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- Tennis Terms 2021. 12 Point Tiebreaker: Used to end a set if tied at 6 games each. Ace: a serve that is a winner without the receiving tennis player able to return the ball. Ad court: the part of the tennis court that is to the left of the tennis players Ad in (Advantage in).
The Crossword Solver found 20 answers to the tennis term crossword clue. The Crossword Solver finds answers to American-style crosswords, British-style crosswords, general knowledge crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles. Enter the answer length or the answer pattern to get better results. Click the answer to find similar crossword clues. Baseline: marks the long boundaries of a court. The server must stand behind the baseline, between.
'Tennis Terminology: Love Being an Ace and Become a Winner!'
TENNIS TERMS: A concise list of terminologies of tennis. You will find 100s of tennis terms and definitions used by players and officials, all listed from A to Z.
Tennis players and competition referees can use this vocabulary of tennis terminology. The titles and common match rulings will also help spectators and sports fans.
The official tennis rules and regulations is a good place to start if you are learning to play. This list of tennis words covers advanced tennis lingo and sports terms related to the game.
Shoot through to the most common terminology in tennis by clicking the alphabetic facility below. Or, take a break and sharpen your knowledge and understanding of the game.
This comprehensive glossary of tennis terms and definitions continues to grow. Check in often for more words and phrases associated to tennis playing techniques and match-winning strategies.
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TENNIS TERMS: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
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A - Ace
Serving an ace means you hit a winner and the receiving player was unable to return the ball.
Advantage
Advantage in tennis occurs after the score reaches 40-all and the winner of the next point will have taken the advantage.
That means the player can win the game by taking the next point after the score was deuce.
The score reverts to 40-all if the player with advantage loses the next point.
Advantage Court (ad court)
In basic tennis terms the advantage court, abbreviated to ad court, refers to the left side section divided by the center service line and center mark at the baseline for each player.
Alley
The alley is used in doubles tennis games and it is the extra area of the side court which is bordered by the singles and doubles sidelines.
Angle-game
The angle-game refers to a style of play where you force your opponent wide of the court.
ATP
ATP is one of the abbreviated terms used in tennis. ATP stands for the Association of Tennis Professionals.
B - Backhand
The tennis backhand stroke is a swing technique where the tennis racquet hits the ball with a swing that comes across the body and struck on the opposite side of the body to the racket hand.
Backspin
Using a backspin tennis technique spins the ball and produces a slow and low bounce.
Backswing
The backswing is a motion of the swing that moves the racquet into position to swing forward and strike the ball.
Ball
A tennis ball is made mostly of rubber with a green and yellow fluffy surface coating.
Ballboys
Tennis ballboys are assistants whose role is to collect the balls and return them to the serving player.
Baseline
The baseline is a two-inch wide mark at the rear of the court indicating the back of the court area.
Baseliner (counterpuncher)
Baseliner is a tennis term describing a player whose strategy is to play predominantly from the baseline - sometimes called a counterpuncher.
Break
A break situation occurs when the server loses the game.
Break Point
Break point means the player is one point away from breaking their opponent's service game.
C - Chip
Chip is tennis terminology describing a blocking a shot and played with backspin.
Chip and Charge
Playing the 'chip and charge' is seen as an aggressive strategy in an attempt to return the opponent's serve with backspin and followed by a swift move forward to the net for a volley.
Chop
The tennis chop is one of the unusual terms used in tennis. The 'chop' is a shot played with an extreme amount of backspin and meant to stop the ball abruptly wherever it lands.
Court
According to the codified rules and regulations of tennis the rectangular tennis court is the area where a game is played.
Crosscourt
A tennis crosscourt shot is and impressive shot played diagonally across the tennis court into your opponent's court zone.
D - Deep
Deep is a tennis word describing a shot bouncing near to the baseline and some distance from the net.
Deuce
Deuce is a situation when the tennis score is 40 all in a game (40 to 40).
Deuce Court
The deuce court refers to the right side of the tennis court for each player.
Doubles
Doubles tennis games are played by four players which means there are two on each side of the tennis court.
Double Fault
Essentially a double fault occurs when a server faults twice in a row and loses one point.
Down the Line
Down the line is a tennis phrase meaning the shot has been played straight down the baseline.
Drop Shot
The drop shot is a volley where the ball drops tightly over the net. It is a tennis strategy used when the opponent is not close to the net.
Drop Volley
The drop volley is a sharp drop shot played from a volley.
E - Elbow (tennis)
Tennis elbow is a condition that causes pain around the outside of the elbow and clinically known as lateral epicondylitis. It often occurs after strenuous overuse of the muscles and tendons of the forearm, near the elbow joint.
