Tennis Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-18-2022

Knowing your way around the court is one of the first things to master as a tennis player. Familiarity with tennis lingo comes with playing the game, and one of the terms you need to know is tiebreaker so that you can play one when you get to six games all.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Slice, or backspin, causes the tennis ball to spin back toward the source of impact (you). When a slice shot bounces, the ball stays low, forcing your opponent to really stretch to get to the ball. If players like to attack the net and volley, they slice a lot. The slice can be a useful weapon, but it does have some disadvantages. Slice shots never travel with a lot of pace. Slice shots that are hit from lack of confidence or in a desperate attempt to just get the ball back tend to float, and they travel through the air slowly. Your opponent can do almost anything he wants with them, especially from a position up at the net. Mastering the forehand slice Slice always imparts control. Like all slice shots, the forehand version is hit high-to-low, with the strings brushing under the ball. Just before you start your forward swing, raise the racquet head to shoulder height, open the face so that the hitting surface faces up, and produce slice by cutting under the ball with a long, smooth stroke. The slice forehand is easy to master, and a fair number of hackers resort to it. But don't use it as a substitute for your flat or topspin forehand. It's a defensive shot that you should use on only three occasions: When you're scrambling to retrieve a good, angled shot by your opponent (this is called making a get) and can't set up to hit a conventional forehand — you can swipe the ball back with slice and buy yourself a little time to get back into position. When you're moving forward toward the net and you want to drive a low-bouncing ball into the corner of your opponent's court. When you want to surprise your opponent with a drop shot. Dressing up your backhand with slice If you have trouble effectively hitting the flat backhand, you can use a slightly different stroke that carries many players far in the game — the pure slice backhand. Many pros, including the legendary Australian champion Ken Rosewall, used the slice backhand stroke as their only backhand. The slice backhand suited their approach to the game, which was based on control rather than power. The slice backhand offers the following practical and tactical advantages: The slice stroke is simple. You hit under the ball, instead of through and over it, as you do on the flat backhand. That's just plain easier. Slice slows the ball down. A ball hit with any kind of spin travels slower than a flat one. Slice shots don't bounce as high, either. Those two qualities can catch your opponent off guard and screw up her timing. Slice shots travel in a flat trajectory. You don't have to lift the ball over the net in an arc and then get it to drop back down inside the boundaries of the court like you do with your other shots. A word of caution: Slice backhands make poor passing shots. Slow pace and the flat trajectory give your opponent two big advantages: more time and an ideal height, at about a foot above the net, to smash away a winner. Basically, you hit the slice backhand just as you would hit your standard backhand (both one-handed and two-handed backhands), changing only the following things about your stroke: 1. As the ball approaches and you rotate your shoulders to your left, bring your racquet back above your left shoulder. Your stance resembles the stance you take when you step up to the plate and get ready to swing a baseball bat — in both cases, your hands are up around your left shoulder. The major difference is that the racquet shouldn't be pointing straight up, at a 90-degree angle, like a bat. The racquet head instead should be pointing at the back fence, at about a 45-degree angle. When your backswing is complete, your right shoulder is close to your chin, and your right elbow points in the same direction as your right foot. 2. Turn the racquet face as you bring it back so that the hitting surface ends up facing upward, as shown in Figure 1. This position makes it easy and natural to brush your strings under the lower portion of the ball, producing backspin. Figure 1: Hold your racquet at a 45-degree angle to the fence when you slice your backhand. 3. Swing forward with a high-to-low motion. Release the racquet with your left hand as you do this. On slice shots, the racquet doesn't come around and up, making an arc. It moves forward and down, coming around to your right side only at the tail end of your stroke, long after the ball is gone. Make contact with the ball, with the racquet "slicing" under it, when it's at a point about even with your right shoulder. High bouncing balls are ideal for hitting slice shots, but you can play balls at any height with a slice by bending more at the knees and/or adjusting the height of your back and forward swings. Think of your racquet face as an elevator that you need to move to the right "story" or height to pick up the passenger, a bright yellow tennis ball! 4. Follow through until your racquet arm is fully extended, with the head pointing toward the ground at a moderate angle. If you hit this shot from a comfortable, set position (at about the center of the baseline), your racquet should be pointing toward the right netpost.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Yes, you can dust off that racquet that you played with five years ago and give it a glorious return to the court — if it feels good in your hand and it gets your shots where (and how) you want them to go. If you're in the market for a new weapon, however, you need to understand the build of a racquet so that you know what's up when you set out to select your new tool. When dealing with sporting goods salespeople, knowing how to talk the talk about racquets really helps. Sizing up the frame Welcome to Tennis Racquet Anatomy 101, where you can find out all the different parts that make up a standard racquet frame, shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: The components of a typical racquet frame. Here's a more detailed breakdown of those items: The head and the sweet spot: The entire area inside the head (where the strings are) is called the strung surface. The strung surface always contains a sweet spot — the area in which the strings create the most power for the least amount of effort. The sweet spot