🎾 Basic Rules Of Tennis And Misc Information¶
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Tóm tắt nội dung (trích từ tài liệu gốc): Tennis Tennis is a sport played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. The modern game of tennis originated in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century as "lawn tennis" which has heavy connections to various field/lawn games as well as to the ancient game of real tennis. After its creation, tennis spread throughout the upper-class English-speaking population before spreading around the world[citation needed]. Tennis is an Olympic
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Tennis
Tennis is a sport played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two
players each (doubles). Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber
ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court.
The modern game of tennis originated in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century
as "lawn tennis" which has heavy connections to various field/lawn games as well
as to the ancient game of real tennis. After its creation, tennis spread throughout the
upper-class English-speaking population before spreading around the world[citation
needed]. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all ages.
The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including people in
wheelchairs. In the United States, there is a collegiate circuit organized by the
National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The rules of tennis have changed very little since the 1890s. Two exceptions are that
from 1908 to 1960 the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times, and
then the adoption of the tie-break in the 1970s. A recent addition to professional
tennis has been the adoption of electronic review technology coupled with a point
challenge system, which allows a player to challenge the line (or chair) umpire's call
of a point.
Tennis enjoys millions of recreational players and is also a hugely popular worldwide
spectator sport, especially the four Grand Slam tournaments (sometimes referred to
as the "majors"): the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US
Open.
Tennis
The US Open is a prestigious Grand Slam
tournament.
Highest governing International Tennis
body Federation
First played 19th century
Characteristics
Contact No
Team members Single or doubles
Categorization Racquet sport
Equipment Tennis ball
Olympic 1896-1924, 1988-
present
History
Tennis as the modern sport can be dated to two separate roots. Between 1859 and
1865, Major Harry Gem and his friend Augurio Perera developed a game that
combined elements of rackets and the Basque ball game pelota, which they played
on Perera's croquet lawn in Birmingham, United Kingdom.[1][2] In 1872, along with
two local doctors, they founded the world's first tennis club in Leamington Spa.[3] The
Courier of July 23, 1884 recorded one of the first tennis tournaments, held in the
grounds of Shrubland Hall.[4]
In December 1873, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield designed and patented a similar
game -- which he called sphairistike (Greek: , from ancient Greek
meaning "skill at playing at ball"), and was soon known simply as "sticky" -- for the
amusement of his guests at a garden party on his estate of Nantclwyd, in Llanelidan,
Wales.[5] He likely based his game on the evolving sport of outdoor tennis including
real tennis. According to some tennis historians, modern tennis terminology also
derives from this period, as Wingfield borrowed both the name and much of the
French vocabulary of real tennis and applied them to his new game.[citation needed]
Lawn tennis in the U.S., 1887
The first championships at Wimbledon in London were played in 1877.[6] The first
Championships culminated a significant debate on how to standardize the rules.
In America in 1874 Mary Ewing Outerbridge, a young socialite, returned from
Bermuda where she met Major Wingfield. She laid out a tennis court at the Staten
Island Cricket Club in New Brighton Staten Island, New York. The exact location of
the club was under what is now the Staten Island Ferry terminal. The first American
National tournament in 1880 was played there. An Englishman named O.E
Woodhouse won the singles match. There was also a doubles match which was won
by a local pair. There were different rules at each club. The ball in Boston was larger
than the one normally used in NY. On May 21, 1881, the United States National
Lawn Tennis Association (now the United States Tennis Association) was formed to
standardize the rules and organize competitions.[7] The U.S. National Men's Singles
Championship, now the US Open, was first held in 1881 at Newport, Rhode Island.[8]
The U.S. National Women's Singles Championships were first held in 1887.[9] Tennis
was also popular in France, where the French Open dates to 1891.[10] Thus,
Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open, and the Australian Open (dating to
1905) became and have remained the most prestigious events in tennis.[6][11]
Together these four events are called the Majors or Slams (a term borrowed from
bridge rather than baseball).[12]
The comprehensive International Lawn Tennis Federation, now known as the
International Tennis Federation, rules promulgated in 1924 have remained
remarkably stable in the ensuing eighty years, the one major change being the
addition of the tie-break system designed by James Van Alen.[13] That same year,
tennis withdrew from the Olympics after the 1924 Games but returned 60 years later
as a 21-and-under demonstration event in 1984. This reinstatement was credited by
the efforts by the then ITF President Philippe Chatrier, ITF General Secretary David
Gray and ITF Vice President Pablo Llorens, and support from IOC President Juan
Antonio Samaranch. The success of the event was overwhelming and the IOC
decided to reintroduce tennis as a full medal sport at Seoul in 1988.
