How is Tennis Played?

Lawn Tennis is played on courts which can be made of grass, clay or even plastic. Basically, the first priority is to keep the ball in play - by getting the ball over the net in to court. Players commence the game by 'serving' the ball to their opponent, having two chances to deliver their shot in to the service box. The opponent then has to return serve, and there are a various types of strokes which the players use to either keep the ball in play or to win points.

Forehand and backhand groundstrokes
These are played after the ball has bounced once, returning the ball over the net to your opponent. Note that if the ball bounces twice, it is termed as 'dead' and the player who served the ball wins the point.

Volleys
These are hit on both the forehand and backhand sides, hit from near the net, importantly, before the ball has bounced on the ground. Some of the most exciting tennis to watch is when players volley the ball to each other at high speeds.

The smash
This shot has a similar action to a serve, but is generally played near to the net - in reply to an opponent's lob (high shot). The smash can often be the decisive shot which wins a point or a game.

Initially the scoring of tennis can seem quite confusing but it is actually very simple. Basically, players serve alternate games. The server always calls out the score before they serve, and they call their own score before their opponents. Tennis games are scored as follows.

0 points - love
1 point = 15
2 points = 30
3 points = 40
4 points = game.

Playing Tennis

The score is called 'deuce' if both players have a score of 40. You should also note that when this happens, a player must win two consecutive points to win the game. Opponents continue playing individual games which make up sets. If a player wins 6 games before the other person wins 4 games or less, they win the set. In tournament matches, players play the best of 3 set matches, though at Men's Championship Matches this is extended to 5 sets.

Another variant of the Tennis Game is doubles. In doubles, you and a partner play against two opponents. Doubles can be very sociable, as you and your partner are a team against your opponents. In doubles, you each cover half of the doubles court (this includes the tramlines down the outside width of the court), it can take some of the pressure off, as you don't have to hit every shot. The dimensions of the court vary in doubles, and so will your court position because of the different angles involved in playing on a wider court.

'If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same'

Rudyard Kipling