Tennis is one of the most popular sports with a rich history and a global fan base. While the sport pique the interest of the spectators, many are not properly acquainted with the terms and rules of tennis.

The tennis vocabulary is wide and diverse and one needs to understand the terms in order to relish the game even more. Below is a list of tennis jargon that we have simplified for a casual tennis observer.

Understanding Tennis Terminology

Tennis Shots

Forehand: A shot hit with the player’s dominant hand.

Backhand: A shot used to return balls hit to the left side of a right-handed player (or vice-versa). Backhands are hit either one-handed or two-handed.

Groundstroke: Forehands or backhands which are hit when a player is standing a few feet from the baseline of the court

Serve: Shot that begins the point, whereby players throw the ball up in the air and hit it overarm to the other side of the net.

Volley: When a shot is hit without it bouncing on their side of the court.

Slice: A shot hit by brushing underneath the tennis ball.

Smash: A shot when the player hits the ball as hard as they can.

Lob: A forehand or backhand shot that travels over the opponents head and lands deep in the court near the baseline, making it hard to return

Tweener: A shot that is hit between the legs of the player.

Also Read: Tennis Rules and Regulations For the Paris Olympics 2024

Tennis Court

Ad Court: The name given to the left-hand side of the forecourt for each player.

Baseline: The two-inch-wide line which marks the very end of a tennis court. Each baseline is 39 feet from the net.

Backcourt: The area of the court between the service line and the baseline.

Centre Mark: A small mark at the centre of the baseline, parallel to the line dividing the ad court and the deuce court.

Deuce Court: The right-hand side of the forecourt for each player.

Forecourt: The area between the service line and the net, which is divided vertically between the ad court and the deuce court. A legal serve must bounce in the forecourt.

Service Line: The 21-feet line from the net which divides the forecourt from the backcourt.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: How to Watch Tennis Matches Live – Streaming and Channel Details

Tennis Scoring

Ace: A legal serve which the returner does not manage to get their racquet to. An ace always has the server winning a point.

Advantage: A player’s score is given as ‘advantage’ or ‘ad’ when they win the next point after a game goes to deuce. It means they will win the game if they win the following point.

Break Point: A point which will lead to a player winning a game against their opponent’s serve, if they win it.

Deuce: Deuce is the name given to a score of 40-40 in any game.

Double Fault: When a serving player commits two consecutive service faults, awarding a point to their opponent.

Fault: A fault is the name given to an illegal serve, usually the one into the net or one which bounces outside of the required forecourt area.

Foot Fault: A serve which is illegal because the server has overstepped the baseline or across the centre mark before striking the ball.

Let: A point which is ordered to be replayed with no change to a match’s score.

Love:  A term used in tennis instead of the word ‘zero’.

Straight Sets: The name given to a win in a tennis match without losing a set.

Tiebreak: A tiebreak is a method of deciding a set when the game score reads 6-6.