The Game of Tennis

The history of tennis is said to date back several of thousands of years. The game was created by European monks. It began as a game for “entertainment purposes during religious ceremonies. To begin the game of tennis one was too hit the ball with their hand, soon the leather glove came into existence. This now replaced ones hand with a more effective way to hit and serve the ball, and so the first “racquet” was created. With a new way to hit the tennis balls, then the ball went under reconstruction and redesign seeing as the first tennis ball was wooden.

Soon the new ball was bouncier, it was made of leather filled with cellulose material. The game of tennis soon became very popular in Europe, then in france as it was adopted by the royal family. But in the beginning tennis was called “Jeu de paumme” – the game of the palm, and it was played by kings and noblemen.

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The French players began the game by yelling the word “tenez!” which meant “Play!” The name was then changed to royal or “real tennis.” In 1874 the first tennis courts came to be in the United States and Major Walter Wingfield had requested the patent rights for the equipment and rules of the game. The game spread like wild fire to different parts of the world like, Russia, Canada, India and China. Although Wingfield’s version of the tennis courts and rules of the game underwent a many changes until it gave way to the modern version of tennis we play today.

The earliest of origins of tennis are said to be a matter of “some dispute.” Some believe that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans were the first to play tennis, but no drawings or descriptions to prove this information has ever been discovered. One this we do know is a few Arabic words dating from ancient Egyptian times are cited as evidence. The name tennis comes from the Egyptian town, Tinnis and the word racquet is Arabic for palm of the hand. Aside from those two words, evidence to prove any form of the game tennis being played or created the year 1000 is lacking, and most people and historians credit the first origins to the French.

As far as the rules of the game of Tennis I decided to get simplified version of them which I had found on another High School’s website. “The rules of tennis are quite simple. The game itself is complex. " 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 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 and odd number points played from the advantage court. 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.

Also while researching the game of tennis I came across a list of the tennis terminology that made the definitions easier to understand for a beginner in tennis as well as someone just looking into the sport. As I read the terminologies I decided to make a table list for all of them with the definitions that the website provided for me. TermsDefinitions

Ad CourtThe advantage court is the left side of the court for each player AdvantageAfter the score has reached 40-all, the winner of the next point will have the advantage, requiring another point to win the game. If the player with advantage loses the next point, the score reverts to 40-all. AlleyThe area of court bounded by the singles and doubles sidelines, used in doubles games. Angle-gameStyle of play where the all is hot so as to force the opponent wide of the court BackhandThe tennis stroke in which the ball is struck on the opposite side of the body to the racquet hand. BallThe tennis ball is made rubber with a green/yellow fury coating BallboysAssistants whose job it is to collect the ball and return it to the serving player. BaselineTwo-inch wide mark at the rear of the court

CrosscourtA crosscourt shot is played diagonally across the court Double FaultWhen a server faults twice in a row, and a point is lost. Deucea score of 40 all
Deuce Courtthe right side of the court of each player
Drop ShotA volley in which the ball drops just over the net ForecourtArea of court between the service line and the net FootfaultWhen a server places their foot over the service line in the process of serving the ball FaultDuring a serve, when the ball does not land inside the service area on the full. The player loses a point after two consecutive faults. LinesmanOfficial who sits in a chair along lines of the court to call whether balls are in or out. LobA ball hit high in the air attempting to land behind the opposition player NetThe barrier that separates the two halves of the court.

Net cord judgeOfficial who determines if the serve hits the net. RallyA series of consecutive shots played by opponents before a winner ServeOverhead shot to start each point
Stanceposition of the body prior to playing a shot
SpinA method of stroke play which induces a pronounced rolling of the ball in the air either sideways, forwards or backwards depending on whether the racquet face moves respectively across, over or under the ball. TopspinA forwards rotation of the ball after a shot

Umpireofficial who keeps score during the match
UnderspinA backwards rotation of the ball after a shot
WinnerA shot that beats an opponent

Tennis is a game played between two players in singles or between two teams of two players each in doubles. Each player has a racquet to have the opportunity to hit the tennis ball across the court, over the net into your opponents half of the court. One person on a team or one opponent is the server the other(s) is the receiver. After the server does an overhead shot into the receivers court the opponent is required to hit the tennis ball back until either the ball is out of play or out of the lines on the court or the opponent misses a fair ball.