Made byDUSHYANT KAJALA

TENNIS

INTRODUCTION

Tennis is a game played with a racket and a ball by two (as in singles) or four (as in doubles) competitors, on a rectangular court with a net strung between the midpoints of the longer sides of the court. Tennis may be played indoors or outdoors. The game ranks as one of the most popular spectator and participation sports in the world, with fans and competitors in more than 100 countries. Originally called lawn tennis to distinguish it from the sport of court tennis, from which it was derived, the game is now commonly known as tennis

HISTORY

Although the origins of tennis are not clear, many experts believe tennis, then called lawn tennis, was invented in 1873 by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield, a British army officer. Although Wingfield claimed that he modeled the game, which he called Sphairistik (Greek for "playing at ball") after an ancient Greek game, many authorities believe that he adapted the principles of the popular English games of court tennis, squash racquets, and badminton for outdoor play. Early players preferred to call Wingfield's game tennis-onthe-lawn, or lawn tennis. The game was introduced to Bermuda in 1873, and from Bermuda was brought to the United States by Mary Ewing Outerbridge of Staten Island, New York. The first game of lawn tennis in the United States was probably played in 1874 on the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club. At the beginning of the 20th century the major international tournaments were Wimbledon and the U.S. championships.

Early Wimbledon men's champions included British players Arthur Gore and brothers Reggie and Laurie Doherty. In the 1990s, Lendl, Edberg, and Becker continued their success, joined by outstanding American players such as Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, and Michael Chang.

Tennis Rules
The rules of tennis are not very complicated but they are very detailed, so what you need is a

feeling for the general rules of the game. If you want to study all the official rules, call your state tennis association for a copy of the book. For now, let's keep it simple. Who Plays Whom? In singles, two people play, one on each end of the court. In doubles, two players at one end play against two players at the other end. To start a match, the players will toss a coin or spin a racquet to decide one of four things: the player winning the toss can choose to serve the player can choose to receive serve the player can choose which end to play from in the first game the player can give up the choice and make the opponent choose first (but you won't see this happen very often). Note that a player can't pick two things: you can't choose to serve and choose the end you will start.

THE AIM OF THE GAMEThere are only two principles in tennis. All of the rules are just details to support these two principles.

Principle One:
You must get the ball over the net.

Principle Two:
The ball must land in the court on your opponent's side of the net. If you always do these two things, guess what? It is almost impossible to lose! All you have to do is get the ball over the net and into the court one more time than your opponent, and you're practically unbeatable. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

SERVING THE BALLTo start the game, one player (the server) stands behind the baseline, just to the right of the centre service mark (no standing on the line-that's called a foot fault.) The server hits the ball across the net into the service court on the opposite side of the centre service line. If the first serve doesn't land in the service court, it's a fault and the player gets one more chance. If this second serve is also a fault, the server loses the point (a double fault). If either of those two serves is "good" (lands in the correct service court) the receiver has to hit the ball back over the net. If the ball touches the net when it is served but still bounces into the correct service court, a let is called and the server gets to

try that serve again. If the ball hits the net and then lands outside the correct service court, the serve is a fault. PLAYING THE POINTPlay continues until one player hits the ball into the net or outside their opponent's court, or until one player hits a shot so well that the opponent can't reach it. (This is called 'hitting a winner") After each point in singles, the server and receiver change sides (not ends-just left to right or right to left). In doubles, the server changes sides but the receivers stay where they are and receive alternate points. After the serve, all balls must land on or inside the baseline. They must also land on or inside the singles sideline (in singles) or the doubles sidelines (in doubles). You can hit the ball after one bounce or before it bounces (except on a return of serve, when you have to let it bounce). You must hit it before it bounces twice. Just be sure you don't reach over the net before the ball crosses onto your side-if you do, you lose the point,

