Rules
Lets, faults, challenges, and everything the chair umpire enforces
The official who sits in the elevated chair at the net and oversees the match.
A player's formal request to review a line call using Hawk-Eye.
A formal warning or penalty issued by the chair umpire for unsportsmanlike conduct.
When both the first and second serves fail to land in the correct service box.
When the server's foot touches or crosses the baseline before making contact with the ball.
Electronic line-calling system that tracks the ball's trajectory using multiple cameras.
Any deliberate or involuntary act by a player that disrupts the opponent during a point.
When a serve clips the net cord but still lands in the correct service box.
When the ball hits the top of the net during a rally and tumbles over to the other side.
The complete sequence of movements a player goes through to hit a serve, from the initial stance through the ball toss, backswing, trophy position, and contact.
The 25-second countdown timer displayed on court that starts after the previous point ends.
Issued when a player exceeds the 25-second shot clock between points.
Shots
Forehands, backhands, drop shots, and the weapons that win points
A serve that lands in the service box and is not touched by the returner's racquet.
A groundstroke hit while moving forward toward the net, used to set up a volley or overhead on the next shot.
Backward rotation on the ball, also called underspin.
A shot hit diagonally from one side of the court to the other.
A softly hit shot with heavy backspin that barely clears the net and dies quickly after bouncing.
A serve hit with minimal spin, relying primarily on speed.
Hitting the ball immediately after it bounces, right off the short hop.
A forehand hit from the backhand side of the court, directed down the line to the opponent's forehand side.
A forehand hit from the backhand side of the court, angled crosscourt to the opponent's backhand.
A serve hit with heavy topspin that causes the ball to bounce high and jump toward the returner's body or backhand side.
A high, arcing shot aimed over an opponent who's at the net.
A very high, loopy groundstroke with heavy topspin that arcs well above the net.
A shot hit above your head, similar to a serve motion, typically used to put away a weak lob.
A groundstroke hit past an opponent who is at the net, out of their reach.
A shot hit with backspin (underspin), where the racquet moves from high to low through the ball.
A serve hit with sidespin that curves the ball wide, pulling the returner off the court.
Forward rotation on the ball created by brushing up the back of it with the racquet.
A shot hit between the legs, usually while running away from the net to chase down a lob.
Hitting the ball before it bounces, typically while positioned at or near the net.
Court
Surfaces, lines, boxes, and the geography of a tennis court
The left side of the court from each player's perspective.
The area between the baseline and the service line, essentially the back half of each player's side.
The line at the back of the court, running parallel to the net.
A short line bisecting each baseline, indicating the midpoint of the court.
The right side of the court from each player's perspective.
A match played between two teams of two players each.
A shot hit parallel to and near the sideline, keeping the ball on the same side of the court rather than hitting crosscourt.
A serve aimed at the center service line (the 'T' where the service line meets the center line).
The barrier that divides the court in half, standing 3 feet (0.
The area between the baseline and the service line.
The rectangular area on each side of the net where a serve must land.
A match played between two players, one on each side of the court.
The narrow strips on each side of the court between the singles and doubles sidelines.
Slang
The language tennis fans use that confuses everyone else
Winning or losing a set 6-0.
Winning or losing a set 6-1.
Breaking the opponent's serve immediately after losing your own serve.
Failing to close out a match or point you should have won, typically under pressure.
Performing at your best in high-pressure moments.
An error caused by the quality of the opponent's shot rather than the player's own mistake.
Winning a set without losing a single point.
When a player enters a state of peak performance where everything clicks.
When neither player has broken the other's serve in the current set.
Hitting shots that land right on or very near the lines, consistently finding the edges of the court.
A player who retrieves everything and just gets the ball back in play without much pace or aggression, forcing the opponent to generate all the power and eventually make errors.
A sustained exchange of shots after the serve.
A player whose primary tactic is to serve and immediately rush to the net to hit a volley.
To deliberately lose a set or stop trying competitively, usually to conserve energy for the next set or because the current set is a lost cause.
An error made on a shot the player was expected to make, without being forced into a difficult position by the opponent.
A shot that the opponent cannot reach or touch, ending the point outright.
Scoring
Love, deuce, tiebreaks, and why tennis scoring makes no sense
The point after deuce.
A point where the returner can win the game and 'break' the server's serve.
A match point in the final of a tournament.
When the score reaches 40-40 in a game.
Zero.
A point that, if won by the leading player, ends the match.
Winning a point on the opponent's serve during a tiebreak.
A point that, if won by the leading player, wins them the set.
A tiebreak played to 10 points (with a two-point lead required) instead of the standard 7.
A special game played when a set reaches 6-6, where the first player to reach 7 points with a two-point lead wins the tiebreak and the set.
Equipment
Racquets, strings, surfaces, and the gear behind the game
The act of tossing the ball into the air before hitting a serve.
A small rubber device inserted into the string bed of a racquet to reduce vibration and change the sound of the ball hitting the strings.
Natural gut strings, made from cow intestine (yes, really).
A stringing setup that uses two different types of string: one for the mains (vertical strings) and one for the crosses (horizontal strings).
A thin, replaceable grip wrap applied over the permanent base grip of a racquet.
Polyester strings.
The size of the racquet's string bed, measured in square inches.
How tightly the strings are strung in a racquet, measured in pounds or kilograms.
The optimal area on the racquet's string bed where contact produces the cleanest, most powerful, and most controlled shot.
A forehand grip where the palm sits further under the handle, allowing extreme topspin generation.