Tennis

Tennis is a sport, in which two players or two teams (each team consists of two
players) compete with each other. The goal of each player/team is to serve a ball
using a racket to the opponent’s side in such a way that the opponent can’t return
it. Moreover, the ball should touch the opponent’s half of the court at least once.

History of Tennis
The French game "jeu de paume" (literally – a game of the palm) is considered to
be the predecessor of tennis. Unlike modern tennis, they played jeu de paume
indoors, using the palm of the hand to strike the ball. Later, the gloves replaced
the palm; then, special bats replaced the gloves; and only after that, rackets
occurred.

One of the most well-known references to tennis in the medieval literature is an

episode in the historical chronicle by Shakespeare, "Henry V", in which the French
dauphin derisively sends a barrel of tennis balls to the young English king.

Almost all French kings played tennis, Charles IX of France called tennis "one of
the noblest, worthy and healthy exercises that princes, peers and other noble
people can do".

In 1900, students of Harvard University decided to arrange a tournament for

national teams. One of the students, Dwight Davis, bought a silver cup for the
winner for his own money. And most importantly, he made the rules of the
tournament. Davis and his two friends played for the US team, which won this
tournament, as well as the next one in 1902. The Cup was held every year and
was subsequently named "Davis Cup", which is still a popular event in the tennis
world.
Since the 1920s, professional tennis players began to make money, playing at
exhibition matches. The first professional tennis match was held on October 9,
1926, in New York, at the Madison Square Garden arena. 13 thousand people
attended the match.

Tennis rules

Players or teams should be on different sides of the net. One of the players
serves, the other one receives the serve, correspondingly. The server should serve
the ball in such a way that it hits the court zone at the opponent’s half. The
receiver should redirect (return) the ball to the opponent’s side in due time
before it falls onto the court or before it touches the court for a second time. If
one of the tennis players misses the ball, his/her opponent gets a point.

A tennis match consists of "sets", which, in turn, consist of “games”. Winning

games requires scoring points (at least 4 points: 15-30-40-game, while being up
by at least two points). When serving, the player has two attempts, during which
s/he alternately serves the ball to the left and right service court. After the game
is played, the serve goes to the opponent. After an odd number of games are
played, players have a minute break and the sides are switched. The player, who
is the first to win 6 games (provided that his/her opponent wins no more than 4
games), is considered to win the set. To win a match, the player must win 2 of 3
or 3 of 5 sets. The player, who wins the required number of sets, wins the match.

There is a referee at the official matches, who sits on the chair tower. In addition
to the referee on the chair tower, there may be line referees, who record the ball
entering the court area. In 2006, the age of electronic refereeing systems (Hawk-
Eye) began in tennis. These systems determine the place of the ball fall to high
precision.

Tennis court
The tennis court is rectangular, 23.77 meters long and 8.23 meters wide (10.97
meters for doubles matches). The court has a flat surface with marks on it:

●Lines along short sides of the court are called baselines, and lines along long
sides of the court are called sidelines.

●Service areas are marked on the court with the help of service lines, which are
parallel to the baselines and the net, at the distance of 6.40 m from the net, and
drawn only between the sidelines for a singles game, as well as the center service
line, which is drawn in the middle of the court parallel to the sidelines and
between the service lines. The center service line is also marked on the net with a
vertical white line stretched from the surface of the court to the upper edge of
the net.

●A short mark is placed on the baselines, indicating their midpoint.

The net is stretched in the middle of the court. The net is stretched full width and
divides the court into two equal parts. The standard net for tennis is 1.07 meters
wide and 12.8 meters long, and has square cells with a side of 4 centimeters.

Types of tennis court surface:

●grass,

●clay,

●hard

●synthetic carpet (artificial turf, acrylic).

There are other types of tennis court surfaces, such as asphalt, wood or rubber,
but they are not used at official matches.

Tennis Equipment

Tennis player equipment is as follows: a tennis racket and ball. The racket consists
of a handle and a rounded frame with tightly pulled strings. The frame of the
racket is made of complex composite materials (ceramics, carbon fiber, metal).
Strings for tennis rackets can be both natural and synthetic. They used to think
that natural strings have better properties, but nowadays artificial strings have
caught up with natural ones in terms of properties. Interestingly, as a rule, the
tension force of horizontal and vertical strings is different. Usually, a tennis racket
is chosen individually for each player.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has special requirements for rackets:

●The length of the racket should not exceed 73.66 cm.

●The width of the racket should not exceed 31.75 cm.

●The stringed surface of the racket, that is, the internal size (up to the frame) is
29.21 cm wide and 39.37 cm long.

A yellow and white hollow rubber ball is used for the game. The ball is covered
with fluffy felt from the outside to add certain aerodynamic properties.

Tennis tournaments

1. In modern tennis, 4 Grand Slam Tournaments are considered to be the largest

competitions

2. Australian Open

3. Rolland Garros is the French Open

4. Wimbledon Championships is the most prestigious championship of the Grand

Slam series, held on the outskirts of London – Wimbledon
5. US Open

6. Davis Cup is an unofficial world tennis championship.

7. Kremlin Cup is the largest championship in Russia.

Technical Skills

Technical skills for tennis include footwork, hand-eye coordination, and mental
fortitude.

Footwork

A key part of tennis, footwork involves moving to get to the ball, adjusting your
body for the next shot, and preparing for the shot after that

A split step is one of many footwork steps that can help you achieve this

Hand-eye coordination

Involves learning to judge how far away the ball is and when to swing your racket

This skill helps you determine when to start swinging your racket before the ball
hits it

Mental fortitude
Helps you stay mentally strong during critical moments and handle the challenges
of the game

This can improve your overall performance on the court

Other tennis skills:

Backhand topspin lob: An advanced technique that involves dropping your racket
slightly lower than normal and brushing up high through the ball

Backhand drive: A basic stroke that involves swinging across your body towards
the front

Forehand: A powerful stroke that can be used both offensively and defensively
include anticipating your opponent, making decisions, and using visual search
strategies. They also include playing to your strengths and weaknesses, and
attacking the net.

Tactical skills

Anticipation: Anticipating your opponent's next move

Decision-making: Making quick decisions about how to respond to your opponent

Visual search: Looking for opportunities on the court

Playing to strengths: Using your strengths to your advantage

Playing to weaknesses: Hitting the ball to your opponent's weak spot

Attacking the net: Going to the net to attack your opponent

Bringing your opponent to the net: Getting your opponent to come to you at the
net

Out-rallying: Continuing to rally with your opponent

Playing aggressively: Taking the initiative and attacking your opponent

Tennis is considered an open-skill sport, which means that players must adapt
their movements to the changing situation on the court. Footwork is also a critical
skill in tennis, as it affects every shot.