If you think “a bagel” is something you eat with cream cheese, “a dink” is that brother-in-law you hate and “No-Man’s Land” is Oprah Winfrey’s studio, you are sorely in need of a little brushing up on tennis lingo. Check out our thorough glossary of tennis terms, both obscure and common. And, if you know one we’ve missed, let us know about it so we can add it to the list.
A
AA: a common nickname for Andre Agassi.
Ace: the name for a powerful serve that lands in but is not touched by the receiver. Aces generally land on or near the corners at the back of the service box.
Action: another word for spin.
Ad court: the left side of the court on each player’s side.
Ad in: when the server can win the game by winning the next point.
Ad out: when the player receiving a serve can win the game by winning the next point.
Advantage: when a player wins the first point from a deuce and can win the game with one more win.
All: word used to announce scores when both players are tied for points or tied for number of games won: 30–all (30–30), 15–all (15–15), 2 games all, 4 games all, etc. When both players are at 40, the term “Deuce” is used instead.
All-court: a style of play that is a composite of all the different playing styles, which includes baseline, transition, and serve and volley styles.
All-rounder: a player with the ability to play well both offensively and defensively.
Alley: also known as the tramlines, this is the area of the court between the singles and doubles sidelines.
Alternate: a player or a team that is accepted into the main draw of a tournament because of the withdrawal of a main draw player or team. This is only the case when there is no potential for a lucky loser.
The American Express: a nickname once for Andy Roddick.
Approach shot: a shot used as a setup as the player runs up to the net, often using underspin or topspin.
A-Rod: a common nickname for Andy Roddick.
ATP: Association of Tennis Professionals, the men's professional circuit.
ATP Champions Race: though this has not been used since 2009, this was an ATP points ranking system that began at the beginning of the year and mirrored the ATP entry system ranking by year’s end. The top eight players would then go on to play in the Tennis Masters Cup.
The A Train: a common nickname for Andre Agassi.
Aussie Open: slang for The Australian Open.
Australian formation: a doubles formation where the server and partner stand on the same side of the court (deuce or advantage court) before starting the point.
B
Baby Goran: a nickname for Marin Cilic – inspired by his following in the pro footsteps of fellow Croatian Goran Ivanisevic.
Backhand: the action of hitting the ball with the back of the racquet, meaning the hand is facing the ball when contact occurs (rather than the palm facing the ball). This often occurs when a player is on the opposite side of the court as the hand in which they hold the racquet.
Backspin: also known as slice or underspin, it is a shot that results in the ball rotating backwards after it is hit. The trajectory of the shot involves an upward force that lifts the ball (see Magnus effect).
Backswing: the part of the swing where the racquet is swung backwards before coming forward to meet the ball.
Bagel: winning (or losing) a set 6–0. The origin comes from the shape of the “0” resembling that of a bagel.
Ball Boy (or Ball Girl or Ball Kid): a child who fulfills the duties of retrieving the balls that go out of play and supplying the balls to the players before their service. During play, they kneel at the perimeter of the court.
Ball machine: powered by pneumatic propulsion, a ball machine fires balls at intervals every few seconds to allow players to practice their returns without having or needing an opponent.
Baron von Slam: a nickname for Boris Becker.
The Barcelona Bumblebee: a common nickname for Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Baseline: the lines at the farthest ends of the court that indicate the boundary of the area of play.
Baseliner: a player who’s game is played in the area of the baseline and that relies on the quality of the player’s ground strokes.
Baseline rally: a rally where both players repeatedly exchange shots from their respective baselines.
Baseline tennis: a tactical approach whereby players remain at the baseline and attempt to wear their opponents down through long rallies, or to win the point with a passing shot.
The Beast: a nickname for Max Mirnyi.
Best of three (or five): refers to the maximum number of sets in any match. In “best of three” matches, players need to win two of the three sets. In men’s tennis, most matches are “best of five”, i.e. a match finishes when a player has won three sets.
Big Bill: a common nickname for William Tilden, Jr.
Big serve: a very strong serve, typically giving the server an advantage in winning the point.
Block: a defensive shot with very little backswing, most often used to return a serve.
Boom Boom: a common nickname for Boris Becker, inspired by his powerful serve.
Breadstick: winning (or losing) a set 6–1. The origin comes from the shape of the “1” resembling that of a breadstick.
