1-
History & Object
2- The
Essentials (Scoring, Rules,
Etc.)
3- Strokes
and Spins
4- Court Diagram and
Positions
5- Glossary
of Tennis Terms
Positions
There are no specific positions
in tennis because it is an individual
sport. However, tennis players
are often grouped into one of
three categories: baseliners,
serve-and-volley players, and
all-court players. Baseliners
stay near the baseline and
hit groundstrokes almost exclusively.
Serve-and-volley
players play near the
net as much as possible in order
to hit volleys or overheads,
and follow most, if not all,
of their serves directly to
the net. All-court
players combine the
two styles, mixing their strokes
and positioning on the court.
Field of Play
The surface of most courts
is made of cement or concrete,
but some courts are made of
clay, grass, or other substances.
However, all courts have similar
characteristics:
Net: A net, standing
three feet high, divides the
court into two halves. The ball
must be hit over the net on
each shot.
Baseline: The line
running parallel to the net
that marks the boundary on the
length of the court.
Sidelines: The two
lines that run perpendicular
to the net and mark the boundary
on the width of the court. The
sidelines vary for singles and
doubles play.
Doubles alleys: The
additional area on the sides
of the court used in doubles
play.
Service line: The line
running parallel to the net
that marks the end of the two
service boxes.
Service box: The area
in which a serve must land for
play to continue.
Center line: The line
running perpendicular to the
net that divides the two service
boxes.
Center mark: Line dividing
the service area into two halves.
Each half of a doubles court
is marked in the same way as
a singles court; the court is
widened through the use of the
doubles alleys, which add 4.5
feet to each sideline. The baseline
and service boxes remain the
same in both doubles and singles.
[Previous]
[Next]
©
2005 SportSpectator.com. All
rights reserved. The content
provided on SportSpectator.com,
such as text, graphics, design,
logos, button icons, code, and
images, is protected by United
States and international copyright
law. You may not copy, distribute,
reproduce, sell, or modify the
content in any form. However,
you may link to this page. You
may also make one printed copy
for your own personal, noncommercial
use. |