KEEPING SCORE
It sounds weird but it's really very simple. Scoring in tennis starts at zero (love). The first point is 15, the second 30, then 40, then game. So, if you've won two points and your opponent has won one, the score is 30-15 if you are serving, 15-30 if you

are receiving (the server's score is always called first). If the score goes to 40-40(40-all), it's called deuce. From deuce, one player must win two points in a row to win the game. The player who wins the first point after deuce is said to have the ad (advantage). The score will be called as "advantage server" (ad in) or "advantage receiver" (ad out). If the player with the ad loses the next point, the score goes back to deuce, but if the player with the ad wins the ad point, game is scored. Players change ends of the court whenever the total of the games played is an odd number (1-0, 4-3, 52, 1-4, for example). A set of tennis is won when one player reaches 6 games with a lead of at least 2 games. From a game score of 5-5, a player can win the set by a score of 7-5

The Tiebreak
If the score goes to 6-6, a tiebreak is usually played: The aim here is to win 7 points with a lead of at least 2 points. (If the score gets to 7-6 or 7-5, the tiebreak keeps going until one player is 2 point ahead 12-10, for example.) The player who does that wins the tiebreak and the set with a game score of 7-6. Most matches are best of three sets, so the player winning two sets wins the match. Those are the very basic rules but I strongly suggest that you get a copy of the booklet The Official Rules of Tennis and read it carefully. You'll earn a lot of respect from other players if they see that you know the rules-and play by them.

DID YOU KNOW?

The word love in tennis is said to come from the French 1'oeuf (the egg) because that's what a zero looks like on the scoreboard. The scores 15, 30 and 40 are from the old game of Real Tennis.

Equipment
GETTING THE GEARIf you had to pick a sport which needed very little equipment, at a low cost, and which could be played nearly everywhere you go,

you couldn't find a better one than tennis. To get started you need a racquet, a few balls, tennis shoes, and some loose comfortable clothes. What could be simpler than that? The only real problem you're going to have is in choosing a particular brand, model, or style, but there are points to watch for.

CHOOSING A RACQUETYou can't always go by price. The more expensive racquets are usually designed for more experienced players who are bigger and stronger. If you're just starting out or haven't played much before, you won't be able to get the best out of an expensive racquet. On the other hand, very cheap racquets are not always well made and tend to break. As a general rule, stick to the major brands and you should be able to play for a few years with the same racquet. Then you can buy a better model as your game improves.

Getting the Right FitYou may have heard people talking about grip sizes, racquet weights and balance points. These are things that make a racquet "fit" your hand and strength.

Grip SizeGrip size is an important measurement to look at. The grip size is the distance around the handle-you'll see it marked on the side of the racquet, like this:

Key pointsIt's important to find the right size-a grip that's too big will make your arm tired from trying to hold on too tightly and a grip that's too small will slip around.

Racquet WeightAgain, avoid the extreme-a racquet that's too heavy will be hard to play with but one that's too light won't give you a good feel of the ball hitting the strings. On the side of the racquet where the grip size is marked, you'll also notice one or two letters-usually SL (super-light), L (light), or LM (light-medium). Sometimes you'll see an M (medium) but not very often. The letters tell you how heavy the racquet is (in grams). As a beginner or an occasional player you should be using a super-light or light-weight racquet.

Balance Point
The balance point tells you whether the racquet has more weight near the head, or near the handle. To find the balance point,

put the racquet on a pencil, which is on a flat surface, like this:

BALLThis is where price is important. Tennis balls have to measure up to certain standards before they can be approved for play. They have to be a certain size and weight and they must bounce to a certain height. COURT CLOTHES Tennis fashion is definitely changing. Most clubs used to allow only white clothes but colours are now quite acceptable. Check the requirements if you play at a club. Wear clothes that are loose and comfortable. They should be made of something that can "breathe" like cotton. Try to remember that you're playing tennis, not going to the beach, so no singlets, okay? LOOK AFTER YOUR SKIN There are two other things you should always wear when you're playing. Sun block (SPF 15+) and a hat. You don't want to end up with a leathery, wrinkled face, or skin cancer.