The Davis Cup, an annual competition between men's national teams, dates to
1900.[14] The analogous competition for women's national teams, the Fed Cup, was
founded as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
founding of the ITF.[15]
In 1926, promoter C.C. Pyle established the first professional tennis tour with a
group of American and French tennis players playing exhibition matches to paying
audiences.[11][16] The most notable of these early professionals were the American
Vinnie Richards and the Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen.[11][17] Once a player turned
pro he or she could not compete in the major (amateur) tournaments.[11]
In 1968, commercial pressures and rumors of some amateurs taking money under
the table led to the abandonment of this distinction, inaugurating the open era, in
which all players could compete in all tournaments, and top players were able to
make their living from tennis.[18] With the beginning of the open era, the
establishment of an international professional tennis circuit, and revenues from the
sale of television rights, tennis's popularity has spread worldwide, and the sport has
shed its upper/middle-class English-speaking image[19] (although it is acknowledged
that this stereotype still exists).[19][20][21]
In 1954, Van Alen founded the International Tennis Hall of Fame, a non-profit
museum in Newport, Rhode Island.[22] The building contains a large collection of
tennis memorabilia as well as a hall of fame honoring prominent members and tennis
players from all over the world. Each year, a grass-court tournament and an
induction ceremony honoring new Hall of Fame members are hosted on its grounds
Racquets
The tennis racquet comprises a handle and neck joining a roughly circular frame that
holds an array of tightly pulled strings. For the first century of the modern game,
racquets were of wood and of standard size, and strings were of animal gut.
Laminated wood construction yielded more strength in rackets used through most of
the 20th century until first metal and then composites of carbon graphite, ceramics,
and lighter metals such as titanium were introduced. These stronger materials
enabled the production of oversized rackets that yielded yet more power. Meanwhile
technology led to the use of synthetic strings that match the feel of gut yet with
added durability.
Balls
Tennis balls are of hollow rubber with a felt coating. Traditionally white, the
predominant color was gradually changed to Optic Yellow in the latter part of the
twentieth century to allow for improved visibility.
Miscellaneous
Advanced players improve their performance through a number of accoutrements.
Vibration dampers may be interlaced in the proximal part of the string array for
improved feel. Racket handles may be customized with absorbent materials to
improve the players' grip. Players often use sweat bands on their wrists to keep their
hands dry as well. Finally, although the game can be played in a variety of shoes,
specialized tennis shoes have wide, flat soles for stability and a built-up front
structure to avoid excess wear.
Court
Tennis is played on a rectangular, flat surface, usually grass, clay, a hardcourt of
concrete and/or asphalt and occasionally carpet (indoor). The court is 78 feet (23.77
m) long, and its width is 27 feet (8.23 m) for singles matches and 36 ft (10.97 m) for
doubles matches.[23] Additional clear space around the court is required in order for
players to reach overrun balls. A net is stretched across the full width of the court,
parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal ends. The net is 3 feet 6 inches
(1.07 m) high at the posts and 3 feet (91.4 cm) high in the center.[23]
The modern tennis court owes its design to Major Walter Clopton Wingfield who, in
1873, patented a court much the same as the current one for his stick� tennis
(sphairistike). This template was modified in 1875 to the court design that exists
today, with markings similar to Wingfield's version, but with the hourglass shape of
his court changed to a rectangle.[24]
[edit] Lines
The lines that delineate the width of the court are called the baseline (farthest back)
and the service line (middle of the court). The short mark in the center of each
baseline is referred to as either the hash mark or the center mark. The outermost
lines that make up the length are called the doubles sidelines. These are the
boundaries used when doubles is being played. The lines to the inside of the
doubles sidelines are the singles sidelines and are used as boundaries in singles
play. The area between a doubles sideline and the nearest singles sideline is called
the doubles alley, which is considered playable in doubles play. The line that runs
across the center of a player's side of the court is called the service line because the
serve must be delivered into the area between the service line and the net on the
receiving side. Despite its name, this is not where a player legally stands when
making a serve.[25] The line dividing the service line in two is called the center line or
center service line. The boxes this center line creates are called the service boxes;
depending on a player's position, he will have to hit the ball into one of these when
serving.[26] A ball is out only if none of it has hit the line or the area inside the lines
upon its first bounce. All the lines are required to be between 1 and 2 inches (51 mm)
in width. The baseline can be up to 4 inches (100 mm) wide if so desired.[25]
The dimensions of a tennis court, in metric units. (See imperial version).
