A

Ace- A good serve that is unreturnable and not touched.

Ad court- The side of the court in which the second point of each game begins, also called the left court or the backhand court.

Alley- The area on each side of the singles court that enlarges the surface area for doubles play.

Approach shot- A shot used from inside the baseline to enable a player at or near the baseline to attain position at the net.

B

Backcourt- The area between the baseline and service line.

Backhand- For a right-hander, the stroke played on the left side of the body; the reverse for a left-hander.

Backspin or underspin- The reverse or backward rotation of the ball in flight.

Back swing- The initial portion of the swing, so called because it involves bringing the racket back before swinging it forward; it can be straight-back or loop.

Ball toss- The action of tossing the ball into the air with the non-racket arm when initiating the serve.

Baseline- The line which demarcates the legal length of the court.

Block volley- A volley produced by holding the racket firmly in the path of the oncoming ball and "blocking" it back with almost no motion.

C

Centerline- Refers to both the line dividing the service boxes and the smaller hashmark that bisects the baseline.

Changeover- The time after every odd game when players change ends of the court; they have 90 seconds to make the changeover.

Chip shot- A soft dipping shot with backspin that just clears the net, forcing the net player to volley up; often employed to return serve.

Chop shot- A stroke with heavy backspin, hit with a chopping motion.

Circular back swing or loop back swing- Taking the racket back in a high, looping or circular motion;

Closed face- When the face of the racket is inclined slightly forward, tilted towards the oncoming ball.

Contact point- The place where and when the racket meets the ball.

Continental grip- A grip which is the same for forehand and backhand, so called because it was developed on the "continent" of Europe; favored by serve-and-volley Players.

Crosscourt shot- A ball hit diagonally across the court, as opposed to one hit straight down the line.

Cross slice- A shot hit with underspin, or backspin, and sidespin at the same time.

D

Defensive lob- A high, deep lob played from a defensive position which allows the defender time to recover court position and forces the offensive player away from the net: almost always hit with underspin.

Deuce court- The side of the court in which the first point of each game begins, also called the right court or the forehand court.

Dink shot- A soft dipping shot that just clears the net; used often in doubles, especially on return of serve.

Double-fault- Failing to place either of two serves in play.

Drag volley- A volley hit with the racket face slightly Open, producing some backspin; used for control.

Drive volley or swing volley- Playing the ball in the air with a longer swing than the normal short volley movement.

Dropshot- A delicate shot that barely clears the net and falls short in the opponent's court.

Drop volley- Same as the dropshot, but hit off a volley, usually from a position close to the net.

E

Eastern grip- A strong groundstroking grip, so called because it was developed in the eastern United States, that employs separate hand positions for forehand and backhand.

F

Fast courts- Court surfaces, such as wood and grass, that allow the ball to bounce faster and lower than others.

Flat back swing- Taking the racket straight back in preparation for the swing, as opposed to a loop or circular back swing.

Flat face- When the strings of the racket are perpendicular to the ground and the racket meets the ball squarely, with little spin.

Flat serve- A serve hit with little or no spin, usually it is hit with great speed and power.

Flat shot- Any shot hit with little or no spin; usually it is hit with great speed and power.

Follow-through- The finishing motion of the swing after the ball has been hit.

Forcing shot- Any shot that forces one's opponent into a defensive position.

Forehand- For a right-hander, the stroke played on the right side of the body; opposite for a left-hander.

G

Groundstroke- Hitting the ball after it has bounced, usually from the area of the baseline.

Groundstroke slice- A groundstroke hit with an open-faced racket producing backspin or underspin.

Gut- A responsive string, made from animal intestines, used to string rackets.

H

Halfcourt- The area of the court midway between the baseline and net, also called mid-court.

Half-volley- Playing the ball just after it bounces with a very low, short stroke.

Hard or composition courts- A court surface that is hard to the touch and on the feet.

Head- The area of the racket containing the strings.

Hitting on the rise- Playing the ball before it has reached the peak of its bounce. Also known as "taking the ball early."

K

Kill- To "put the ball" away and end the point.

L

Lob- A high-arcing shot, usually hit from behind the baseline to regain position.

M

Mid-court- The area around the service lines, halfway between the net and the baseline.

Mixed doubles- A match involving two teams, each team consisting of one male and one female.

Moon ball- A very high lob mixed into a baseline exchange, primarily used to change the tempo.

N

Net player- In doubles, the partner of the server when he or she takes a normal doubles position at the net.

Net rusher- A player who aggressively moves forward to a position at the net.

"No-man's" land- The area between the baseline and the service line.

O

Offensive lob- A lob played from an intermediate or offensive position, usually hit with a lower trajectory than the defensive lob, and intended to win the point; often hit with topspin.

Open face- When the face of the racket is tilted away from the oncoming ball, or "open" to the ball, as opposed to "closed."

Open stance- Any hitting stance in which the back foot is closer to the path of the ball than the front foot.

Overhead smash- A stroke played above the head with a service-type action, usually from near the net and in response to a lob.

P

Passing shot- A groundstroke that passes a net player on either side.

Placement- Placing a shot so that it cannot be returned.

Punch volley- A volley marked by a very short "punching" movement of the racket.

Putaway volley- A volley hit beyond the opponent's reach.

R

Rally- Play exchange between two or more players.

Ready position- A preparation for any shot; weight slightly forward, knees slightly bent, racket up and in front of the body.

Run-around forehand- A forehand hit from the backhand side, i.e., a player runs to his or her backhand side in order to hit a forehand instead of a backhand.

S

Serve-and-volley- A style of play that involves rushing toward the net immediately after the serve, in order to volley the return.

Service box- The area on the other side of the net in which a serve must land in order to be legal.

Service break- When one player wins a game while the other player is serving; also called "a break."

Service line- The line near mid-court that marks the boundaries of the service boxes.

Set- A unit of scoring; the first player to win six games by a margin of two (or win a special tie-break game at 6-6) wins a set .

Side slice- Moving the racket across and under the ball at impact, imparting both backspin and sidespin at the same time, also called sidespin.

Sideways stance- Standing in neither a closed nor an open stance; also referred to as a "square" stance.

Slow courts- Courts that grab the ball on impact, slowing the bounce.

Snap volley- A volley hit with some wrist action at impact, used for more power.

Soft courts- Courts that give under the feet, i.e. clay.

Specialty shots- Shots other than the basic serve, volley, and groundstrokes. i.e., dropshot, approach, half-volley, lob, and overhead.

Stand in- When the receiver stands inside the baseline to return serve, intending to play the ball early.

Standard doubles formation- Positions for the serving team, server stands at baseline with partner at net; for the receiving team, receiver stands near the baseline with partner on the service line.

T

"T"- The mid-court area formed by the junction of the center service line and the service lines.

Taking the net- Moving from the baseline Position to the net position.

Tennis elbow- Pain in the elbow caused by too much play, improper technique, improper tension (see below), or any combination of the three.

Tension- The degree of tautness in the strings of a racket.

Tie breaker- A special game played to decide the winner of a set when the score is tied at 6-6. The winner of the tie breaker game is the first player to reach seven points, by a margin of two.

Topspin- Forward rotation of the ball in flight.

V

Vertical face- When the hitting area of the racket is at a right angle to the ground or "on edge," as opposed to an open or a closed face.

Volley- Playing the ball in the air before it bounces.

Volley lob- Hitting a lob off the volley before the ball bounces.

W

Winner- A ball hit beyond the opponent's reach; an unreturnable shot.