Break: to win a game as the receiving player or team, thereby breaking serve. Noun: break (service break) (e.g. “to be a break down” means “to have, in a set, one break less than the opponent”, “to be a double break up” means “to have, in a set, two breaks more than the opponent”).
Break back: to win a game as the receiving player or team immediately after losing the previous game as the serving player or team.
Break point: one point away from a break (expressed as the score of 30–40 or 40–Adv); a double break point (or two break points) is expressed as the score of 15–40; a triple break point (or three break points) is expressed as the score of 0–40.
Buggy whip: a forehand hit that does not have a follow through that goes across the body but instead starts low and goes high, staying on the same side of the player’s body.
Butch: a common nickname for Earl Buchholz.
Bye: refers to the round of tournament where a player advances automatically without facing an opponent.
C
Call: line judge declaration that a play was out of the play area.
Cannonball: a hard, flat serve. This term is older and less commonly used.
Can Opener: a serve hit by a right-handed player with slice landing on or near the intersection of the singles tramline and service line in the deuce court (landing in the ad court for a left-handed player).
Carpet court: a term for any removable court covering. A short form of artificial turf weighted with sand is common in Asia. Indoor arenas store rolls of rubber-backed court surfacing and install it temporarily for tennis events.
Carve: to hit a groundstroke shot with a combination of sidespin and underspin.
Centre mark (center mark): a 10.16 cm (4 in) line that marks the centre of the baseline. When serving, players must remain on the correct side of this mark.
Centrepoint: a mid-point between two angles of a possible shot.
Challenge: a player’s request to have the location where the ball landed reviewed using tracking technology.
Challenge round: final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match.
This was used in the early history of The Championships, Wimbledon and of the US Open, and, until 1972 in the Davis Cup.
Challenger: a tournament /tour that is one level below the ATP tour. This helps players gain ranking points so they might gain entry on the ATP tour.
Change-over/Change of ends: the break between games where players change ends of the court (e.g. after every ‘uneven’ game (1,3,5) in a set).
Chavaulito: a common nickname for Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Chip: blocking a shot with underspin.
Chip and charge: a play that involves hitting a slice and then following the shot into the net by moving forward.
Chop: a shot with extreme underspin.
Clay: a type of playing surface; the surface upon which The French Open is played.
Clean the Line/Clip the Line: a shot in which some part of the ball lands on the line.
Closed: applies to racquet face angle.
Closed stance: hitting the ball with the body facing between parallel to the baseline and back turned to the opponent; a classic technique.
Club Pro: a tennis club’s professional, this person instructs club players on how to improve their games.
Code Violation: call made on the ATP tour and on the WTA tour when a player commits a violation such as voicing an obscenity or hitting a ball into the stands (not during the point). The first violation results in a warning, the second a point penalty, the third a game penalty, and the fourth forfeiting the match.
Consolidate: to hold serve in the game immediately following a break of serve.
Continental grip: name of the service grip that originated in Britain. Method of holding the racquet for playing powerful backhands, serves, volleys and smashes. The most common grip for forehand and backhand strokes.
Counterpuncher: a defensive baseliner.
Court: the area designated for game play.
The Crocodile: a common nickname for René Lacoste
Crosscourt: hitting the ball diagonally into the opponent's court.
Cross-over: a player crossing the net into the opponent's court. It can either be done in a friendly fashion, or done maliciously thereby invoking code violation. The latter sporadically happens when it is uncertain whether the ball on a decisive point landed inside or outside the court when playing on clay, thus leaving behind a mark so that the offending party could point out to the chair umpire.
Cyclops: a device formerly used at Wimbledon and other tournaments that would detect a serve that landed long past the service line by emitting an audible noise when the serve was long.
D
Davis Cup: an international, annual men's tennis competition in which teams from participating countries compete in a single elimination format with matches occurring at several intervals during the year.
Dead net (dead net cord): when a player scores by inadvertently hitting the ball in such a way that it touches the upper cord of the net and rolls over to the other side. This shot is considered lucky and often acknowledged as such by the players themselves.
Dead rubber: sets played in a Davis Cup match after the winner of a tie has already been decided. This is typically permitted to allow lower-ranked team members gain valuable experience.
Deep: a shot that lands near the baseline, as opposed to near the net.
Default: after receiving four code violations, this call is made by the chair umpire to disqualify the player for his/her conduct.
Deuce: the score 40–40 in a game. To win the game, one of the players must score two consecutive points.
Deuce court: the right side of the court of each player.
