Name: Christian Jay H.

Paradero
Grade and Section: 12-Opal (STEM)
Practical Activity / Performance Task #1

TENNIS
History of Tennis
There has been much dispute over the invention of modern tennis, but the officially recognized
centennial of the game in 1973 commemorated its introduction by Major Walter Clopton
Wingfield in 1873. He published the first book of rules that year and took out a patent on his
game in 1874, although historians have concluded that similar games were played earlier and
that the first tennis club was established by the Englishman Harry Gem and several associates in
Leamington in 1872. Wingfield’s court was of the hourglass shape and may have developed
from badminton. The hourglass shape, stipulated by Wingfield in his booklet “Sphairistiké, or
Lawn Tennis,” may have been adopted for patent reasons since it distinguished the court from
ordinary rectangular courts. At the time, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was the governing
body of real tennis, whose rules it had recently revised. After J.M. Heathcote, a distinguished
real tennis player, developed a better tennis ball of rubber covered with white flannel, the MCC
in 1875 established a new, standardized set of rules for tennis.
Meanwhile, the game had spread to the United States in the 1870s. Mary Outerbridge of New
York has been credited with bringing a set of rackets and balls to her brother, a director of the
Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club. But research has shown that William Appleton of
Nahant, Massachusetts, may have owned the first lawn tennis set and that his friends James
Dwight and Fred R. Sears popularized the game.
An important milestone in the history of tennis was the decision of the All England Croquet Club
to set aside one of its lawns at Wimbledon for tennis, which soon proved so popular that the club
changed its name to the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. In 1877 the club decided to
hold a tennis championship, and a championship subcommittee of three was appointed. It
decided on a rectangular court 78 feet (23.8 metres) long by 27 feet (8.2 metres) wide. They
adapted the real tennis method of scoring—15, 30, 40, game—and allowed the server one fault
(i.e., two chances to deliver a proper service on each point). These major decisions remain part of
the modern rules. Twenty-two entries were received, and the first winner of the Wimbledon
Championships was Spencer Gore. In 1878 the Scottish Championships were held, followed in
1879 by the Irish Championships.
There were several alterations in some of the other rules (e.g., governing the height of the net)
until 1880, when the All England Club and the MCC published revised rules that approximate
very closely those still in use. The All England Club was the dominant authority then, the British
Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) not being formed until 1888. In 1880 the first U.S.
championship was held at the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club. The victor was an
Englishman, O.E. Woodhouse. The popularity of the game in the United States and frequent
doubts about the rules led to the foundation in 1881 of the U.S. National Lawn Tennis
Association, later renamed the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association and, in 1975, the U.S. Tennis
Association (USTA). Under its auspices, the first official U.S. national championship, played
under English rules, was held in 1881 at the Newport Casino, Newport, Rhode Island. The
winner, Richard Sears, was U.S. champion for seven consecutive years.
Tennis had taken firm root in Australia by 1880, and the first Australian Championships were
played in 1905. The first national championships in New Zealand were held in 1886. In 1904 the
Lawn Tennis Association of Australasia (later of Australia) was founded.
The first French Championships were held at the Stade Français in 1891, but it was an interclub
tournament that did not become truly international until 1925; the French Federation of Lawn
Tennis was established in 1920. Other national championships were inaugurated in Canada
(1890), South Africa (1891), Spain (1910), Denmark (1921), Egypt (1925), Italy (1930), and
Sweden (1936). In 1884 a women’s championship was introduced at Wimbledon, and women’s
national championships were held in the United States starting in 1887.

Rules of Tennis
 The game starts with a coin toss to determine which player must serve first and which
side they want to serve from.
 The server must then serve each point from alternative sides on the base line. At no point
must the server’s feet move in front of the baseline on the court prior to hitting their
serve.
 If the server fails to get their first serve in they may take advantage of a second serve. If
they again fail to get their second serve in then a double fault will be called and the point
lost.
 If the server clips the net but the ball goes in the service area still then let is called and
they get to take that serve again without penalty. If the ball hits the net and fails to go in
the service area then out is called and they lose that serve.
 The receiver may stand where they wish upon receipt of the serve. If the ball is struck
without the serve bouncing then the server will receive the point.
 Once a serve has been made the amount of shots between the players can be unlimited.
The point is won by hitting the ball so the opponent fails to return it in the scoring areas.
 Points are awarded in scores of 15, 30 and 40. 15 represent 1 point, 30 = 2 and 40 = 3.
 You need 4 points to win a game. If a game lands on 40-40 it’s known as deuce. From
deuce a player needs to win 2 consecutive points to win the game. After winning one
point from deuce they player is on advantage. If the player wins the next point they win
the game, if they lose it goes back to deuce.
 To win the set a player must win 6 games by 2 or more. The opening sets will go to a tie
break if its ends up 6-6 where players play first to 7 points. The final set will not have a
tie break and requires players to win by two games with no limits.
  If a player touches the net, distracts his opponent or impedes in anyway then they
automatically lose the point.
 The ball can hit any part of the line for the point to be called in, outside the line and the
ball is out.
 The balls in a tennis match are changed for new balls every 6 games
 A player loses a point if they fail to return the ball in either the correct areas on the court,
hits the net and doesn’t go into opponent’s area or fails to return the ball before it
bounces twice in their half.

