Physical Education and Health: Individual and Dual Sports

1
How to Play Tennis

How to play tennis

At the end of the module, the student is expected to:

1. Understand the rules in playing tennis
2. Understand the scoring method employed in tennis
3. Identify the terms used in tennis

How to Play the Game

The game/match begins with a toss coin and the player who wins the toss
chooses to serve or to begin the match on a particular side of the court and
the opponent gets the opposite choice. Players then alternate serving every
other game and they change ends after every odd-numbered game.
The basic rules for men and women tennis are the same. This is a racket-ball
game played in a rectangular court. The play starts with a serve and each
point is started by a service. The receiver should return the serve on its first
bounce to the server’s court, it was then that the rally continues until one of
the player fails to return the ball either on the fly or after first bounce within
the boundary lines.
When the point has been completed, the server stands just behind his
baseline to the left of the center service line to serve to the opponent’s left
service court, continuing to alternate left and right until the game is
completed and after the completion of the game, the server becomes the
receiver.

Doubles
In a game of doubles, each player serves a game in his turn, one member of
one team then a member of the other team, and the same order of serving is
kept throughout the set. Each player covers half of his court from the net to
the baseline and from his sideline to the center of the court.

Course Module
Doubles Starting Position. Photo retrieved from:
https://publicindoortennis.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/doubles-starting-positions/ on April
15, 2018
Each player’s position should be related to his partner. They should be
parallel to each other and attempt to keep it this way. During the game,
beginners should play near the baseline and move near the net after one has
made a shot, forcing the opponent out of position. When rushing to the net,
they should move up together, maintaining their parallel positions and be on
the offensive, using such strokes as they volley and smash, and as beginners,
they have to master these important strokes.

Scoring
To win a game is when the first player to win four points unless deuce (3
points each) is reached.
Points in tennis are called love, 15, 30, and 40. The first player to reach 40
points (match point) gets 1-point game advantage except if the score is tied
at 40-40 (deuce). At the event of deuce, one player or team needs to score
two consecutive points to complete the game. An advantage point is awarded
to the player who won by a point in a game.
A match is for 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 5 sets. A set is made up of 6 games except
at five games. When the game is tied at 5, a player must win two consecutive
games to complete the set.
In scoring, the player who wins the first point has the score of 15, second
point is worth 30 points, and the third point is 40. The player wins a game
after winning the fourth point unless the opponent has scored more than two
points. When a player has no points, his score is “LOVE.” The server’s score is
always first.
In scoring, the player who wins six games wins a set unless both players won
five games. It takes an advantage of two games to win so that the score would
be 7-5 or 8-6, and scoring by match, the player who wins 2 sets is declared
the winner of the game.
Serving
The server is decided by toss. The decided server between the opposing
players will have to stand behind the baseline. In the first serve of each game,
 Physical Education and Health: Individual and Dual Sports
3
How to Play Tennis

the server must be standing to the right of the center mark. After the serve,
the player assumes the alternate side with every other service, The server
tosses the ball upwards and hits it while suspended in air towards the
opposite side of the serving position. The server is given two opportunities to
execute a correct serve before gaining a point. If the player misses twice, it
will result in a lost point.
Play
After the ball has been served, the players must be able to keep the ball in
play by returning it to the opposite side of the court, across the net, and
before it bounces twice on the ground. A player gains points if he can strike
the ball and the opponent cannot return it. Once a player hits the ball
towards the net or out of bounds, the opponent wins the point. The ball that
lands on court lines is considered in-bounds.

Terms used in Playing Tennis

The following are the terms to remember in playing or watching tennis
matches.
• ACE – a shot which includes the receiver
• ADVANTAGE – point won by a server
• BACKSPIN – opposite of top spin
• BASELINE – boundaries of the court
• CONTINENTAL GRIP – handshake grip but hand moving slightly to the
left.
• EASTERN GRIP – most popular grip, grasping the handle as if shaking
hands with the racket.
• LET – served ball which strikes the net and falls into proper service
court.
• LOB – to hit the ball in a high arc
• LOVE – no score
• MATCH – 2 out of three or three out of five sets
• RALLY – exchanging of strokes
• SET – consisting of six games
• STROKE – the act of striking the ball with the racket.
• WESTERN GRIP – grip wherein the broad part of the handle lies
squarely against the palm.

References:
Muyot, Fritzie Marie. Soaring with MAPEH. Quezon City: Bright House
Publishing. 2015
How to Play Tennis. http://www.optimumtennis.net/how-to-play-
tennis.htm. Accessed on April 5, 2018.

Course Module
How to Play Tennis. Retrieved from: https://www.lta.org.uk/play/the-
basics/how-to-play/ on April 6, 2018.
Basic Rules of Tennis. Retrieved from:
https://www.myactivesg.com/sports/tennis/how-to-play/tennis-
rules/basic-rules-of-tennis on April 6, 2018
Beginning Tennis – Study Guide. Retrieved from:
https://hes.dasa.ncsu.edu/wp-
content/uploads/sites/62/2015/11/HESR-249-Course-Pack.pdf on
April 6, 2018
Hancock, John M., Beginner’s Tennis Guide. Retrieved from:
http://towerpointtennis.org/pdf/JMH-BeginnersTennisGuide.pdf on
April 10, 2018
Videos
How to Serve. Retrieved from:
https://www.sikana.tv/en/sport/tennis/serve on April 10, 2018
How to Return a Serve. Retrieved from:
https://www.sikana.tv/en/sport/tennis/return-of-serve on April 10,
2018
Beginner Drill. Retrieved from:
https://www.sikana.tv/en/sport/tennis/beginner-drill on April 10,
2018