is the tennis player's favorite area of the racquet. The head of a racquet can vary in shape and size. Typically, a racquet's head falls into one of the following categories: Over-sized: Beginners really like the over-sized and even jumbo frames, which offer between 100 and a whopping 140 square inches of strung surface. Such frames give you a larger sweet spot simply because the hitting surface is bigger, and they allow you to hit the ball farther from the heart of the sweet spot and still make a good shot. Mid-sized: These racquet heads range from 85 to 100 square inches. Most pro players use frames on the low side of mid-sized — between 85 and 95 square inches. Most recreational players gravitate to the high side of mid-sized — between 95 and 100 square inches. Mid-size racquets offer a great compromise between a larger strung surface and sweet spot and a maneuverable frame that lets you generate good racquet speed when you swing. Standard-sized heads: Ranging from 80 to 85 square inches, standard-size heads are now obsolete. They give you a smaller strung surface and sweet spot, making it more difficult to produce crisp, clean shots. The beam: The beam is the area on either side of the head. The beam does not increase the length or width of a racquet, but it increases the racquet's depth (or thickness). If you look at a couple racquets from the side, you notice that some racquets have wider beams than others. Wide beams can add power to your shots. However, many players find that a wide beam enhances the trampoline effect of the strings to such a degree that they have trouble controlling the direction of their shots. The lack of control can lead you to start chopping and poking at the ball rather than taking a smooth, long swing. Stick with a moderate beam, straight or slightly tapered, until you have enough experience to experiment with more extreme beam configurations. By that time, you'll be able to determine how wider beams affect your strokes and playing style. The throat and shaft: The open throat design has become the standard in racquets, virtually eliminating the traditional lollipop construction, which is simply a closed throat design. Use a racquet with an open throat because it stabilizes the racquet head better than the straight shaft design. The open throat compensates for off-center hits, effectively enlarging the sweet spot. The point at which the two curved sides of throat come closest together and then extend straight down to the racquet handle is the shaft. Basically, the throat becomes the shaft. The grip: At the end of the shaft, you find the grip. Racquet grips range in diameter between 4 and 4-5/8 inches around. No objective criteria exist for choosing a grip size. Grip size is purely a matter of comfort. If you don't have a preference, tennis has an old rule of thumb — literally. When you grip the racquet comfortably (but not tightly), you should be able to touch the tip of your thumb to the top (or outermost) knuckle of your middle finger. If you're torn between two similar grip diameters, go with the smaller one, for this reason: You can always build up the grip later with grip tape. The butt cap: The tail end of the racquet, the butt cap does not impact your play. Most racquet manufacturers put their logo on the butt cap. Many players use this logo to determine who gets to serve first in a match. The overall length: Longer racquets give you more reach to the ball, and they give you a little more power, especially on the serve. But the added length also makes a racquet a little more difficult to control. You need better timing and eye-hand coordination to meet the ball with the sweet spot. Tennis is a game of controlled power. As a beginner, you should establish your game with a standard-length racquet (27 inches) and then trade up to longer racquets after you master your control. The weight: Racquets have lost a lot of weight in recent years because of the space-age materials from which they're made. Most racquets now weigh between 9 and 12 ounces, unstrung. You should be able to feel the weight of a racquet; it's a valuable aid to your eye-hand coordination. Use a racquet that has some heft without feeling heavy in your hand — light enough to swing easily and securely, heavy enough to provide you with good power. Racquet materials A whole smorgasbord of racquet materials awaits you at the sporting goods store. You may need a little help sorting through the offerings, so here's a list of the most common racquet materials you come across: Graphite: The vast majority of racquets manufactured today use graphite in one form or another as the base ingredient. Graphite is the technological generation's equivalent of the trusty laminated wooden racquet that was so popular until about the 1970s. Graphite is remarkably strong for its relatively light weight. It provides terrific power, as well as good control and feel for the ball. But graphite is best in a composite mixture with any of the various thermoplastic- and fiberglass-type resins used today. Graphite-composite racquets are great for beginners as well as advanced players because stiffer racquets transmit shock and vibration to the arm and shoulders. Boron and Kevlar: These two fibers resemble graphite, but boron and Kevlar are even lighter and stiffer than graphite. Kevlar is also used to make bulletproof vests — now that's stiff. Unless mixed with other materials, however, Kevlar's stiffness can transmit a lot of shock and vibration to your arm and shoulder, especially if you don't hit the ball on the sweet spot. Beginners should stay away from these materials. Aluminum: You find this old standby still used, particularly in less expensive racquets. Aluminum offers decent power and a surprising amount of feel. Feel is the sensation you get for how you're striking the ball and where it's going. Some racquet materials are more sensitive than others to things like impact and vibration, so they transmit information about them more readily. Recently, a clutch of new racquets made from a very strong, extremely light material called titanium has hit the market. Titanium is similar to aluminum. Either aluminum or titanium is an acceptable choice for beginners. Oldies but woodies: Many people still have wood or fiberglass racquets lying around collecting cobwebs in the attic or cellar. You can use these racquets, but doing so won't help your game any. All those racquets feature the obsolete, standard-sized heads. Why make the game harder than it has to be by using ancient, outdated tools?

