Laguna Middle School
Physical Education Department
TENNIS UNIT
LINES OF THE COURT
Left Service Court Right Left Service Court Right Service Court Singles Sideline
Doubles Sideline
Center Line
Service Court
Center Mark
Alley
RULES
1.
Server
must serve from behind the baseline and serve the ball diagonally into the
opposite service court. The server always serves a complete game before his
opponent serves for the next game.
2.
Server
alternates from the right and left sides of the court on each point of the
game.
3.
Server
is allowed two serves in which to get the ball into the service court. If
the ball hits the top of the net during the serve and lands in the service
court, it is called “Let” and the serve is taken over. If the first serve
goes into the net or out of bounds, it is called “Fault”. If both serves
are no good, it is called “Double Fault” and the point goes to the opposite side.
4.
After
the serve, during a rally, if the ball hits the top of the net and lands in
bounds it is good.
5.
A
point is lost (opponent wins the point) if:
⇨ Two consecutive serves do not land
within the service court.
⇨ The ball is hit out of bounds.
⇨ The ball is hit more than once on a
side.
⇨ A player reaches over the net or
touches the net while hitting the ball.
⇨ A player throws his racket at the ball
and hits it.
⇨ The ball bounces twice on one side.
⇨ The ball hits a player.
6.
If
the ball hits the net post and lands in bounds it is playable.
7.
A
ball that touches only a hair of the line is in, even if 99% of the ball
touches the ground outside the line.
8. Players change sides of the net AFTER each odd game. Alternating sides AFTER the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th,…games until the set is won. This is so as not to give one player an advantage in outside conditions, such as wind or sun. Double players on the same team also alternate games to serve.
TENNIS
SCORING
A Tennis contest is called a Match. A Match is made
up of 3 to 5 Sets and a Set is made up of at least 6 Games.
Games are won by winning at least four points. Points in
tennis are called Love, 15, 30, 40, Deuce and Advantage.
A Game
0, or nothing, is called 'Love'. It is believed to come
from the pronunciation of the French word 'l' oeuf', which sounds like 'love.
The use of 'l'ouef', meaning 'egg', to denote nothing, is derived from the
shape of an egg. The first point won by a player is called 15,
the second point, 30, the third point, 40. If a
player then wins a fourth point before his opponent has won three points, then
that player wins the Game. However, if both players have won three points
(40-all), the score is then Deuce. The word 'deuce' comes
from an Old French word 'deus', meaning 'two'. When the score is at deuce,
players must win two straight points in a row to win the game. The first point
won after a score of deuce is called Advantage, either to the server;
“Ad In” or to the receiver; “Ad Out,” but
if that player loses the next point then the score returns to deuce.
Winning the next point after being at Advantage wins the game.
A Set
The first player who wins six games, wins the set, provided he has won
two more games than his opponent. If the score reaches five games to six, then
the winning player must win the next game. If the score reaches six games all,
then it becomes a tiebreak. (see Tiebreak below)
Tiebreak
In most matches, when a game score of six all is reached, a tiebreak is played.
In a tiebreak the points are called 1, 2, 3, etc. Each side serves only once.
This is so as not to give too great an advantage to the server. The player who
wins the tiebreak game is the player who wins seven points with at least two
more points than his opponent. He wins the set seven games to six. In a
tiebreak the players must keep playing until one player is two points ahead.
In doubles the players serve alternately in the same order as before.
A Match
A match consists of the best 2 out of 3 sets in all except Men’s
National Rules, where it is the best 3 out of 5 sets.