Play of a single point
The players (or teams) start on opposite sides of the net. One player is designated
the server, and the opposing player, or in doubles one of the opposing players, is the
receiver. Service alternates between the two halves of the court. For each point, the
server starts behind his baseline, between the center mark and the sideline. The
receiver may start anywhere on their side of the net. When the receiver is ready, the
server will serve, although the receiver must play to the pace of the server.
In a legal service, the ball travels over the net (without touching it) and into the
diagonally opposite service box. If the ball hits the net but lands in the service box,
this is a let or net service, which is void, and the server gets to retake that serve. The
player can serve any number of let services in a point and they are always treated as
voids and not as faults. A fault is a serve that is long, wide, or not over the net. There
is also a "foot fault", which occurs when a player's foot touches the baseline or an
extension of the center mark[27] before the ball is hit. If the second service is also
faulty, this is a double fault, and the receiver wins the point. However, if the serve is
in, it is considered a legal service.
A legal service starts a rally, in which the players alternate hitting the ball across the
net. A legal return consists of the player or team hitting the ball exactly once before it
has bounced twice or hit any fixtures except the net, provided that it still falls in the
server's court. The ball then travels back over the net and bounces in the court on
the opposite side. The first player or team to fail to make a legal return loses the
point.
Two players before a serve.
Scoring
A tennis match is composed of a number of sets. Typically for both men's and
women's matches, the first player to win two sets wins the match. At certain
important tennis tournaments for men, including all four Grand Slam tournaments
and the final of the Olympic Games, the first man to win three sets wins the match.[28]
A set consists of games, and games, in turn, consist of points.
A game consists of a sequence of points played with the same player serving. A
game is won by the first player to have won at least four points in total and at least
two points more than the opponent. The running score of each game is described in
a manner peculiar to tennis: scores from zero to three points are described as "love",
"fifteen", "thirty", and "forty" respectively. (See the main article Tennis score for the
origin of these words as used in tennis.) If at least three points have been scored by
each player, and the scores are equal, the score is "deuce". If at least three points
have been scored by each side and a player has one more point than his opponent,
the score of the game is "advantage" for the player in the lead. During informal
games, "advantage" can also be called "ad in" or "ad out", depending on whether the
serving player or receiving player is ahead, respectively.
In tournament play, the chair umpire calls the point count (e.g., "fifteen-love") after
each point. The score of a tennis match during play is always read with the serving
player's score first. After a match, the score is always read with the winning player's
score first. At the end of a game, the chair umpire also announces the winner of the
game and the overall score.
A game point occurs in tennis whenever the player who is in the lead in the game
needs only one more point to win the game. The terminology is extended to sets (set
point), matches (match point), and even championships (championship point). For
example, if the player who is serving has a score of 40-love, the player has a triple
game point (triple set point, etc.) as the player has three consecutive chances to win
the game. Game points, set points, and match points are not part of official scoring
and are not announced by the chair umpire in tournament play.
A break point occurs if the receiver, not the server, has a game point. Break points
are of particular importance because serving is generally advantageous. A receiver
who has two (score of 15-40) or three (score of love-40) consecutive chances to win
the game has double break point or triple break point, respectively. As with game,
set, and match points, break points are not announced.
A set consists of a sequence of games played with service alternating between
games, ending when the count of games won meets certain criteria. Typically, a
player wins a set by winning at least six games and at least two games more than
the opponent. If one player has won six games and the opponent five, an additional
game is played. If the leading player wins that game, the player wins the set 7�5. If
the trailing player wins the game, a tie-break is played. A tie-break, played under a
separate set of rules, allows one player to win one more game and thus the set, to
give a final set score of 7�6. Only in the final sets of matches at the Australian Open,
the French Open, Wimbledon, the Olympic Games, Davis Cup, and Fed Cup are tie-
breaks not played. In these cases, sets are played indefinitely until one player has a
two-game lead. A "love" set means that the loser of the set won zero games. In
tournament play, the chair umpire announces the winner of the set and the overall
score.