Dink: hitting a shot with no pace, most of the time hit close to the net.
Dirtballer: a colloquial term for a clay court specialist.
Djoker: A common nickname for Novak Djokovic.
Dollar Store specials: Cheap tennis balls.
Double Bagel: winning two sets by 6-0
Double Fault: two faults in a row in one point, causing the player serving to lose the point.
Double handed: player who keeps both hands on the racket handle during the forward swing of the racket.
Doubles: a game played by teams of two on each side of the court.
Down the line: hitting the ball straight along the sideline to the opponent's side.
Drive: a powerful stroke with slight topspin. Given its long, straight trajectory it is well suited as a passing shot or attempted winner.
Drop shot: a light hit so that the ball just goes over the net and catches an opponent away from the net off guard.
Drop Shot Dragon: a common nickname for Albert Portas.
Drop volley: a drop shot executed from a volley.
The Duck: a common nickname for Andy Roddick.
Duckman: a common nickname for Andy Roddick.
E
Eastern grip: originating on the East Coast of the USA, this forehand grip allows the ball to be hit easily ahead of the body and the racquet to be swung all the way through.
Elbow: the corner of the baseline and the doubles alley.
El Mago: a common nickname for Guillermo Coria.
El Nino: a common nickname for Rafael Nadal.
Entry System: This ranking system determines if a player gains direct entry into the main draw of an ATP or WTA tournament. Points are carried over from year to year though players can lose points at a tournament where they have previously earned them.
Euro-Roddick: a common nickname for Joachim Johansson.
Exhibition: a game that does not contribute to ranking point on the ATP or WTA tours but is played simply for the crowd’s entertainment.
F
Fat Dave: a common nickname for David Nalbandian.
Fault: a serve that does not land in the area of play.
Fed Cup: an international, annual Women's tennis competition in which teams from participating countries compete in a single elimination format tournament with matches occurring at several intervals during the year.
Fed-Ex: a common nickname for Roger Federer.
Federer Express: a common nickname for Roger Federer.
FedRinka: a common nickname for Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka
Filo: a common nickname for Filippo Volandri.
First Service: the first of the two serves that a player is allowed at the beginning of a point.
Five: used to express number of games completed (e.g. “7-5” is spoken as “seven-five”), or as an abbreviation of “15” in points (e.g. a score of 40–15 is spoken as “forty–five”)
F.Lo: a common nickname for Feliciano Lopez.
Flat: a serve with relatively little spin.
Flatliner: a player who is able to repeatedly hit the ball with a very low trajectory but exceptional depth, causing it to often strike the line. The name is also said to come from the fact that this skill causes the player’s opponent to ‘flatline.’
Flying Finn: a common nickname for Jarkko Nieminen.
Follow through: the portion of a swing after the ball is hit.
Foot fault: a call made when, during a serve, the player steps on or over the baseline and into the court before having struck the ball. A foot fault may also occur when the player steps on or across the center hash mark and its imaginary perpendicular extension from the baseline to the net.
Forced error: when an opponent hits a difficult shot that causes the player to miss.
Forecourt: the area of the court between the net and the service lines.
Forehand: a method of wielding a tennis racquet where the player hits the tennis ball with a stroke that comes from behind their body with the front of their racquet hand facing the ball.
Fräulein Forehand: a common nickname for Steffi Graf.
The French: a common short form used for The French Open.
French Roddick: a common nickname for Gael Monfils
Fry: winning (or losing) a set 6–1, used similarly to the expression ‘Breadstick.’
Futures: a tournament series, which is two levels below the main tour. Players compete in futures events to gain enough ranking points to gain entry into Challenger events.
G
GOAT: acronym for the “Greatest Of All Time”
Game point: the last point needed to win the game by the player in the lead.
Geary: when the player pulls a quality pose after winning a point.
Ghost In to the Net: a tactic that has a player approaching the net while their opponent is focused on retrieving or retuning a ball and, as such, catching their opponent by surprise.
Golden Bagel Award: award for male players winning the most Bagels from January 1 until the Masters. Davis Cup matches and incomplete sets are not counted.
Golden Set: winning a set without losing a point.
Golden Slam: winning both a Grand Slam and the tennis Olympic gold medal in a calendar year.
Gorgeous Gussie: a common nickname for Gertrude Moran.
Grand Slam: in a calendar year, winning all four prestigious tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open (or Roland Garros), Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
Grass: a type of playing surface; the surface upon which The Open Championships at Wimbledon are played.
