mental aspect of the game and how a player deals with what happens during play from a mental and emotional standpoint.
Moon Baller
Someone who relies on high arcing lobs as an offensive strategy to frustrate their opponent or try to keep them out of an offensive position. This is not generally considered 'tennis' and is seen a lot at club level and low to mid level USTA league matches. A form of gamesmanship. Can also refer to an astronaut who likes to play sports that include a ball.
Overhead
A high ball you hit in midair while it's over your head. Can also refer to anything happening up in the sky e.g. 'Hey Tina, did you see that giant pterodactyl that just flew overhead?'
Overgrip or Overwrap
A thin, easily replaceable strip of (often somewhat tacky) soft material sold in small rolls that's used to wrap around and cover the racket grip to add a little extra size to the grip and provide more comfort, absorb sweat and allow us to better grip the racket.
Pusher
Someone who does not try to hit winners or offensive shots and relies on blocking back or returning the ball safely to keep play going. Can also refer to a player who tries to sell drugs to the other players.
Set
A series of games where the winner must win the best of 6 games, winning by at least 2 games. Can also be a slang reference to the boobs of a female player or spectator or the testicles of a male player or spectator.
Singles
When two players play against each other. Can also refer to $1 bills.
Smash
Same thing as an overhead shot. Can also refer to smashing your racket during a mental meltdown or to badly beating an opponent e.g. 'Let's smash those guys!'
Tennis Terms List
Tiebreak
List Of Tennis Terms
The process for determining a set winner in the event of a tie in competitive play when a set is limited to 6 games, usually a 7 or 10 point setup where each player serves twice in a row and the winner must reach 7 or 10 points first and win by 2 points.
Topspin
A ball hit so that it spins from top to bottom in the direction it was hit, causing a higher and/or more forceful forward bounce when it hits the ground.
Unforced Error
When a player makes a mistake on their own without any outside influence such as a particularly challenging shot by an opponent.
Volley
Tennis Terms Fight List
A ball that is hit out of the air (except when overhead) before it bounces.