In tournament play, the chair umpire announces the end of the match with the well-
known phrase "Game, set, match" followed by the winning person's or team's name.
Rules variations
Variations
Name Description
No-ad The first player or doubles team to win four points wins the game,
regardless of whether the player or team is ahead by two points. When the
game score reaches three points each, the receiver chooses which side of
the court (advantage court or deuce court) the service is to be delivered
on the seventh and game-deciding point.
Pro set Instead of playing multiple sets, players may play one "pro set". A pro set
is first to 8 (or 10) games by a margin of two games, instead of first to 6
games. A 12-point tie-break is usually played when the score is 8-8 (or 10-
10). These are often played with no-ad scoring.
This is sometimes played instead of a third set. This is played like a
Match regular tiebreak, but the winner must win ten points instead of seven.
tiebreak Match tiebreaks are used in the Hopman Cup for mixed doubles, on the
ATP and WTA tours for doubles and as a player's choice in USTA league
play.
Another, however informal, tennis format is called "Kiwi doubles", "Canadian
doubles" or "cut-throat".[29] This involves three players, with one person playing a
doubles team. The single player gets to utilize the alleys normally reserved only for a
doubles team. Conversely, the doubles team does not use the alleys when executing
a shot. The scoring is the same as a regular game. This format is not sanctioned by
any official body.
"Australian doubles", another informal and unsanctioned form of tennis, is played
with similar rules to the "Kiwi" style, only in this version, players rotate court position
after each game. As such, each player plays doubles and singles over the course of
a match, with the singles player always serving. Scoring styles vary, but one popular
method is to assign a value of 2 points to each game, with the server taking both
points if he or she holds serve and the doubles team each taking one if they break
serve.
Wheelchair tennis can be played by able-bodied players as well as people who
require a wheelchair for mobility. An extra bounce is permitted. This rule makes it
possible to have mixed wheelchair and able-bodied matches. It is possible for a
doubles team to consist of a wheelchair player and an able-bodied player (referred to
as "one-up, one-down"), or for a wheelchair player to play against an able-bodied
player. In such cases, the extra bounce is permitted for the wheelchair users only.
Surface
There are four main types of court surface, each different in the speed and bounce of
the ball:
Name Description
Clay Examples are red clay (used at the French Open and many other
tournaments, especially in Europe and Latin America) and green clay (an
example of which is Har-Tru and used mainly in the U.S.). Clay courts
normally have a slower paced ball and a fairly true bounce with more spin.
Examples are acrylic (e.g. Plexicushion used at the Australian Open,
Hard DecoTurf used at the US Open), asphalt, and concrete. Hardcourts typically
have a faster-paced ball with a very true bounce.
Used at Wimbledon. Grass courts usually have a faster-paced ball, and a
Grass more erratic bounce. Wimbledon has slowed its courts over the years. (see
the cited main article, Grass courts).
Examples are carpet and very rarely, wood. Carpet courts typically have a
Indoor
very fast-paced ball with a true but low bounce.
Officials
In most professional play and some amateur competition, there is an officiating head
judge or chair umpire (usually referred to as the umpire), who sits in a raised chair to
one side of the court. The umpire has absolute authority to make factual
determinations. The umpire may be assisted by line judges, who determine whether
the ball has landed within the required part of the court and who also call foot faults.
There also may be a net judge who determines whether the ball has touched the net
during service. In some tournaments, certain line judges, usually those who would be
calling the serve, are replaced by electronic sensors that beep when an out call
would have been made. In some open-tournament matches, players are allowed to
challenge a limited number of close calls by means of electronic review. The US
Open, the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, the US Open Series, and
World Team Tennis started using a "challenge" system in 2006 and the Australian
Open and Wimbledon introduced the system in 2007. This used the Hawk-Eye
system and the rules were similar to those used in the NFL, where a player gets a
limited number of opportunities to challenge per match/set. More recently, a player
may use unlimited challenges in a set, provided that he or she is not incorrect more
than three times. In clay-court matches, such as at the French Open, a call may be
questioned by reference to the mark left by the ball's impact on the court surface.
The referee, who is usually located off the court, is the final authority about tennis
rules. When called to the court by a player or team captain, the referee may overrule
the umpire's decision if the tennis rules were violated (question of law) but may not
change the umpire's decision on a question of fact. If, however, the referee is on the
court during play, the referee may overrule the umpire's decision.