Grinding: a physically-demanding tactic that involves playing out points with a series of shots from the baseline and refusing to miss for however long it takes to win a point.
Grinning Greg: a common nickname for Greg Rusedski.
Groundies: see Groundstroke.
Groundstroke: a forehand or backhand shot taken after the ball bounces once on the court.
Guga: a common nickname for Gustavo Kuerten.
The Gull: a common nickname for Ernest Gulbis.
The gun: short for ‘speed gun.’
Gussie: a common nickname for Gertrude Moran.
Gut: one of the two main categories of tennis strings, the other being ‘synthetic’.
H
Hacker: a player whose strokes seem more accidental than intentional.
Hail Mary: an extremely high lob, for defensive purposes.
Half-court: the section of the court close to the service line.
Half-volley: a volley shot made after a short bounce.
Handsome Eight: a common nickname for Pierre Barthes, Butch Buchholz, Cliff Drysdale, John Newcombe, Nikola Pili?, Dennis Ralston, Tony Roche and Roger Taylor
Hard court: a type of playing surface, usually made of asphalt; The U.S. Open is played on had court surfaces.
Hawk-Eye: a computer system used to track the ball’s path and to overrule line calls when they are challenged.
Head: the portion of the racquet that contains the strings.
Headband: a piece of tennis equipment worn around the head, to help combat. perspiration. Headbands were especially popular in the 1970s when worn by many of the game’s top players – most notably, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.
Heavy (Ball): a ball hit with so much topspin that it feels “heavy” when the opposing player strikes it.
Hitting area/zone: the general area of the court where you strike the ball.
Hold: to win the game when serving.
Hopper: a container or basket made to hold large quantities of tennis balls.
Hopman Cup: an annual international mixed team tennis tournament.
Hot dog: after chasing back to retrieve a lob, the player hits the ball back between his legs while facing away from the net.
Hot Rod: a common nickname for Andy Roddick.
I
Ice Borg or Ice Man: a common nickname for Björn Borg.
Ice Maiden: a common nickname for Chris Evert.
I-formation: a doubles formation in which the net player begins roughly at the center of the net. This is used to counter teams that prefer a crosscourt return.
Indoor courts: while there are different types of indoor courts, hard courts are most common indoors. Slower, higher bouncing rubberized surfaces are used for a cushioned feel. Clay courts are installed indoors with underground watering systems. Barnstorming professionals played on canvas laid over wooden basketball courts up to the 1960s.
Inside-out: running around one side (e.g. the backhand side) and hitting a crosscourt shot.
Inside-in: running around one side and hitting it down the line.
Insurance Break: obtaining an overall advantage of two breaks of serve.
ITF: the International Tennis Federation, the governing body of world tennis.
ITA: the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the governing body of collegiate tennis in the United States.
Ivan the Terrible: a common nickname for Ivan Lendl.
J
Jamming: when a player serves or returns the ball straight into their opponent’s body.
Juanqui: a common nickname for Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Juju: a common nickname for Justine Henin.
Junk ball: a poor quality stroke with a slower return that is introduced with the intention of upsetting the opponent’s flow.
K
Kick serve: a type of spin serve that bounces high.
The Kid: a common nickname for Rafael Nadal (nicknamed to him by uncle and coach, Toni Nadal).
Kid Roddick: a common nickname for Andy Roddick.
The King of Clay: a common nickname for Rafael Nadal.
Knockout competition: a tournament where players are immediately eliminated when they lose a match.
L
The Las Vegas Kid: a common nickname for Andre Agassi.
Lawn tennis: the game from which modern tennis is derived. The name reflects the fact that the game was first played on grass.
Let (let service): when the player’s serve hits the net and lands back on their side of the court, the service becomes void and the server gets to retake the serve.
Let: most often occurring when multiple matches are being played next to one another, this is a warning called when a ball bounces into another court. The point in the interrupted match is then replayed.
Let-check: an electronic device that detects lets by monitoring vibration of the net.
Line judge: a person whose role is to watch and call when balls go outside of the boundaries of play. Players cannot overrule the call but the decision rests ultimately on the umpire’s call.
The Lithuanian Lion: a common nickname for Vitas Gerulaitis.
Little Bill: a common nickname for William Johnston.
Little Miss Poker Face: a common nickname for Chris Evert and Helen Wills Moody.
Little Mo: a common nickname for Maureen Connolly.