Tennis Uniform

Gameplay
Opponents spin a racket or toss a coin to decide on side and service. The winner may decide to
serve or receive service first (in which case the opponent chooses the side) or may decide on a
choice of side (in which case the opponent may choose to serve or receive service first). The
players serve alternate games and change sides after every odd number of games.
Beginning each game from behind his or her right-hand court, the server has both feet behind the
baseline and strikes the ball diagonally across the net and into the opponent’s right-hand service
court. Should the ball on service strike the top of the net before falling in the correct service
court, it is a “let” and is replayed. The server is allowed one miss, or “fault,” either into the net or
outside the opponent’s service court. Failure to deliver a correct service on two attempts
constitutes loss of the point.
To return service, the receiver strikes the ball back (before it hits the ground a second time) over
the net and within the boundaries of the opponent’s court. After the service has been correctly
returned, the players may volley the ball (i.e., hit it before it bounces) or hit it after its first
bounce, and the point continues until one player fails to make a correct return. This may occur if
a player fails to hit the ball over the net, hits it outside the opponent’s boundaries, or fails to hit it
before it strikes the ground a second time on his or her side of the net.
To win a game, a player must win four points and by a margin of two. The scoring goes 15, 30,
40, game; this system, derived from real tennis, is medieval in origin. It never has been
satisfactorily explained why three points equal 40 rather than 45. Zero is generally referred to as
“love,” which is thought to be derived from l’oeuf, the French word for “egg.” The server’s score
is called first; thus, 30–15 means that the server has two points to one, whereas 15–30 means that
the receiver has two points to one. If both players reach 40, the score is said to be “deuce,” and
the game continues until a player achieves first “advantage” and then the two-point margin for
“game.” There is no limit to the number of times a game can go to deuce before it is decided, but
in some competitions a so-called “no-ad” system is used, which means that no two-point margin
is required and the first player to win four points wins the game. As points make up a game,
games make up a set, and sets make up a match. The first player to win six games traditionally
wins the set, although a two-game margin is again required; thus, a set in which each player has
won five games cannot be won before 7–5.
Since the early 1970s virtually all competitions have come to employ tiebreakers to eliminate
marathon sets. Usually played at six games all, the tiebreaker can consist of an odd number of
points with no two-point margin required (“sudden death”) or an even number of points with a
two-point margin required. For example, in a 12-point tiebreaker the first player to reach 7 points
with a margin of 2 wins the tiebreaker game and the set, 7–6. Virtually all tournaments now play
tiebreakers at six games all. In major tournaments and the Davis Cup, men generally play best-
of-five-set matches and women best-of-three. In most other tournaments, men now also play
best-of-three sets; women occasionally play best-of-five for finals. In Olympic competition, all
matches are best-of-three sets, except for the men’s finals, which are best-of-five.
The same basic principles of play and scoring apply to doubles. Service alternates between the
two opposing teams, but each team must decide at the start of each set which partner shall serve
first. Equally, the receiving team must decide at the start of each set which of them shall receive
service first, and they then receive service on alternate points for that game and set. Thus, the
server will alternate sides of the court on successive points in each game, but the receiver will
always receive on the same side of the court during that game (and the set).

