LAWN TENNIS

TENNIS Tennis is a sport people play individually

against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles)

Each player uses a racquet that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court.

EQUIPMENT RACQUET The components of a tennis racquet include

a handle, known as the grip, connected to a neck which joins a roughly elliptical frame that holds a matrix of tightly pulled strings.

First 100 years of modern games: racquets were of wood and of standard size, and strings were of animal gut

20th century: composites of carbon graphite, ceramics, and lighter metals such as titanium were introduced

EQUIPMENT BALLS Tennis balls are made of hollow rubber

with a felt coating Diameter: 65.41-68.58 mm (2.575-2.700

inches) Weight: 56.0 and 59.4 grams (1.975-

2.095 ounces)

RACQUET AND BALLS

SCORING BASICS The first point in a game is called 15 and the next 30.

So you'd think that the next point should be 45 - but it isn't, it's 40.

And the score of a player who has not won any points is not 'nil' or 'zero', but 'love'.

The server's score is always called first by the umpire.

So if Player A is serving to Player B and Player B wins the point, the score is love-15.

If Player A wins the next point the score is 15-all, and so on.

GAMES The first player to win

four points wins a game.

The exception is if both players win three points each (i.e. 40-40) which is called deuce.

Then the winner is the first player to then win two points in a row.

LOSING POINTS Apart from

playing the ball into the net or out of court there are a number of ways of losing a point.

LOSING POINTS Throwing the racquet at the ball.

Letting go of the racquet accidentally is not a fault, unless it hits a permanent fixture such as the net before the ball is out of play

Hitting the ball twice, carrying it or catching it on the racquet

Hitting the ball before it crosses the net

LOSING POINTS The ball touches the player or anything

they wear or carries (except the racquet) while in play

In tournaments, umpires can deduct points for racquet abuse or dissent

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