Lob: the intention of this hit can be to win a point outright, to force the opponent to chase down the lob or to give the player a moment to recover and change positions.
Longline: a stroke played straight down the court, either along or adjacent to one of the sidelines.
Loop: in groundstroke play the racket forms a loop as backswing and forward swing are joined in one continuous movement.
“Lingering Death” tie-break: a version of the tie-break played at the best of twelve points, with a two-points advantage needed to clinch the set.
Love: used to indicate a score of zero. This expression is thought to be derived from the French term, “l'oeuf”, literally “egg”, meaning nothing.
Love game: a shutout game, won without the opponent scoring any points.
Lucky Loser: when a main draw player withdraws, the highest ranked player to lose in the qualifying rounds gains acceptance into the main draw. In Grand Slam events, the lucky loser is randomly chosen from the four highest ranked players in the qualifying round.
M
Mac-Cam: a high-speed video camera used for televised instant replays of close shots landing on/near the baseline.
The Magician: a common nickname for Fabrice Santoro.
Masters Cup: a year-end ATP competition seeded by the 8 top-ranked players of the ATP Rankings.
Match point: a term used to indicate that the leading player needs one more point to win the match.
Mercedes Super 9: the former name for the 9 ATP Masters Series Tournaments.
Mini-break: to win a point from the opponent's serve in a tiebreak.
Mis-hit: a hit that fails to make contact with the “sweetspot” of the racquet.
Mixed Doubles: a game played by two mixed sex teams, with one of each sex on each team.
Moonball: a medium-high offensive lob hit with topspin.
MOP: stands for Major Opportunity Point at 0–30.
Mosquito: a common nickname for Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Muhammed Ali of Tennis: a common nickname for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Muscles: a common nickname for Ken Rosewall
Muzza: a common nickname for Andy Murray.
N
Nasty: a common nickname for Ilie N?stase.
Net: the netting that divides the court and is held up by posts on each end.
Net point: a point won or lost on approaching the net, as opposed to a point won or lost by a stroke from the baseline.
New balls: Due to the wear and heat from game play, new balls are introduced into play from time to time. The player to first serve a new ball will first show it to the opponent expressly.
Nole: a common nickname for Novak Djokovic.
No-Man's Land: the area between the service line and the baseline is so named because this is where a player is most vulnerable.
Non-playing hand: the player’s supporting hand - vital for balance.
NTRP Rating: a National Tennis Rating Program which ranks players on a scale from 1 to 7 with a 1 being an absolute beginner and 7 a touring pro. Ratings increase in .5 increments.
O
Official: any member of the officiating team: Tournament Referee, Chair Umpire or Linesman.
OP: stands for Opportunity Point, such as when the score is 15-30 and there is the opportunity to break serve.
Open: refers to racket face angle when a greater hitting area is presented to the ball.
Open stance: hitting the ball with the body facing between parallel to the baseline and facing the opponent; a modern technique.
Original 9: a nickname for the nine female players who signed $1 contracts in 1970 to form the Virginia Slims Circuit, the predecessor to the WTA. The players are Billie Jean King, Rosemary Casals, Nancy Richey, Peaches Bartkowicz , Kristy Pigeon, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Julie Heldman, Kerry Reid and Judy Tegart.
Out: any ball that lands outside the play area
Overhead: a situation when the player hits the ball over his/her head. However, if the shot is hit relatively strong, it is referred to as the smash (see: Smash).
Overrule: reversing a call made by the linesperson, the umpire is the only person with this authority.
Overwrap: a material wrapped over the handle of the racket to absorb moisture and sweat. Popular overwraps include gauze and the overwrap Tournagrip.
P
Paint the lines: to hit shots that just stay in bounds by hitting the boundaries lines.
Palming the ball: hitting or playing the ball with the palm of your hand instead of the racquet.
Pancho: a common nickname for Richard Gonzales.
Passing shot: a shot that passes by the opponent at the net, rather than passing over them.
Peanut: a common nickname for Maureen Louie-Harper.
Peachy: a common nickname for Fern Kellmeyer.
Pico: a common nickname for Juan Mónaco.
Pim-Pim: a common nickname for Joachim Johansson.
Pistol Pete: a common nickname for Pete Sampras.
Placement: hitting a ball with the intention of having it land in a precisely chosen part of the court, normally one difficult for the opponent to reach.
Place up: the tossing of the ball during a player’s the service.
