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Tennis Terminology
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List of Tennis Terminology

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Phenomanun
57 cards
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Game, set, match! From aces to match points, learn the lingo behind one of the world's most popular and thrilling sports.

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Baseline
back
Back boundary line of the court
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Service Box
back
Where a serve must land for it to be valid
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Service Court
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Area on each side of the net, divided into deuce and ad courts
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Deuce Court
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Right-hand service court from the server's perspective
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Ad Court
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Left-hand service court from the server's perspective
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Foot Fault
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Called when the server's foot touches the baseline before making contact with the ball
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Double Fault
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Called when the server misses both serve attempts; server loses the point
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Let
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Serve that touches the net but still lands in the correct service box
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Ace
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Successful serve that bounces 2+ times before the receiver makes contact
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Server
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Player who delivers the ball to start the point
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Receiver
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Player who returns the serve
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Love
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Score of zero ("15 love" means the server has 15 points and the receiver has none)
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Deuce
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Tied score at 40-40
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Ad / Advantage
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Point after deuce
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Ad In
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Called when the server wins the deuce point
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Ad Out
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Called when the receiver wins the deuce point
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Break Point
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Describes when the receiver is one point away from winning the game on the opponent's serve
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Match Point
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Point that, if won, ends the match
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Game
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Unit of scoring made up of points. A player must win at least four points and lead by two to win a g...
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Set
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Collection of games. Usually won by the first player to reach six games with a two-game margin (e.g....
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Match
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Contest as a whole. Usually best of three or five sets.
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Game Point
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Point that, if won, ends the game
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Set Point
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Point that, if won, ends the set
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Forehand
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Stroke hit with the front of the racquet hand facing the ball
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Backhand
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Stroke hit with the back of the racquet hand facing the ball
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Volley
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Shot hit before the ball bounces, often performed close to the net
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Half Volley
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Shot hit immediately after the ball bounces but before it reaches the apex of its bounce
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Lob
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High, arching shot intended to pass over an opponent
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Drop Shot
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Softly-hit ball that barely clears the net and dies quickly
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Smash
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Overhead shot, usually hit with force
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Approach Shot
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Shot hit while moving toward the net
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Passing Shot
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Shot hit past an opponent who is at the net, typically down
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Down the Line Shot
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Shot hit parallel and close to the sideline, running along the length of the court
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Court-Court Shot
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Shot hit diagonally across the court, from one corner to the opposite corner
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Rally
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Sequence of consecutive shots between players
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Unforced Error
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Mistake made without significant pressure from the opponent
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Winner
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Successful shot that bounces 2+ times before it's touched
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Tiebreak
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Special, shorter game played to decide a set when the score is 6-6
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Alley
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Narrow strips along the sidelines, only used in doubles play
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Center Mark
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Small mark at the midpoint of the baseline that divides the deuce and ad sides
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Singles
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Match between two players
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Doubles
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Match between two teams, with two players per team
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Bagel
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Term for a set won without losing a game (e.g. 6-0)
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Drop Volley
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Combination of a dropshot and volley; ball is taken out of the air and lands in front of the net
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Point Penalty
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When a player loses a point due to a rules infraction (touching the net, time violation, foot fault)
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Breadstick
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Term for a set won only losing one game (6-1)
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Slice
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Shot hit with backspin/underspin (opposite of topspin), aka Chip/Chop
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Topspin
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Shot hit with forward rotation (opposite of slice)
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Flat
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Shot hit with little/no spin
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Kick Serve
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Serve hit with topspin
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Dink
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Shot hit with little to no pace or spin
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Baseliner
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Players who prefer to hit groundstrokes from the baseline
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Serve-and-volley
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Aggressive tactic used to rush the net immediately after the serve to hit a volley
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Pusher
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Players who prefer longer rallies, shots often hit with little to no pace/spin
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Counter-puncher
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Players who prefer a defensive playstyle, redirecting their opponents pace to win points
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Hold
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When a player wins a game on their serve
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Mini-break
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When a player wins a point in a tiebreaker on the opponent's serve

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