Ball boys and girls may be employed to retrieve balls, pass them to the players, and
hand players their towels. They have no adjudicative role. In rare events (e.g., if they
are hurt or if they have caused a hindrance), the umpire may ask them for a
statement of what actually happened. The umpire may consider their statements
when making a decision. In some leagues, especially junior leagues, players make
their own calls, trusting each other to be honest. This is the case for many school
and university level matches. The referee or referee's assistant, however, can be
called on court at a player's request, and the referee or assistant may change a
player's call. In unofficiated matches, a ball is out only if the player entitled to make
the call is sure that the ball is out.
An umpire informing two players of the rules.
Juniors
In tennis, a junior is a player under the age of 18 who is still legally protected by a
parent or guardian. Players on the main adult tour who are under 18 must have
documents signed by a parent or guardian. These players, however, are still eligible
to play in junior tournaments.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) conducts a junior tour that allows juniors to
establish a world ranking and an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) or
Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranking. Most juniors who enter the international
circuit do so by progressing through ITF, Satellite, Future, and Challenger
tournaments before entering the main circuit. The latter three circuits also have
adults competing in them. Some juniors, however, such as Australian Lleyton Hewitt
and Frenchman Ga�l Monfils, have catapulted directly from the junior tour to the ATP
tour by dominating the junior scene or by taking advantage of opportunities given to
them to participate in professional tournaments.
In 2004, the ITF implemented a new rankings scheme to encourage greater
participation in doubles, by combining two rankings (singles and doubles) into one
combined tally. Junior tournaments do not offer prize money except for the Grand
Slams, which are the most prestigious junior events. Juniors may earn income from
tennis by participating in the Future, Satellite, or Challenger tours. Tournaments are
broken up into different tiers offering different amounts of ranking points, culminating
with Grade A.
Leading juniors are allowed to participate for their nation in the Junior Fed Cup and
Davis Cup competitions as well. To succeed in tennis often means having to begin
playing at a young age. To facilitate and nurture a junior's growth in tennis, almost all
tennis playing nations have developed a junior development system. Juniors develop
their play through a range of tournaments on all surfaces, accommodating all
different standards of play. Talented juniors may also receive sponsorships from
governing bodies or private institutions.
Match play
Convention dictates that two players shake hands at the end of a match.
A tennis match is intended to be continuous.[30] Because stamina is a relevant factor,
arbitrary delays are not permitted. In most cases, service is required to occur no
more than 20 seconds after the end of the previous point.[30] This is increased to 90
seconds when the players change ends (after every odd-numbered game), and a
120 second break is permitted between sets.[30] Other than this, breaks are permitted
only when forced by events beyond the players' control, such as rain, damaged
footwear, damaged racquet, or the need to retrieve an errant ball. Should a player be
determined to be stalling repeatedly, the chair umpire may initially give a warning
followed by subsequent penalties of "point", "game", and default of the match for the
player who is consistently taking longer than the allowed time limit.[31]
In the event of a rain delay, darkness or other external conditions halting play, the
match is resumed at a later time, with the same score as at the time of the delay,
and the players at the same end of the court when rain halted play, or at the same
position (north or south) if play is resumed on a different court.
Balls wear out quickly in serious play and, therefore, in ATP and WTA tournaments,
they are changed after every nine games with the first change occurring after only
seven games, because the first set of balls is also used for the pre-match warm-
up.[32] As a courtesy to the receiver, the server will often signal to the receiver before
the first serve of the game in which new balls are used as a reminder that they are
using new balls. However, in ITF tournaments like Fed Cup, the balls are changed in
a 9-11 style. Continuity of the balls' condition is considered part of the game, so if a
re-warm-up is required after an extended break in play (usually due to rain), then the
re-warm-up is done using a separate set of balls, and use of the match balls is
resumed only when play resumes.
A recent proposed rules change is to allow coaching on court during a match on a
limited basis,[33][34][35][36] and this has, in fact, been instituted for WTA Tour events.[37]
Shots
Serve
Main article: Serve (tennis)
Tim Henman preparing to hit a serve. The left arm is extended, having just launched
the ball into the air. The right arm will be raised up and forward at speed so that the
racket connects with the ball.
A serve (or, more formally, a "service") in tennis is a shot to start a point. The serve
is initiated by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it (usually near the apex of its
trajectory) into the diagonally opposite service box without touching the net. The
serve may be hit under- or overhand.