Poaching: the aggressive act of a doubles player at net moving to volley the shot intended for their partner.
Point: the period of time between the first successful service and the moment the ball ceases to be in play.
Poseidon of the Court: a common nickname for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Pressureless Ball: a type of tennis ball that has a core made of solid rubber or micro-particles, rather than being filled with pressurized air. While these are generally approved for top-pro play, they’re usually used mainly at high altitudes where the difference in air pressure would affect a pressurized ball’s quality.
The Prodigy: a common nickname for Rafael Nadal.
Protected Ranking: if a player is injured for a minimum of 6 months, they can ask for a protected ranking based on their average in the first 3 months of their injury. This ranking will allow them to enter tournament main draws when coming back from injury.
Pulp: 30-30, not quite 'deuce.'
The Punisher: a common nickname for Andre Agassi.
Pusher: most often used derogatively to describe a player whose goal is to return the ball safely rather than to hit to win points.
Putaway: an offensive shot to try to end the point with no hope of a return.
Q
Qualies: the qualifying rounds of a tournament where participants compete for a spot in the main draw.
Qualifier: player who did not automatically make the main draw based upon his/her world ranking but by competing in a pre-tournament qualifying competition.
R
Racquet (Racket): a bat with a long handle and a large looped frame with a string mesh tautly stretched across it, the frame made of wood, metal, graphite, composite, or some other synthetic material, used by a tennis player to hit the tennis ball during a game of tennis.
Rafa: a common nickname for Rafael Nadal.
Rally (following the service of a tennis ball): a series of return hits of the ball that ends when one or other player fails to return the ball within the court boundary or fails to return a ball that falls within the play area.
Ready position: a starting point for all ground strokes and volleys, this is a stance that players adopt to indicate they are ready to receive the service.
Receiver: the person that is on the receiving end of a serve
Referee: a person in charge of enforcing the rules in a tournament, as opposed to a tennis match.
Reflex Volley: a volley in which the player has no time to plan the shot, and instead reacts instinctively to get the racket in position to return the ball. This occurs frequently in doubles and in advanced singles.
Retirement: a player withdrawing during a match, usually due to injury; and subsequently forfeiting their place in the tournament.
Retriever: a defensive baseliner.
Return Ace: a shot where the opponent serves, the receiver returns the serve and the opponent does not hit the ball.
Rising Shot: a shot that hits the ball before it reaches its apex.
Rocket Man: a common nickname for Andy Roddick.
Round of 16: the round of a tournament prior to the quarterfinals in which there are 16 players remaining. This corresponds to the 4th round of 128-draw tournament, the 3rd round of a 64-draw, and 2nd round of a 32-draw tournament.
Round Robin: a tournament format in which players are split up into groups of three or four players and compete against all other members of the group. Players are then ranked according to number of matches, sets and games won and head to head records. The top one or two players then qualify for the next stage of the tournament.
Rusty: a common nickname for Lleyton Hewitt.
S
Second Service: the second and final of the two serves a player is allowed at the beginning of a point
Second Flight: the flight of the ball after it has bounced.
Seed: a player whose position in a tournament has been arranged based on their ranking so they will not meet other ranking players in the early rounds of play. For a given tournament there are specified number of seeds depending on the size of the draw. The seeds are chosen and ranked by the tournament organizers and are selected because they are the players with the highest ranking who also, in the estimation of the organizers, have the best chance of winning the tournament. The draw is then created with seeds placed such that they will not have to play each other in the early rounds and will probably only face lower ranked opponents until the latter rounds of the tournament where they will probably face each other.
Seeding: a graded list of the best players entering a tournament. The best players are normally “seeded” before a tournament begins. This prevents these players from being drawn against each other - and knocking each other out - during the early rounds of the competition.
Serve: (also, as a noun, “service”) to begin a point by hitting the ball into the opponent's half of the court.
Serve out: when a player has the opportunity to win a set or match by winning his/her remaining service games.
Service game: with regard to a player, the game where the player is serving and the opponent fails to win a single point.
Service sideline: the boundary line of the service court.
Serve and volley: a strategy to serve and immediately move forward to make a volley and hopefully a winner.
Set point: a situation when the player who is leading needs one more point to win a set.
Shadowing: going through the motions of a swing without actually hitting the ball.
‘Shake hands’: refers to the basic Eastern Forehand Drive grip. This is a general instruction to explain how to properly grip the racquet.
