Tennis

History of Tennis

Unlike most other sports, lawn tennis has precise origins. An Englishman, Major
Walter C. Wingfield, invented lawn tennis (1873) and first played it at a garden party
in Wales. Called Sphairistik [Gr.,=ball playing] by its inventor, the early game was
played on an hourglass-shaped court, widest at the baselines and narrowest at the
net. In creating the new sport, Wingfield borrowed heavily from the older games of
court tennis and squash racquets and probably even from the Indian game of
badminton.
Court tennis is also known as royal tennis. It originated in France during the Middle
Ages and became a favorite of British royalty, including Henry VIII. The progression
from court tennis, which used an unresilient sheepskin ball filled with sawdust, sand,
or wool, to lawn tennis depended upon invention of a ball that would bounce.
Lawn tennis caught on quickly in Great Britain, and soon the All England Croquet
Club at Wimbledon held the first world tennis championship (1877). Restricted to
male players, that event became the famous Wimbledon Tournament for the British
National Championship, still the most prestigious event in tennis. In 1884 Wimbledon
inaugurated a women's championship. Soon the game became popular in many parts
of the British Empire, especially in Australia.
Tennis spread to the United States by way of Bermuda. While vacationing there, Mary
Ewing Outer bridge of New York was introduced (1874) to the game by a friend of
Wingfield. She returned to the United States with a net, balls, and rackets, and with
the help of her brother, set up a tennis court in Staten Island, N.Y. The first National
Championship, for men only, was held (1881) at Newport, R.I. A women's
championship was begun six years later, and in 1915 the National Championship
moved to Forest Hills, N.Y. Since 1978 what is now the United States Tennis
Association Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., has hosted the
event (known as the U.S. Open). The Tennis Hall of Fame is in Newport, R.I.

Tennis Rules
Rule 1. Opponents stand on opposite sides of the court. The player who delivers the ball to start the point is called the server. The player who stands
opposite and cross-court from the server is the receiver.
Rule 2. The right to serve, receive, choose your side, or give the opponent these choices is decided by a toss of a coin or spin of racquet. If the
choice of service or receiver is chosen, the opponent chooses which side to start.
Rule 3. The server shall stand behind the baseline on the deuce court within the boundaries of the singles court when playing singles and within the
doubles sideline when playing doubles. All even points are played from the deuce court (right side) and odd number points played from the
advantage court (left side). The server shall not serve until the receiver is ready. Serves are made from the deuce court to the opponents
service box on the deuce court. Advantage court to advantage box. If the server misses his target twice, he 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.
Rule 4. The receiver is deemed ready if an attempt is made to return the server's ball. The receiver can stand where he likes but must let the ball
bounce in the service box. If the ball does not land in the service box, it is deemed a fault and a second serve is given. If the ball is hit by either
opponent before the ball bounces, the server wins the point.
Rule 5. The server always calls his score first. If the server wins the first point, he gets a score of 15. Scoring is done like a clock. See example below.
Love means zero in tennis. The second point is called 30. The third point is called 45 (now-a-days known as 40) and game is won when the
score goes back to love. If the score is 40-40, also known as deuce, one side must win by two points. Advantage-In means if the server wins
the next point, he wins the game. Advantage-Out means the receiver has a chance to win the game on the next point. LOVE 15-30-40
Rule 5. After the game, the opponents serve. Games equal 1. The first to win 6 games, by two, wins the set. The first to win 2 sets wins the match. If
the score is 6-6, a tie-breaker is played. This is scored by one's. The first team to score 7 points winning by two wins the set. The tiebreaker
continues until one side wins by two. Hence, Game-Set-Match.
Rule 6. If the ball goes into the net, or outside the boundaries of the court, the player who hit that ball loses the point. If the ball hits the net during the
point and goes into the opponents court, the ball is in play. A player loses the point if he touches the net, drops his racquet while hitting the ball,
bounces the ball over the net, hits a part of the surroundings such as the roof, or a tree, the ball touches him or his partner, he deliberately tries
to distract the opponent.
Rule 7. A let is called during the point if a ball rolls on the court or there is a distraction from someone besides the players on the court.
Rule 8. A ball that lands on the line is good.
Rule 9. If players serve out of turn or serve to the wrong person or court, the point or game will stand and order will be resumed following the point or
game.