Experienced players strive to master the conventional overhand serve to maximize
its power and placement. The server may employ different types of serve including
flat serve, topspin serve, slice serve, and kick (American twist) serve. A reverse type
of spin serve is hit in a manner that spins the ball opposite the natural spin of the
server, the spin direction depending upon right- or left-handedness. If the ball is
spinning counterclockwise, it will curve right from the hitter's point of view and curve
left if spinning clockwise.
Some servers are content to use the serve simply to initiate the point; however,
advanced players often try to hit a winning shot with their serve. A winning serve that
is not touched by the opponent is called an "ace". If the receiver manages to touch it
but fails to successfully return it, it is called a "service winner".
Grips
Players use various grips during play, including the continental, eastern, and western
grips. Different grips generally are used for different types of spin and shots.
Forehand
Roger Federer preparing to hit a forehand. Much can be learned from this
photograph. Note how he is "loading" his body weight on his back (right) foot and
coiling his shoulders with the help of his left hand. From this position, he will "uncoil"
his body beginning with his legs, progressing to his hips and then on to his arms.
This is how the "modern" forehand utilizing the open stance is executed.
For a right-handed player, the forehand is a stroke that begins on the right side of the
body, continues across the body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the
left side of the body. There are various grips for executing the forehand, and their
popularity has fluctuated over the years. The most important ones are the continental,
the eastern, the semi-western, and the western. For a number of years, the small,
apparently frail 1920s player Bill Johnston was considered by many to have had the
best forehand of all time, a stroke that he hit shoulder-high using a western grip. Few
top players used the western grip after the 1920s, but in the latter part of the 20th
century, as shot-making techniques and equipment changed radically, the western
forehand made a strong comeback and is now used by many modern players. No
matter which grip is used, most forehands are generally executed with one hand
holding the racquet, but there have been fine players with two-handed forehands. In
the 1940s and 50s, the Ecuadorian/American player Pancho Segura used a two-
handed forehand to achieve a devastating effect against larger, more powerful
players. Currently, France's Fabrice Santoro uses a two-handed forehand. Some
females such as Monica Seles and France's Marion Bartoli also use a two-handed
forehand.
Backhand
Main article: Backhand
Li Na hitting a two-handed backhand
Rafael Nadal performing a backhand volley.
For right-handed players, the backhand is a stroke that begins on the left side of their
body, continues across their body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the
right side of their body. It can be executed with either one hand or with both and is
generally considered more difficult to master than the forehand. For most of the 20th
century, the backhand was performed with one hand, using either an eastern or a
continental grip. The first notable players to use two hands were the 1930s
Australians Vivian McGrath and John Bromwich, but they were lonely exceptions.
The two-handed grip gained popularity in the 1970s as Bj�rn Borg, Chris Evert,
Jimmy Connors, and later Mats Wilander and Andre Agassi used it to great effect,
and it is now used by a large number of the world's best players, including Rafael
Nadal and Serena Williams. Andy Roddick uses the extreme western grip to create
massive amounts of top spin. It is difficult to do this and could possibly cause injury if
done incorrectly. Two hands give the player more control, while one hand can
generate a slice shot, applying backspin on the ball to produce a low trajectory
bounce. Reach is also limited with the two-handed shot. The player long considered
to have had the best backhand of all time, Don Budge, had a powerful one-handed
stroke in the 1930s and 1940s that imparted topspin onto the ball. Ken Rosewall,
another player noted for his one-handed backhand, used a very accurate slice
backhand through the 1950s and 1960s. A small number of players, notably Monica
Seles, use two hands on both the backhand and forehand sides.
Other shots
Justine Henin performing a backhand volley.
A volley is made in the air before the ball bounces, generally near the net, and is
usually made with a stiff-wristed punching motion to hit the ball into an open area of
the opponent's court. The half volley is made by hitting the ball on the rise just after it
has bounced, once again generally in the vicinity of the net. The swinging volley is hit
out of the air as the player approaches the net. It is an offensive shot used to take
preparation time away from the opponent. From a poor defensive position on the
baseline, the lob can be used as either an offensive or defensive weapon, hitting the
ball high and deep into the opponent's court to either enable the lobber to get into
better defensive position or to win the point outright by hitting it over the opponent's
head. If the lob is not hit deeply enough into the other court, however, the opponent
may then hit an overhead smash, a hard, serve-like shot, to try to end the point.