Shank: a mishit whereby the ball contacts the racquet frame during the swing resulting in a misdirected shot.
Short tennis: a popular way to teach children to play, this smaller version of the game played on a badminton-sized court is useful to develop ball sense skills.
Sidelines: the boundary lines of the court lengthwise.
Sideways-on: applies to being parallel to the approaching ball’s flight.
Singles: a tennis game played by two players.
Singles Sticks: a pair of poles that are placed underneath the net near the singles sideline for the purpose of raising it for single play.
Sitter: a shot hit by the opponent which is hit with very little pace and no spin which bounces high after landing thus being an easy shot to “put away”.
Sledgehammer: a two-handed backhand winner down the line.
Slice: (rally) hitting a tennis ball with underspin; (service) serving with sidespin.
Sliderman: a common nickname for Gaël Monfils.
Smash: a situation when the player is hitting the ball over his/her head but the shot is hit relatively strong.
Smokin' Jo Willy: a common nickname for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Spank: to hit a groundstroke flat with a lot of pace.
Special Exempt: players who are unable to appear in a tournament's qualifying draw, because they are still competing in a previous tournament, can be awarded a spot in the main draw by special exempt.
Specialist: generally used to refer to a player who has mastered a certain playing surface, such as Rafael Nadal – a noted ‘clay court specialist.’
Speed Gun: a device used to measure the speed of a player’s serve during a match.
The Spice Girls: the former women’s doubles team of Anna Kournikova and Martina Hingis.
Spin: the rotation of the ball as it moves through the air, affecting its trajectory and bounce.
Split step: a footwork technique that involves doing a small hop just before the opponent hits the ball. A split-step helps you avoid being on your heels or flat-footed, both of which make it more difficult to run after a ball.
Spot Serving/Server: serving with precision resulting in the ball landing either on or near the intersection of the center service line and service line or singles tramline and service line.
Squash Shot: a forehand or backhand shot typically hit on the run from a defensive position, either with slice, or from behind the player's stance.
Stan the Man: a common nickname for Stanislas Wawrinka
Stick the Volley: a volley hit crisply resulting in shot with a sharp downward trajectory.
Stop volley: a volley where the player intentionally takes the pace off the ball, so that it drops softly on the other side of the net. This makes it difficult if not impossible for the opponent to return the ball.
Straight set: a straight set is one in which the winning games score is 6. Sometimes misused to mean a match in which the opponent doesn't win a set.
Strawberries and cream: a traditional English delicacy served during Wimbledon.
Strings: the material weaved through the face of the racquet. The strings are where contact with the ball is supposed to be made.
Stringing: stringing refers to the tension with which the racquet strings are strung. This is determined both by the type of fiber used (guy strings are more elastic than synthetic) and the player’s preferred method of play.
String Saver: tiny pieces of plastic that are sometimes inserted where the strings cross, to prevent the strings from abrading against each other and prematurely breaking
Stroke: a strike of the ball.
“Sudden Death” tie-break: a version of the tie-break played at the best of nine points, with the last being a deciding point to clinch the set.
Superbrat: a common nickname for John McEnroe.
Super Mario: a common nickname for Mario Ancic.
Sweetspot: the central area of the stringbead, which is the desired location for making contact with the ball resulting in optimal success of the hit.
The Swiss Maestro: a common nickname for Roger Federer.
Swiss Miss: a common nickname for Martina Hingis.
Synthetic string: one of the two main categories of tennis strings, the other being ‘natural gut.’
T
The ‘T’: the central area where the centre line joins the service line.
Taboo zone: the area between the service line and the baseline also known as “no man’s land”.
Take back: the preparation of the stroke prior to the forward swing.
Take-up: the preparation of the racquet in serving and smashing prior to the racquet head being lowered into the ’throwing’ position.
Tanking: to purposely lose a match, because of poor mental game or other reason; or to purposely lose a non-vital set, so as to focus energy and attention on a match-deciding set.
Taping it: to play an unforced error that hits the tape at the top of the net.
Ted: a common nickname for Cuthbert Tinling.
Tennis Ball: a soft, hollow, air-filled rubber ball coated in a synthetic fur.
T: where the center line and service line intersect to form a T.
Tennis Bubble: an indoor tennis facility consisting of a domed structure, which is supported by air pressure generated by blowers inside the structure. Generally used for play during the winter or in areas where the climate does not permit outside play.