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Tennis challenges you to improve, to hit your strokes and develop your strategy to become a more efficient, effective player. When you improve your game, you don't just become a better player. You also get the satisfaction that comes from mastering a skill. That's where pros — teaching professionals, not pro players — and tennis lessons come into the picture. When you get serious about your tennis, even if you're just playing for fun, you need to consider taking tennis lessons. No tennis instructor, regardless of how much experience and talent he has, can turn you from a beginner into Monica Seles or Pete Sampras in one hour-long lesson (or even three, for that matter!). However, an instructor can help you improve your game in some very concrete ways, starting with Lesson 1. Strength in numbers A group program makes a lot of sense for beginners. When you first take up the game, you need to master the same fundamentals as everyone else. Your game doesn't have a unique personality, complete with strengths and flaws, that requires the individual attention of a one-on-one lesson. You hit fewer balls in a group lesson, and you run less. Group lessons can be an advantage for beginners who aren't in great shape or for people who haven't developed enough strength or skill to take advantage of an intensive, 60-minute private lesson. Group programs are usually given in series, often early in the year at outdoor facilities. Typically, you can sign up for a series of six lessons, given on set days and times over the course of three weeks or a month. In a group lesson, which usually lasts for 60 to 90 minutes, you should expect to pay about $10 to $15 per lesson, including court time and balls. Bring your own racquet and accessories and be ready to play. In order to get the most out of a group lesson, try to get in a class with six or fewer players. Go as high as eight students if you must, but any more bodies than that on the court really dilutes the lesson. Don't expect much individual attention in large groups. Try any of the following places when looking for a group lesson: Your local public courts and clubs: Most public tennis facilities have teaching pros on hand, and many of them offer introductory group lessons. Municipal programs: Your town may offer summer tennis programs through its recreation department. Often, these programs aren't advertised, so don't be bashful about calling your local parks department and inquiring about their offerings. The USTA: The United States Tennis Association, the organization that runs U.S. tennis, sponsors a free program called "Tennis Free For All" to get people of all ages to try tennis. It also offers the "USA Tennis 1-2-3" program, a low-cost introductory instructional program for all ages that teaches basic skills to new players in a group environment. The USPTA and USPTR: The United States Professional Tennis Association and the United States Professional Tennis Registry are the two main organizations created for and run by certified teaching professionals. Each of them has referral services for players in search of instructors. You can reach the USPTA at 1-800-877-8248 or the USPTR at 1-800-421-6289. Resorts and dedicated tennis camps: A great introduction to the game. The programs are moderate to very intensive but designed at the best camps with an excellent sense of a beginner's need. Most camps and resorts offer a variety of other activities for playing as well as non-playing guests. You can use Tennis.com to check out and link up with a wide variety of camps and resorts. Most camp and resort Web sites provide a schedule of current programs, costs, and contact information. Hiring a certified pro for private lessons The USPTA has about 11,000 members, 2,000 more than the USPTR. Both organizations have one great feature: They conduct serious, elaborate certification programs to make sure that their members are qualified to teach tennis. Certification proves that a pro knows and plays the game well enough to teach. A letter of certification from the USPTA or USPTR is as close to a quality guarantee for your pro as you can come. Most certified pros are affiliated with individual commercial or private tennis facilities. You can start your search for a pro at any of those places. When deciding whether to take lessons from a particular pro, ask her about the following things and base your hiring decision on the answers you get: Fee: You pay for most tennis lessons by the hour, including group sessions and private, one-on-one lessons. Fees vary widely based on the amount of personal attention, the equipment used, and your location. On average, you can expect to pay around $40 for a private lesson with a teaching pro, and anywhere up to $100 for a big-name teacher. Teaching style: Is the pro in the mold of a Marine drill sergeant? A New-Age, "see the ball, be the ball" guru? An old-fashioned teacher who stresses mechanics? Not all teaching styles suit all players. Ask the pro about her style and see whether it seems compatible to yours. Background: Ask as much about the pro's playing and teaching experience as possible without being nosy about her other pupils or private life. Ask what the pro likes and dislikes about teaching. References: You could ask the pro to give you the names of two or three former students as references. But seeing a pro in action is the best reference of them all. Communication skills: After your conversation, ask yourself whether the pro showed an acceptable ability to communicate in a relaxed, friendly fashion. But remember, you're not looking for a new best friend — you're looking for someone who can help your tennis game. Maximizing the efficiency of your hour Before you show up for your first lesson, your pro should already know something about your game and, therefore, your strengths and weaknesses. The pro should understand what you need to work on and how you can improve. You should have described your game or even hit with the pro before you hired him, so that he's familiar with your game. During the lesson, ask for more information if your pro tells you something you don't understand. When communicating valuable information about the game, good coaches have a knack for doing it with vivid examples, memorable catchphrases, or even gimmicky techniques. Keep these tips in mind to get the most out of your time with your pro: Show up on time, ready to play. Do your stretching beforehand. Have all your stuff. Be patient — give your body and mind time to loosen up and get in the flow of things. Forget your pro and concentrate on the ball. Stay within your comfort zone. Enjoy yourself!