Scoring
Singles
If a player wins his first point, the score is called 15 for that player; on winning his
second point, the score is called 30 for that player; on winning his third point, the
score is called 40 for that player, and the fourth point won by a player is scored
game for that player except as below:- If both players have won three points, the
score is called deuce; and the next point won by a player is scored advantage for
that player. If the same player wins the next point, he wins the game; if the other
player wins the next point the score is again called deuce; and so on, until a
player wins the two points immediately following the score at deuce, when the
game is scored for that player.
Doubles
In doubles a similar procedure to that for singles shall apply. At deuce the
Receiving Team shall choose whether it wishes to receive the Service from the
right-half of the court or the left-half of the court. The team who wins the deciding
point is scored the game.
Mixed Doubles
In mixed doubles, a slightly different procedure will apply as follows: At deuce,
with the male player serving, he shall serve to the male player of the opposing
team irrespective of which half of the court he is standing, and when the female
player is serving, she shall serve to the female player of the opposing team.

Tennis Forehand
To Master The Basic Forehand

Step 1:
Prepare

Begin by adopting the ready position and then select your grip. For this flat forehand we recommend the continental
grip, also known as the chopper grip, named thus because it's how you'd hold an axe for chopping.

To find this grip just hold your tennis racket as if it were an axe. The V of your thumb and forefinger should be just to the
left of the top of the grip.

Step 2:
Approach the ball

As soon as you see where the ball is going, drive off from your legs. Your aim is to get to the ball as soon as possible.

As you move, turn both your hands towards the tennis ball.

This will rotate your shoulders and upper body away from the ball, storing up energy that will power the shot.

Step 3:
Bring the racket back

As you begin to take the racket back, pivot your feet to the right. If you're left handed, simply reverse these instructions.

Look to take the racket head back in a loop.

TIP: Use your other hand to point at the tennis ball. This turns your body sideways on the shot, preparing you for a
strong swing.

Step 4:
Your swing

Simply accelerate the racket into contact with the ball.

Your aim is to hit the ball when it is around waist height.

Power in your forehand comes from firing all your muscles: starting from the legs, then the hips, your shoulder, arm and
then finally your wrist.

You power the ball by moving into it and stretching through the shot.

Step 5:
Follow through

Follow through with your tennis racket reaching the opposite shoulder. Your body has now rotated naturally so that you
are facing the court, ready for your next shot.

Tennis backhand

Step 1:
The grip
Start by holding the racket straight out in front of you with your left hand, just below shoulder height.
Place your right hand on top of the racket grip, taking care to keep the wrist straight.
Close your right hand. You are holding the racket in the one-handed backhand grip.
Left-handed players do the same, but with left and right hands reversed. The same is true for the following steps.
Step 2:
The correct body position
Start facing the net as normal, and put your right foot in front of the left, turning your whole body to the left so that
feet, hips and shoulders all point in the direction you are going to hit the ball.
Support the neck of the racket with your left hand. This takes some weight off the right hand, so it can relax slightly
and doesn't get tired.
The racket should rise to meet the ball, so keep its head low as you prepare for the shot.
You are now ready to hit the ball
Step 3:
The shot
If your position and timing are good you should hit the ball at hip height, just before it comes in line with your body.
Swing at the ball so you meet it with your right arm fully extended. At the same time, put your left arm out behind you
for balance.
Always hit with the swing of your arm, never from your wrist. Your arm should make a constant right angle with the
racket throughout the swing.
Unlike in a forehand drive, there is no need to move your body when hitting a backhand shot. Just shift your weight
forward onto your right foot as you take the shot
After hitting the ball, swing through with your right hand so you finish with racket, arms and hands all in a line with
your shoulders.
The racket head should end up at shoulder height. If it is above your shoulders, you will hit the ball too high, losing
power and accuracy
If the racket head finishes too low, you may hit the ball into the net.
If the ball is coming in too high, simply move backwards until it drops to the correct height.
To play a low ball, bend your knees to drop your hips to the height of the ball. Make sure you don't stand up until you
have hit the ball.
Once you have got the hang of using the one-handed backhand grip, try some of the other shots explained in our
tennis series.