Different Violations
1. Racquet Abuse
This code violation is the most common in professional tennis right now. It is very easy for
players who are frustrated to swing what is in their hand at the time, which is why the racquet
often gets slammed, thrown around, kicked, and more.
If it is just one or two hits against the ground, umpires usually let it go. It is not until it gets
out of hand, or a player makes a huge scene with the racquet abuse that they receive a
warning or even a loss of point.
It would take a ton of racquet abuse for a player to be disqualified, as some players have had
some pretty crazy temper tantrums while still being able to finish the match.
2. Audible Obscenity
As one might expect, there are different levels of audible obscenities. A few magic words can
lead to an automatic violation without getting any type of warning. It is also very easy for
players to get disqualified if they go too far.
There is usually a protocol that umpires need to follow to not automatically throw out a
player. Warnings, point penalties, and game penalties are all in play.
Tennis reacts more to these obscenities if TV cameras pick them up. After all, it hurts the
sport’s image a bit, and they could receive a fine for on-air explicative.
3. Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Unsportsmanlike conduct is a bit of a catch-all option for a variety of violations. It can be
directed towards an umpire, an opposing player, or anyone at the match, for that matter.
Since the description is a bit vague, it might be the most controversial penalty or violation a
player receives when playing.
The vast majority of players, do not have to worry about unsportsmanlike conduct. However,
there will always be instances when an umpire needs to get everything under control. If the
player receiving the violation still will not listen, the tournament referee can help make
decisions as well.
4. Verbal Abuse
There is a lot of overlap between audible obscenities, unsportsmanlike conduct, and verbal
abuse. More often than not, a code violation is labeled as verbal abuse if an umpire is
receiving a lot of complaints from a player. Maybe they are upset with the calls or feel like
they are being targeted for one reason.
Certain triggers will escalate things a lot more than others, but verbal abuse usually starts
with a warning. Umpires are not required to put up with a ton of abuse when they are out
there on the court. Some get the reputation for having less tolerance than others.
5. Coaching
Tennis has a long history of allowing no coaching whatsoever during a match. It is supposed
to be a tennis match with one player going up against the other, and unlike most other sports,
there is no coach to give advice.
That changed a few years ago to some degree, as the WTA now allows for coaching
opportunities during a match. Still, it is only allowed during set times, and if the umpire
catches a player receiving coaching at another time, they can face the consequences.
A lot of players will try to deny that they are receiving coaching when they are called out
upon it, but that does not always work. As many people know, perhaps the most infamous
controversy came at the 2018 US Open when Serena Williams received a violation for
receiving illegal coaching during the final against Naomi Osaka.
6. Time Violations
A code violation that is becoming more and more enforced is time violations. This is a bit of
a controversial call, which is why most umpires are giving players the benefit of the doubt.
Not only is it new, and players are adjusting, but the official start of the clock in between
points is argued a bit.
Time violations can also occur if a player takes too long of a break in between sets. It is
ultimately up to the umpire’s discretion, but as long as it is close, players will usually get
away with it. A lot of umpires will give off-the-record warnings to players before giving an
official warning.
7. Best Effort
Another rarely used code violation that can result in a pretty hefty fine is failing to give the
best effort on the court. This is up to the umpire’s discretion and only occurs during the most
obvious circumstances.
There are many reasons why players must give their all when out on the court. Not only does
it keep the competitive balance, but it helps to prevent the risk of match-fixing. The last thing
the tennis world wants is any kind of rampant gambling scandal to break out.
Also, with so many players fighting for spots in each tournament, players must give great
effort when they are actually playing to appease the fans.
8. Ball Abuse
Balls get a lot of abuse when players are frustrated during a match. Virtually every tennis
player ever has hit the ball a little harder or slammed a ball in frustration. Umpires will let it
go to a certain extent, but they will call a code violation if it gets out of hand.
The majority of players will take one warning and change the way they are approaching their
frustration. If the ball goes out of the stadium or is directed at a player or umpire, there is a
chance of getting an automatic disqualification. The ball might be relatively small and soft,
but it could still do some damage when hit at high speed.
In the US Open 2020, perhaps the most shocking example of ball abuse led to a
disqualification. Novak Djokovic, visibly upset, smashed a ball that ended up hitting
someone calling lines. He was immediately disqualified from the tournament and lost a solid
opportunity to win another major.
9. Visible Obscenity
Tennis players usually let the umpire know exactly how they feel if they are frustrated with
an audible obscenity. However, players will go with a much more subdued route on occasion
by giving them a visible obscenity. Almost always, this is flipping the umpire off for one
reason or another. Players might also flip off their opponent if they are having some
disagreement with them.
The same rules apply as far as code violations are concerned with these obscenities. Players
usually receive a warning at first, unless it is clearly visible and causing a major distraction.
Umpires may jump to giving a point penalty right from the beginning if that is the case.
10. Refusing To Meet The Press
Every professional tennis player needs to have some availability to the press after a match.
Failure to do so can result in a fine.
This is rarely in need of enforcing, since there are various ways players can meet
requirements. However, the difference is that since this is during a match, any penalty comes
in the way of a fine.
During the Roland Garros 2021, Naomi Osaka refused to participate in the mandatory post-
match press conferences, which led to a hefty $15,000 fine.