F - Fault
A fault occurs most often during a serve and happens when the ball does not land inside the service area on the full (service that is not in play). A player committing this service fault loses a point after two consecutive faults.
First Service
The first service is the initial delivery of the two serves of the tennis ball. Players are allowed two serves by generally the server will try to deliver the most difficult serve to return on their first service.
Flat
The word 'flat' is one of the regular terms used for tennis. Playing a flat shot means there is little or no spin on the delivery.
Follow Through
The follow through describes the part of the swing technique after hitting the ball. A good follow through in tennis is important for power and accuracy.
Foot Fault
A foot fault occurs when a server places their foot over the baseline while making a serve.
Forecourt
The forecourt refers to the area of between the service line and the net.
Forehand
For many players the forehand is their best stroke. It is a tennis swing hitting the ball from behind the body.
G - Game Point
If you have game point it defines that you are one point away from winning the tennis game.
Grand Slam
The Grand Slam refers to any one of the four most prestigious tennis tournaments including the Australian Open, Championship Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the French Open.
Grand Slam Rules
Use the guide to master the laws and official competition rules of the tennis Grand Slam®. The Grand Slam Rule Book PDF details the regulations used in all four tournaments.
Groundstroke
Playing a groundstroke is making a forehand or backhand shot after the tennis ball bounces once on the court
H - Head
Head is tennis vocabulary for the top part of the racket where the strings are attached and used to hit the ball.
Hold
Hold is a state of play when the server wins the tennis game.
I - Information
I-formation is one of tennis titles referring to a doubles game where both players stand on the same side of the tennis court in preparation of starting the point.
J - Jamming
In tennis terminology, jamming means hitting the tennis ball straight to the opponent's body which does not usually allow them to extend their racquet for the return ball.
K - Kick Serve
A kick serve is one with an emphasized amount of spin which causes the ball to bounce high.
L - Let
If the tennis ball touches the net from a service but still lands within the service box, it is considered to be a 'let'. The server serves again and this does not count as a fault as seen in the official Tennis Rules Book PDF version.
Linesman
The linesman is an official seated in a chair along the lines of the court and his role is to call whether balls are in or out.
Lob
A lob is a ball hit high in the air and lifted high above the net while attempting to land it behind the opposing player. The lob shot can be defensive in some cases, but can create a winner when the ball lands in play and out of reach of the opponent.
Love
In a glossary of tennis terms, 'love' means the player has zero points in the game.
M - Match Point
Match point occurs when one player requires only one more point to win the entire tennis match.
N - Net
A tennis net is the central barrier which separates the two halves of the tennis court.
Net Cord Judge
The official who determines whether the serve hits the net is called the net cord judge.
O - Out
A ball which lands outside the area of play is termed to be 'out'.
P - Passing Shot
Passing shots are delivered passed the opponent at the net without them being able to return the shot.
Poaching
Poaching is one of the tennis words relating to an aggressive strategy in doubles tennis games. It refers to situations where players attempt volleying shots to the baseline.
Q - Queen's Club Championships
Queens is an annual tournament for male tennis players. It is held on grass courts at the Queen's Club in West Kensington, London.
The Queen's Club Championship is an event in the ATP World Tour 500 series which is on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour calendar.
R - Racket
The racket (or racquet) is an integral piece of tennis equipment. Tennis rackets have a long handle and an oval shaped head containing the string mesh which is stretched across it. Tennis players use a racquet to hit the ball.
Rally
A rally is a series of consecutive shots played by opponents back and forth while the ball continues to land in play and before a final winner shot.
S - Second Service
The second serve is allowed after the server misses the first serve. Second serves must be successful or the server loses the point (a double fault).
Serve
The serve is an overhead shot which starts each point when the server hits the tennis ball into their opponent's half of the court.
Serve and Volley
Serve and volley is a tennis strategy whereby the player serves and then charges forward to the net in anticipation of playing a volley off of the return.
Set Point
A tennis player needing one point to win the set is said to be at set point.
Singles
Singles tennis is a game played by two players - one on each side of the court.
Spin
Playing spin is a method of stroke play which induces a pronounced rolling or rotations of the ball in the air. Skilled tennis players can control the spin and, therefore, the ball's trajectory and bounce.
They make it move sideways and forwards or backwards depending on whether the racket face moves respectively across, over or under the ball as it moves through the air.
Straight Sets
If a player wins every set in a match they are said to have won the competition in straight sets.
Stance
Tennis Terms List
A player's stance refers to their body position. It refers to the terminology of tennis on how players stand prior to playing a shot.