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Lefties are a real pain in the neck for righties on the tennis court. Left-handed players enjoy certain natural advantages. The biggest one is that for reasons nobody can really explain — at least not in lay terms — lefty spin serves are especially deadly. Lefties also serve more comfortably in the ad court while righties naturally prefer the deuce court With most of the key break points contested in the ad court, lefties enjoy a slight advantage over righties, provided they can exploit it. On the other hand (no pun intended), the most powerful and natural shot that most righties have — the cross-court forehand — goes to a lefty's backhand. Advantage, righties. And for some reason, many left-handers seem to be a little stronger on the backhand than the forehand side. That makes them more versatile but less likely to blow you off the court with the most basic of weapons, the strong forehand. Keep these simple tactics in mind when facing a lefty: Use your cross-court forehand. Unless your opponent has a terrific backhand, or you have a shaky forehand, this bread-and-butter shot can really level the playing field. Protect the wide side of the ad court during the serve. Lefties really like to go for angled, spin serves in the ad court. If you're a righty, that's also your backhand side. Make sure that you cover the wide angle, even at the expense of giving up the center of the service box. If your opponent can hit aces or unreturnable serves there consistently, so be it. Serve down the middle. Because so many lefties like the backhand, take away her cross-court backhand return in the deuce court. Let her hit the backhand from the ad court, where creating a good angle is harder.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

When tennis players win six games each, they generally play a tiebreaker to decide the winner of the set. (Tennis rules governing tiebreakers differ for team tennis and for the Wimbledon Championship and may differ for local tournaments as well.) If you're playing a tiebreaker, follow these steps: The player due to serve the 13th game serves the first point into her opponent's deuce court. After the first serve, the serve goes over to the other player, who then serves the next two points, serving first into the ad court and then into the deuce court. After the third point, the players alternate, serving two points each — always beginning on the ad court. After the first six points are played, no matter what the score is, the players change ends (and continue to do so after every other six-point span) until one player wins at least seven points with a margin of two points. The player who serves the last game of the set before the tiebreaker serves the first game of the new set following the tiebreaker.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Tennis, like any sport, has its own lingo, and tennis uses perhaps the most well-known sports term — love, which means zero. The following list offers definitions of basic tennis terms: ace: A serve that the returner doesn't even touch with her racquet. An ace wins the point immediately for the server. lob: A shot that you hit with any stroke high and deep into your opponent's court. You typically use a lob to get the ball past an opponent when she stands at the net. backhand: The side of your body that you usually don't do business on. For example, if you're right-handed, your backhand side is the left side of your body. netpost: The two very hard metal posts that hold up the net. (You'll find out exactly how hard they are if you ever run into one.) If your shot hits one of the netposts during play and bounces in your opponent's court, the shot is good. baseline: The line, parallel to the net, which defines the outer-most edge of the court. overhead: A shot you hit over your head during play, either on the fly, or after the ball bounces. The overhead is also known as a smash. center line: The line in the direct center of the baseline. You must stand to either side of the baseline when you serve. passing shot: A forehand or backhand you hit past an opponent when she stands at the net. drop shot: A very soft shot hit just barely over the net. You hit drop shots to get your opponent up to the net. seed: A player's rank in a tournament. foot fault: You commit a foot fault when your foot (or any other part of your body, for that matter) touches the baseline or center line during your serve. You automatically lose the service attempt when you foot fault. serve: A stroke, made from over your head, which you use to start each point. forehand: The side of your body that you perform most tasks on. For example, if you're right-handed, the right side of your body is your forehand side. sideline: The lines on the court, perpendicular to the net, which define the widest margins of the court. Grand Slam: Winning the U.S. Open, Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon all in one year. spin: Hitting the ball in such a way that when it bounces, it does some funny things that your opponent doesn't expect. grip: The way you hold your racquet. You can choose from three standard grips in tennis: the eastern, continental, and western grips. volley: A shot that you hit before the ball bounces, usually at the net. groundstrokes: Your basic forehand and backhand strokes.