FREE ESSAY ON TENNIS

TENNIS

ennis is a game which opposing players-one or two on each side-use rackets to hit a ball
back and forth over a net. The game is played on a flat surface called a court. Each
player tries to score points by hitting the ball so that the opposing player or players
cannot return it over the net and inside the court. 
Tennis may be played indoors or outdoors. If two people play, the game is called singles.
If four people play, it is called doubles. In most singles and doubles matches, men play
men and women play women. In mixed doubles, a man and woman play on each side. 
The Court is a rectangle divided into halves by a net stretched across the middle. The
net measures 3 feet high at the center and 3 1/2 feet high at the side posts that support
it. The court is 78 feet long. The singles court measures 27 feet wide. The doubles court
is 4 1/2 feet wider on each side. The most popular surfaces for outdoor courts are
asphalt, clay, and concrete. 
Tennis Balls are hollow. They are made of rubber and covered with a felt fabric woven of
Dacron, nylon, and wool. A tennis ball must have a diameter of more than 2 1/2 inches but
less than 2 5/8 inches. It must weigh more than 2 ounces but less than 2 1/16 ounces.
Balls used in tournaments may be either white or yellow. 
Before they begin to play tennis, the players must decide who serves first and which end
of the court each player or team will defend. Most players make these decisions by means
of a racket toss. For example, they may use the manufacturer's markings on one side of a
racket handle as heads and on the other side as tails. One player stands the racket
upright on the frame and spins it. The opposing player or team calls which side will land
face up. 
Scoring. Tennis is scored in terms of points, games, and sets. A player or doubles team
scores a point when the opposing side fails to return the ball properly or commits an
error. To win a game, one side must score four points and lead by at least two points.
The first point is called 15; the second, 30; the third, 40; and the fourth game point. A
score of zero is called love. The server's score is always given first. 
If both sides win three points, the score is 40-40, which is called deuce. To win a deuce
game, one side must lead by two points. The first point scored after deuce is called the
advantage or ad. If the side with the advantage loses the next point, the game returns to
deuce. 
To win a set, one side must win six games and lead by at least two games. If the score
reaches 6-6, a tiebreaker is played. The side that wins the tiebreaker wins the set by a
score of 7-6. 
The Serve, or service, puts the ball into play at the start of each game and after each
point is scored. The server must toss the ball into the air and hit it before it strikes
the ground. The ball must then travel into the service court diagonally opposite. The
server begins each game by serving from the right side of the court. The serve then
alternates between the left and right sides following each point. The server must serve
from behind the base line but may stand anywhere between the center mark and the singles
sideline. In a singles match, a player serves until the game is completed. Then the
receiver becomes the server. 
If a serve lands in the net or outside the receiver's service court, the server has
committed a fault. A server commits a foot fault by stepping on or over the baseline or
changing position by running or walking before hitting the ball. A player who commits a
fault of foot fault gets a second serve. But if this serve fails through a fault of foot
fault, the player has committed a double fault, and loses a point. 
The ball in play. After the serve, the receiver must hit the ball on the first bounce and
return it over the net. The ball must land in the area bounded by the base line and the
singles sidelines, or in team play, the doubles sidelines. After the ball has been served
and returned, it may be hit either on the fly, which is called a volley, or after the
first bounce, which is called a ground stroke. The players continue to rally until one
side scores a point. 
Tennis is believed to have been invented by the French who called it jeu de paume during
the 1100's or 1200's.