Finally, if an opponent is deep in his court, a player may suddenly employ an
unexpected drop shot, softly tapping the ball just over the net so that the opponent is
unable to run in fast enough to retrieve it.
Tournaments
Tournaments are often organized by gender and number of players. Common
tournament configurations include men's singles, women's singles, and doubles,
where two players play on each side of the net. Tournaments may be arranged for
specific age groups, with upper age limits for youth and lower age limits for senior
players. Example of this include the Orange Bowl and Les Petits As. There are also
tournaments for players with disabilities, such as wheelchair tennis and deaf
tennis.[38] In the four Grand Slam tournaments, the singles draws are limited to 128
people for each gender.
Players may also be matched by their skill level. According to how well a person
does in sanctioned play, a player is given a rating that is adjusted periodically to
maintain competitive matches. For example, the United States Tennis Association
administers the National Tennis Rating Program, which rates players between 1.0
and 7.0 in 1/2 point increments. Average club players under this system would rate
3.0-4.5 while world class players would be 7.0 on this scale.
Grand Slam tournaments
The four Grand Slam tournaments are considered to be the most prestigious tennis
tournaments in the world. They are held annually and include, in chronological order,
the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Apart from
the Olympic Games, Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and Hopman Cup, they are the only
tournaments regulated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).[39] The ITF's
national associations, Tennis Australia (Australian Open), the French Tennis
Federation (French Open), the United States Tennis Association (US Open), and the
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and Lawn Tennis Association
(Wimbledon), are delegated the responsibility to organize these events.[39]
Aside from the historical significance of these events, they also carry larger prize
funds than any other tour event and are worth double the number of ranking points to
the champion than in the next echelon of tournaments, the Masters 1000 (men) and
Premier events (women).[40][41] Another distinguishing feature is the number of
players in the singles draw, 128, more than any other professional tennis tournament.
This draw is composed of 32 seeded players, other players ranked in the world's top
100, qualifiers, and players who receive invitations through wild cards. Grand Slam
men's tournaments have best-of-five set matches throughout. Grand Slam
tournaments are among the small number of events that last two weeks, the others
being the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California and the Sony Ericsson Open
in Key Biscayne, Florida. Currently, the Grand Slam tournaments are the only tour
events that have mixed doubles contests. Grand Slam tournaments are held in
conjunction with wheelchair tennis tournaments (with the exception being Wimbledon,
where the grass surface prevents this) and junior tennis competitions. Grand Slam
tournaments are often seen as the culmination of a particular season, such as the
US Open Series. These tournaments also contain their own idiosyncrasies. For
example, players at Wimbledon are required to wear predominantly white, a rule that
has motivated certain players, such as Andre Agassi, to skip the tournament.[42]
Wimbledon also has its own particular methods for disseminating tickets, often
leading tennis fans to follow complex procedures to obtain tickets.[43]
Grand Slam
Period Tournament Location Surface
January Australian Open Melbourne Hard (Plexicushion)
May-June French Open Paris Clay
June-July Wimbledon London Grass
August-September US Open New York City Hard (DecoTurf)
Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a group of nine tournaments that form the
second-highest echelon in men's tennis. Each event is held annually, and a win at
one of these events is currently worth 1000 ranking points. When the Association of
Tennis Professionals, led by Hamilton Jordan, began running the men's tour in 1990,
the directors designated the top nine tournaments, outside of the Grand Slam events,
as "Super Nine" events.[44] These eventually became the Tennis Masters Series. In
November at the end of the tennis year, the world's top eight players compete in the
ATP World Tour Finals, a tournament with a rotating locale. It is currently held in
London, England.[45]
On August 31, 2007 the ATP announced that major changes will take place in 2009.
The Masters Series will be renamed to the "Masters 1000", with the addition of the
number 1000 referring to the number of ranking points earned by the winner of each
tournament. Contrary to earlier plans, the number of tournaments will not be reduced
from nine to eight and the Monte Carlo Masters will remain part of the series
although, unlike the other events, it will not have a mandatory player commitment.