T - Tie Break
These tennis tiebreaker rules are usually used in all major tournaments except the U.S. Open. It allows players to stay on serve instead of heading to a tiebreaker at 6-6 at the end of the fifth set decider.
The Wimbledon tie break rules continue to adhere to a 'no fifth set tiebreaker rules' regulation.
Topspin
Playing topspin causes a forward rotation of the ball after a shot. The ball spins forward often bouncing high and dipping down sharply afterwards.
U - Umpire
A tennis umpire is a match official keeping score during the competition.
Underspin
Playing underspin creates backwards rotation of the ball after a shot.
Unforced Error
An unforced error is a tennis term for a missed shot that was not caused by any particular excellent play by their opponent.
V - Volley
The volley is a shot where a player hits the ball before it makes contact with the ground.
W - Wimbledon
The Wimbledon Tennis Championship is the premier professional tennis tournament held at the All England Club in London SW19 5AE. It is the only major played on grass courts and is regarded as the oldest tennis tournament - and many would say the most famous.
Winner
A winner is a tennis shot that beats an opponent. Winners are seen as outstanding shots that cannot be returned in the normal method by the opponent.
WTA
The abbreviated acronym WTA applies to the terminology in tennis and it stands for the Women's Tennis Association.
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Tennis Terms and Definitions Glossary used by Players and Officials
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Rules, naming and tennis expressions can seem foreign to new players and to those unfamiliar with competitive play. Below is a list of common tennis expressions, phrases and terminology you may hear on the court.
Abuse
The pleasurable, often therapeutic act of mistreating your equipment (typically a racket) by means of smacking it on the ground, tossing, throwing, smashing, cutting in half with a chainsaw etc. when upset about how awful you're playing. Can also refer to the act of a player verbally abusing themselves or their doubles partner after a bad shot.
Ace
A serve hit so hard and fast or placed so well on the court that the receiver can't hit the ball. Can also refer to the nickname of an opponent you should not wager with, especially for money.
Ad or Advantage
When one player is within 1 point of winning a game. Also refers to the left side of the court (when facing the net) where the second and final point of each game is played.
Approach Shot
A shot hit as a player is approaching the net. Can also refer to taking a shot of booze to calm ones nerves before hitting on someone.
Asshole
Bad name used to refer to any player on the court, a coach, the crowd, a ball boy or girl or umpire, your spouse, parent or child, depending on the situation.
Backspin
The ball being hit so that it spins backwards, from bottom to top in the opposite direction than it's traveling. Can also refer to a celebratory break-dance move where a player spins on their back on the ground.
Bad Call
When a ball that was really in is called out. Can also refer to someone's poor outfit choice or hairstyle.
Bagel
When a player is beaten in a set 6-0. Can also refer to a delicious breakfast item.
Ball
The fuzzy round yellow object we try to hit, sometimes more successfully than others. Can also refer to a testicle.
Break
When a player wins a game in which their opponent was serving.
Break Point
The point in a game when a player wins the game off the server.
Bullshit
The English word often said when an opponent makes a bad line call. Can also refer to a player's methods or style of play being less than desirable.
Changeover
The act of changing sides of the court during a set after the first game and every 3 subsequent (odd number) games. Can also refer to switching from Gatorade to vodka when things aren't going well or to a player who keeps changing outfits during a match e.g. 'After every set, George keeps on changeover and over again.'
Cross-Court
A ball hit on the diagonal across the court. Can also refer to walking across the court e.g. 'Don't hit me with a ball, I'm about to walk cross-court.'
Dampener
Also referred to as aTennis vibration dampener or racket shock absorber, a small rubber device installed between racket strings to absorb vibration when a ball is hit.
Deep
A ball hit so it lands very close to the opponent's baseline. Can also refer to someone displaying mental or emotional depth of thought or being philosophical.
Deuce
The score in a game when the players are tied 40-40. Can also be a slang reference to a bowel movement e.g. 'After the next game I need to take a break and go drop a deuce.'
Doubles
Playing as a foursome where two 2-person teams compete and players play together as partners, 2 on each side of the court. Can also refer to doubling up on alcohol consumption during changeovers e.g. 'Hey Sally, after the next point we're doing doubles.'
Foot Fault
When the server steps on or over the baseline while serving and is in violation of a rule. Can also refer to a player's poor choice in footwear style or their shoes not matching the rest of their outfit.
Forced Error
When a player misses a shot as a result of a really good or difficult to return shot being hit by an opponent. Can also refer to making a mistake intentionally when forced to throw a match you've bet on because you owe your bookie money from last week's football and horse racing bets and need to repay him.
