100 Words Every Tennis Fan Should Know

No.	Term	Definition
1.	Ace	Serve untouched by receiver; point immediately won.
2.	Ad court	Left service court for right-handed servers.
3.	Advantage	Point after deuce; wins game if next point.
4.	All-court player	Uses baseline and net skills effectively.
5.	Approach shot	Shot hit to move forward toward net.
6.	ATP	Men’s professional tennis tour organization.
7.	Backhand	Stroke hit on non-dominant side.
8.	Backspin	Spin causing ball to float and skid low.
9.	Bagel	Set won 6–0.
10.	Ball kid	Assists by retrieving balls during play.
11.	Baseline	Back boundary line of the court.
12.	Baseliner	Player who mainly rallies from baseline.
13.	Best-of-five	Match format; first to three sets wins.
14.	Big serve	Powerful serve producing many free points.
15.	Block return	Short swing return to neutralize fast serve.
16.	Break	Game won by receiver against server.
17.	Break point	Receiver can win game on next point.
18.	Breakpoint conversion	Percentage of break points won.
19.	Bye	Automatic advance without playing a round.
20.	Call	Line judge decision: in, out, fault.
21.	Challenge	Request electronic review of a line call.
22.	Changeover	Players switch ends between games.
23.	Chip-and-charge	Slice return then rush the net.
24.	Clay court	Slow surface; high bounce; sliding common.
25.	Closed stance	Front foot crosses; shoulders turned sideways.
26.	Comeback	Reversing deficit to win match.
27.	Continental grip	Grip used for serve, volley, slice.
28.	Crosscourt	Shot hit diagonally to opposite side.
29.	Crowd noise	Spectator sound affecting focus and rhythm.
30.	Cut	Slice action producing backspin.
31.	Dampener	Rubber device reducing string vibration.
32.	Dead ball	Point stopped; replayed due to interference.
33.	Deuce	40–40; must win two consecutive points.
34.	Double fault	Two consecutive service faults; point lost.
35.	Doubles alley	Extra sideline area used in doubles.
36.	Draw	Tournament bracket showing matchups.
37.	Drill	Practice exercise repeating specific patterns.
38.	Drive volley	Volley struck with full swing, usually deep.
39.	Drop shot	Soft shot landing short near net.
40.	Early take	Hitting ball soon after bounce.
41.	Error	Mistake giving point to opponent.
42.	Exhibition	Non-ranking match played for entertainment.
43.	Fault	Illegal serve attempt; two faults lose point.
44.	First serve	Initial serve attempt; usually faster.
45.	Flat serve	Low-spin serve emphasizing speed.
46.	Foot fault	Server steps on/over line during serve.
47.	Forced error	Mistake caused by opponent’s pressure.
48.	Forehand	Stroke hit on dominant side.
49.	Frame	Racquet structure supporting strings.
50.	Game	Unit of scoring within a set.
51.	Grand Slam	Four majors: AO, RG, Wimbledon, US Open.
52.	Grass court	Fast surface; low bounce; rewards serve-volley.
53.	Grip	Hand position on racquet handle.
54.	Groundstroke	Forehand or backhand after bounce.
55.	Hawk-Eye	Electronic line-calling and review system.
56.	Head-to-head	Record of matches between two players.
57.	Hold	Server wins their service game.
58.	Inside-out forehand	Forehand from backhand corner to crosscourt.
59.	ITF	International Tennis Federation; rules and events.
60.	Kick serve	Topspin serve jumping high after bounce.
61.	Let	Serve hits net and lands in; replay.
62.	Line judge	Official calling lines during points.
63.	Lob	High shot over opponent toward baseline.
64.	Love	Zero points in tennis scoring.
65.	Lucky loser	Qualifying loser entering main draw after withdrawal.
66.	Match point	Point that wins the match if taken.
67.	Mini-break	Point won on opponent’s serve in tiebreak.
68.	Mixed doubles	Doubles with one man and one woman.
69.	Moonball	Very high, deep topspin shot.
70.	Net	Barrier dividing court; ball must pass over.
71.	Net cord	Ball clips net and dribbles over.
72.	No-ad scoring	At deuce, next point decides game.
73.	Open Era	Professionals allowed in majors starting 1968.
74.	Open stance	Hips/shoulders face net more at contact.
75.	Overhead	Smash hit above head like a serve.
76.	Passing shot	Shot past net player to win point.
77.	Poach	Net player intercepts ball intended crosscourt.
78.	Point	Smallest scoring unit in tennis.
79.	Power baseline	Aggressive baseline style with heavy pace.
80.	Protected ranking	Entry based on pre-injury ranking.
81.	Qualifying	Pre-tournament rounds to enter main draw.
82.	Racquet	Strung implement used to hit the ball.
83.	Rally	Exchange of shots during a point.
84.	Receiver	Player returning the serve.
85.	Return of serve	First shot after opponent’s serve.
86.	Second serve	Serve after fault; usually safer with spin.
87.	Seed	Rank-based placement to separate top players.
88.	Serve-and-volley	Serve then move to net for volley.
89.	Service box	Target area where serve must land.
90.	Set	Collection of games; usually first to six.
91.	Shank	Mishit off frame causing errant shot.
92.	Slice	Backspin stroke, often low and skidding.
93.	Smash	Hard overhead hit to finish point.
94.	Spin	Rotation affecting bounce and trajectory.
95.	Split step	Small hop before opponent hits, to react.
96.	String tension	How tight strings are; affects control/power.
97.	Sweet spot	Best contact area for power and feel.
98.	Tiebreak	Game to decide set at 6–6.
99.	Topspin	Forward spin making ball dip and bounce high.
100.	Tweener	Between-the-legs shot, often on the run.