Warm-up
BEFORE YOU HIT A BALL
What happens when you stretch a cold rubber hand too fast? It doesn't stretch too easily and will probably break if you pull it hard enough. That's exactly what can happen to your muscles if you don't do some proper warm-up and stretching before you start to play. There's a very simple routine that should become part of your normal tennis time. It doesn't take long but it will give you a great start.

THE WARM-UP
First, you need to get your heart pumping and your muscles loose and warm. Start running on the spot or go for a little jog. Take it nice and easy-you are not in a race. After a minute or two of this, you'll be ready for some stretching.

STRETCHING
Work through each set of these stretches twice.

LEGSStand with your hands on your hips. Put your right leg back, foot flat on the ground. Slowly bend your left leg until you feel a slight pull at the back of your right leg (in the calf muscle, just below the back of the knee) Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds then change

legs. Keep the back leg straight back foot flat on the ground. Next, stand with hands on hips and your feet spread wider than your shoulders. Facing forward, bend your right leg and put most of your weight onto it. You should feel a slight pull on the inside of your left leg, above the knee. This time, keep both feet flat on the ground. Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds, then change legs.

Stand with your legs together. Lift your right foot up behind you, towards your buttocks, and reach back to grab your right ankle with both hands. Keep your knees together and pull gently up with your hands. You'll feel the stretch in the front of your right leg. Hold for 10 seconds, then change legs.

Injuries
SAFETY AND FIRST AID
Tennis is one of the safest sports you can play but there is still the chance of an injury. Luckily, you don't have to worry about being tackled or elbowed or tripped by some big galoot. Most tennis injuries are ones you'll do to yourself. Most can be prevented with a little common sense.

BE PREPARED
If someone is injured, you need to know what to do. When you go out to play, always check where the nearest telephone is because you'll need it in an emergency. Also check whether there are any adults nearby and where can you get some ice in a hurry. If you have all this under control in advance, you'll avoid a panic if something does happen on the court. Now, what can happen to injure a player in tennis? Usually, it will be either a joint sprain (wrist, knee, ankle), a strained (pulled) muscle or a blow from a ball or a racquet. A sprain happens when the ligaments and soft tissues around a joint are suddenly twisted very hard, or are torn. Sometimes it's only minor (you hit a backhand with the wrong grip and your wrist gets a bit too far), but it can be very serious (you step on a ball and all your weight comes down on your twisted ankle. POP!)

TREATMENT
Remember the word P R I C E R for all sprains and strains, and for some blows from a ball or racquet.
Prevention Rest Ice Compression Elevation Rehabilitation

Sprains
Rest. Stay quiet and don't move the injured joint. Ice. Put an ice pack, wrapped in a towel, on the injury for about 20 minutes. Put it on again every 2 hours. This helps stop the bleeding around the joint. (Even though you can't see it, there's actually bleeding inside.) The ice pack also relieves pain. Compression. Take the ice pack off and wrap the joint-not too tightly-with a stretch bandage. This also slows bleeding and helps keep the swelling down. Elevation. Get the injured joint above the heart. Lie down, then rest the injured limb on a pillow. Put an injured arm in a sling. Elevation reduces

IMPORTANT TOURNAMENTS & PERSONALITIES

TOURNAMENTS WIMBLEDON(THE CHAMPIONSHIP)  FRENCH OPEN  AUSTRAILIAN OPEN

 U.S. OPEN  DAVIS CUP PERSONALITIES ANDRE AGASSI  PETE SAMPRAS  ROGER FEDRER  NOVAK DJOKOVIC  SERENA WILLIAMS  SANIA MIRZA  LEANDRE PAES

BIBILIOGRAPHY
 WIKIPEDIA THE ENCYCLOPEDIA

 www.thinkquest.org

 Physical education text book(candid)