Tennis Dad: a father of a tennis player, commonly portrayed by the media as having a domineering personality, and is sometimes willing to use it or be disruptive in order to fulfill their children's ambitions.
Tennis Elbow: a common injury in beginner to intermediate tennis players possibly due to improper technique or a racquet which transmits excessive vibration to the arm.
Tennis Hall of Fame: the International Tennis Hall of Fame located in Newport, Rhode Island and hosts an annual tournament around the inductee ceremony.
The Terminator: a common nickname for Ivan Lendl.
Thwack: a word that describes the sound of a tennis racquet hitting a ball with great force.
Tie: synonymous with match but used for Davis Cup.
Tiebreak (also: tiebreaker): a special game at the score 6–6 in a set to decide the winner of the set; the winner is the first to reach at least seven points with a difference of two over the opponent.
Tiger Tim: a common nickname for Tim Henman.
Timbo: a common nickname for Tim Henman.
Tin Man: a common nickname for Tim Henman.
Topspin: spin of a ball where the top of the ball rotates toward the direction of travel; the spin goes forward over the top of the ball, causing the ball to dip and bounce at a higher angle to the court.
Touch: when a player touches any part of the net when the ball is still in play, the resulting consequence is losing the point.
Tramline: a line defining the limit of play on the side of a singles or doubles court.
Trampolining: the effect that occurs when striking a ball flat with a racquet that is strung at a very loose tension. Trampolining results in a shot that has a very high velocity.
Tree: a player who is playing much better than they normally play, or a shot that a player hits that he/she would not normally make under normal circumstances.
Treeing: someone who is playing much better than they normally play.
Triple Bagel: three sets won to love.
Tsunami: a common nickname for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Tweener: a trick shot that involves hitting the ball between the legs from front to rear while retrieving an offensive lob.
Twist Serve: a serve hit with a combination of slice and topspin, which results in a curving trajectory and high bounce in the opposite direction of the ball's flight trajectory.
Two-fisted backhand: a backhand shot taken with both hands on the racquet, usually done so as to increase the force of the shot. (See any Serena Williams match for illustration of this technique.)
U
Uncle Toni: a common nickname for Antoni Nadal (coach).
Underspin: spin of a ball where the top of the ball rotates away from the direction of travel; the spin is underneath the ball, causing the ball to float and to bounce at a lower angle to the court.
Umpire (during play): a person designated to enforce the rules of the game in a match, usually sitting on a high chair beside the net. The ultimate authority for all calls made.
Underhand service (serve): a service whereby a player serving delivers the ball with his or her racquet below shoulder level. In intermediate level tennis this is considered unusual but an acceptable play. In upper-intermediate and professional events, the practice would generally be considered insulting, but there may be exceptions (for example, if the server is injured).
Unforced error: during play, an error in a service or return shot that cannot be attributed to any factor other than poor judgement and execution by the player.
Unseeded player: a player who is not a seed in the tournament.
V
The ‘V’: the angle made between the thumb and first finger of the hand.
Volley: a forehand or backhand shot executed before the ball bounces in the court.
Vowel Man: a common nickname for Younes El Aynaoui.
W
Warm-up: the period before an actual match in which players can loosen up and practice their strokes.
Walkover: an unopposed victory. A walkover is awarded when the opponent fails to start the match for any reason, such as injury.
Western: a type of grip originating from the USA that involves the palm of the hand being more underneath the handle rather than behind it.
Whack: to hit the ball with great force.
Wide-body: referring to a racquet that has a very broad side-on dimension.
Wild card: a player allowed to play in a tournament, even if his/her rank is not adequate or does not register in time. Typically a few places in the draw will be reserved for wild cards, which may be for local players who do not gain direct acceptance, or for players who are just outside the ranking required to gain direct acceptance.
Willy: a common nickname for All the Guillermo’s.
Wimbledon: see The Championships, Wimbledon.
Winner: (rally) a forcing shot that cannot be reached by the opponent and wins the point; (service) a forcing serve that is reached by the opponent, but is not returned properly, and wins the point.
WITA: the Women’s International Tennis Association was founded in 1973, in 1990 changed its name to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
Women's doubles: an event that two women play together and serve to two other women, alternating between the first and second team. Scoring is the same that of women's singles.
The Woodies: a common nickname for Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde
Wristband: a piece of tennis equipment worn around the wrist, to help combat perspiration.
Wrong-foot: a technique used to send an opponent the wrong way.
WTA: Women's Tennis Association, the women's professional circuit.