Game
A single game where the winner must win by 1 point, finishing with advantage for the winning player. Can also refer to the amount of swagger a player has when interacting with players of the opposite sex and getting them to agree to romantic liaisons.
Gaming or Gamesmanship
The unsportsmanlike act of using mental tricks, delays and other such nonsense to get in the head of your opponent and make them play badly or throw off their rhythm or momentum. This can be intentional bad line calls, faking injury, yelling or grunting unnecessarily during points or other distraction methods, chugging one too many beers during changeovers, taking too much time between points, games, sets or causing other delays, arguing calls, intentionally lobbing offensively just to disrupt 'normal' point play and so on. Can also refer to a player who constantly interrupts play to try to play games or gamble e.g. 'Hey Ronnie, stop gaming, quit playing dice with the other team, it's your turn to serve.'
Grip
The handle or part of the racket we hold onto. Can also refer to a player's hold on reality e.g. 'Bob, I know you missed that easy volley but please, get a grip.' Also slang for having a lot of something e.g. 'Did you see Dave? He has a grip of the new Penn tennis balls.'
Groundstroke
A ball that bounces on the other side of the court before being returned.
Hack or Hacker
Someone who lacks traditional stroke technique and resorts to slashing and chopping away at the ball to create a lot of weird spin to make the ball bounce funny and be more difficult to return so they can try to trick their opponent in lieu of being able to hit better shots. Can also refer to a player who is an actual computer hacker.
Hold
When the serving player wins a game while serving. Can also refer to a doubles partner needing to be hugged and comforted after a particularly upsetting point and/or because they are emotionally needy.
Hooker
A person who 'hooks', also known as making bad line calls and calling balls out when they are really in. Can also refer to a prostitute on the court or in the crowd.
Junk Baller
More or less the same thing as a hack or hacker, someone who can't consistently hit a good ball and instead, uses a slow shot with no spin or a ton of side spin and back spin on most shots to keep their opponent guessing and to frustrate their opponent. Can also refer to a junk dealer who has made a lot of money and reached 'baller' status.
Kick Serve
A serve hit high and/or with a lot of top-spin so it bounces very high after landing.
Let
A serve that hits the top of the net before bouncing into the receiving player's service box.
Lob
Hitting the ball high up in the air in an arc so it goes over the other player's head. Can also refer to an intoxicated player wanting to go for lobster post-match e.g. 'Hey guys, when the match is done let's get some lob...'
Match
A series of sets, generally best of 3 with the exception of professional play which can go to the best of 5 sets.
Match Point
The final point before the match ends.
Mental Tennis
Mental tennis refers to the mental aspect of the game and how a player deals with what happens during play from a mental and emotional standpoint.
Moon Baller
Someone who relies on high arcing lobs as an offensive strategy to frustrate their opponent or try to keep them out of an offensive position. This is not generally considered 'tennis' and is seen a lot at club level and low to mid level USTA league matches. A form of gamesmanship. Can also refer to an astronaut who likes to play sports that include a ball.
Overhead
A high ball you hit in midair while it's over your head. Can also refer to anything happening up in the sky e.g. 'Hey Tina, did you see that giant pterodactyl that just flew overhead?'
Overgrip or Overwrap
A thin, easily replaceable strip of (often somewhat tacky) soft material sold in small rolls that's used to wrap around and cover the racket grip to add a little extra size to the grip and provide more comfort, absorb sweat and allow us to better grip the racket.
Pusher
Someone who does not try to hit winners or offensive shots and relies on blocking back or returning the ball safely to keep play going. Can also refer to a player who tries to sell drugs to the other players.
Set
A series of games where the winner must win the best of 6 games, winning by at least 2 games. Can also be a slang reference to the boobs of a female player or spectator or the testicles of a male player or spectator.
Singles
When two players play against each other. Can also refer to $1 bills.
Smash
Same thing as an overhead shot. Can also refer to smashing your racket during a mental meltdown or to badly beating an opponent e.g. 'Let's smash those guys!'
Tiebreak
The process for determining a set winner in the event of a tie in competitive play when a set is limited to 6 games, usually a 7 or 10 point setup where each player serves twice in a row and the winner must reach 7 or 10 points first and win by 2 points.
Tennis Score Lingo
Topspin
A ball hit so that it spins from top to bottom in the direction it was hit, causing a higher and/or more forceful forward bounce when it hits the ground.
Tennis Terms And Definitions
Unforced Error
Tennis Lingo Love
When a player makes a mistake on their own without any outside influence such as a particularly challenging shot by an opponent.
Volley
A ball that is hit out of the air (except when overhead) before it bounces.