What You Need to Know About Tennis

Tennis is a racket game which is played between two competing teams of two players each, with each player using a special tennis racket strung by thin nylon string to strike an oblong-shaped rubber ball called a tennis ball on or above a tennis court and onto the opponent’s court for point goal. Each player on each team has only one hand free to stroke the ball while the other hand is busy taking part in the play. Tennis players usually wear tennis shoes that have non-marking rubber sole to facilitate their striking the ball. While playing, it is essential to practice the techniques and skills such as serving and forehand strokes to get better strokes. As the strokes improve, the speed of the ball also increases.

In most countries, tennis rules allow the use of two single serve games per set; however, it is also allowed for each player to serve twice in one set. The player that serves the most number of times is given the point, thus, making the match finish at a point. Unlike basketball, tennis rules do not specify how many points must be earned for a set win; thus, it is up to the discretion of the judge to determine the outcome of a set. Unlike baseball, wherein a team must hold a lead in runs or hits in a game to win, tennis usually finish a match using a tie-breaker depending on the number of games played. In doubles matches, the winning player usually receives three points while the losing player receives two points.

To play tennis, it is important to have both keen physical endurance and great agility so that the players will be able to move quickly and accurately on the tennis court. The player who jumps higher, dashes more and hits the ball faster is considered to be the better player. Most tennis players start by playing one-on-one or practicing on the tennis court with a friend or coach before moving on to play with other two players. Once the two players are paired, they compete against each other using doubles competition until only one player remains; the winner becomes the designated winner. However, it is important to note that if a pair is playing against each other, then the player who lost the first set in the set breakaway match is automatically declared the loser and vice versa.