The Hamburg Masters event will be downgraded to a 500 point event. The Madrid
Masters will move to May and onto clay courts, and a new tournament in Shanghai
will take over Madrid's former indoor October slot. In 2011 six of the nine "1000" level
tournaments will be combined ATP and WTA events.[46][47]
Current Masters 1000 tournaments (2009)[48]
Start Tournament Name City Surface Opening
Month
March BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells Hard Outdoors
March Sony Ericsson Open Miami[Loc 1] Hard Outdoors
April Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters Monte- Clay Outdoors
Carlo[Loc 2]
April Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome Clay Outdoors
May Mutua Madrile�a Masters Madrid Madrid Clay Outdoors
August Rogers Cup Montreal Hard Outdoors
August Western & Southern Financial Group Outdoors
Cincinnati[Loc 3] Hard
Masters & Women's Open
October Shanghai Masters 1000 presented by Hard Outdoors
Shanghai
Rolex
November BNP Paribas Masters Paris Hard Indoors
250 and 500 series
The International Series for men is split into two categories, both run by the ATP: the
250 Series and 500 Series. Like the Masters 1000, these events offer various
amounts of prize money, and some regular International Series events offer larger
prize monies than 500 Series tournaments.[40] The Barclays Dubai Tennis
Championships offer the largest financial incentive to players, with total prize money
of US$1,426,000.
Challenger Tour and Futures Tournaments
The Challenger Tour for men is the lowest level of tournament administered by the
ATP. It is composed of roughly 160 events and, as a result, features a more diverse
range of countries hosting events.[49] The majority of players use the Challenger
Series to work their way up the rankings, including World No. 1s Pete Sampras,
Marcelo R�os, Patrick Rafter, and Gustavo Kuerten. Andre Agassi, between winning
Grand Slam titles, plummeted to World No. 141 and used Challenger Series events
for match experience and to progress back up the rankings.[50] The Challenger
Series offers prize funds of between US$25,000 and US$150,000.
Below the Challenger Series are the Futures Tournaments, the main events on the
ITF Men's Circuit. These tournaments also contribute towards a player's ATP
rankings points. Futures Tournaments offer prize funds of between US$10,000 and
US$15,000; however, futures status is granted only to events offering a total of
US$30,000, meaning that two or three tournaments are played.[51] Approximately
400 Futures Tournaments are played each year.
Premier events
Premier events for women form the most prestigious level of events on the Women's
Tennis Association Tour after the Grand Slam tournaments. These events offer the
largest rewards in terms of points and prize money. Within the Premier category are
Premier Mandatory, Premier 5, and Premier tournaments. The tiering system in
women's tennis was introduced in 1988. At the time of its creation, only two
tournaments, the Lipton International Players Championships in Florida and the
German Open in Berlin, comprised the Tier I category. In 2009, four tournaments are
Premier Mandatory, five tournaments are Premier 5, and ten tournaments are
Premier.
Players
Professional tennis players enjoy the same relative perks as most top sports
personalities; clothing, equipment and endorsements. As an individual sport, like
Golf, they are not salaried, but must play and place highly in tournaments to obtain
money.
Grand Slam winners
Male players who have played at least part of their careers during the open era and
who have won at least two Grand Slam singles titles are as follows: Roger Federer
(15), Pete Sampras (14), Roy Emerson (12), Rod Laver (11), Bj�rn Borg (11), Ken
Rosewall (8), Jimmy Connors (8), Ivan Lendl (8), Andre Agassi (8), John Newcombe
(7), John McEnroe (7), Mats Wilander (7), Boris Becker (6), Stefan Edberg (6),
Rafael Nadal (6), Jim Courier (4), Guillermo Vilas (4), Arthur Ashe (3), Jan Kodes (3),
Gustavo Kuerten (3), Stan Smith (2), Ilie Nstase (2), Johan Kriek (2), Lleyton Hewitt
(2), Yevgeny Kafelnikov (2), Patrick Rafter (2), Sergi Bruguera (2), and Marat Safin
(2).
Female players who have played at least part of their careers during the open era
and who have won at least two Grand Slam singles titles are as follows: Margaret
Court (24), Steffi Graf (22), Chris Evert (18), Martina Navr�tilov� (18), Billie Jean
King (12), Serena Williams (11), Monica Seles (9), Justine Henin (7), Evonne
Goolagong Cawley (7), Venus Williams (7), Martina Hingis (5), Hana Mandl�kov� (4),
Arantxa S�nchez Vicario (4), Maria Sharapova (3), Virginia Wade (3), Lindsay
Davenport (3), Jennifer Capriati (3), Nancy Richey Gunter (2), Tracy Austin (2), Mary
Pierce (2), Am�lie Mauresmo (2), Svetlana Kuznetsova (2) and Kim Clijsters (2).