Tennis Glossary

A legal serve the receiver does not touch. It wins the point outright and is the only shot in tennis that ends a rally before a rally has started.

The point won immediately after deuce. Win the next one too and you take the game; lose it and the score returns to deuce. A player needs two consecutive points after deuce to win the game.

A set played without a tie-break: first to six games with a margin of two, continuing past 6-6 until someone leads by two. Rule 6 requires the organiser to announce in advance whether the final set is an advantage set or a tie-break set.

A shot hit while moving forward, played to set up a volley rather than to win the point on its own. Usually struck deep and often with slice to keep the ball low.

A stroke played on the non-dominant side of the body, with the back of the hand leading. Played one-handed or two-handed; the two-handed version dominates the modern professional game.

Informal term for a set won 6-0, from the shape of the zero. Two of them is a double bagel. It is players' slang, not a rulebook term.

A point which, if won by the receiver, wins the game against the opponent's serve. Break points are the currency of a match: on serve, the score can stay level for an hour without either player threatening.

Winning a game in which the opponent served. Because the server is expected to hold, a single break usually decides a set.

A free pass into the second round, given when the entry list does not fill the draw. Byes are awarded to the highest seeds as a first priority, and any remaining ones are drawn by lot and spread evenly across the draw. A bye is not counted as a win.

The official who runs the match from the chair: calls the score, enforces the time limits, rules on lets and hindrances, and has the final say on a ball mark on clay. Distinct from the referee, who runs the tournament.

The break at the end of the first, third and every subsequent odd game, when players change ends. Ninety seconds are allowed, except after the first game of a set and during a tie-break, when play is continuous and nobody sits down.

A secondary bracket for players eliminated in the first round, so a knockout event does not send half the field home after one match. Also called a plate. It has to be set up as a separate draw.

The single point that settles a game at deuce under no-ad scoring. The receiver chooses which half of the court to take it from. In mixed doubles it must be received by the player of the same gender as the server.

The score when both sides have won three points — announced as deuce rather than 40-40. From here a player must win two consecutive points to take the game, unless the event uses no-ad scoring.

Missing both serves on the same point, which loses the point outright. The only way in tennis to lose a point without the opponent touching the ball.

The structure that decides who plays whom, and the sheet that shows it. A knockout draw of N players contains exactly N minus 1 matches, because every match eliminates one player.

A softly struck ball with backspin, played to land just over the net. Effective against a player standing deep and unforgiving if it sits up.

An invalid serve — into the net, outside the service box, or struck from the wrong position. One fault gives a second serve; two on the same point is a double fault.

Touching the baseline or the court with a foot before striking the serve, or moving the feet in a way the rules forbid during the service motion. It counts as a fault, so a foot fault on the second serve loses the point.

A stroke played on the dominant side of the body, with the palm leading. The most-used groundstroke and, for most players, the stroke they build a point around.

The unit of scoring between points and sets, counted love, 15, 30, 40, game, with the server's score called first. A player needs a two-point margin from 40-40 unless the event uses no-ad.

Another name for the deciding point at deuce under no-ad scoring. The term is more common in padel and in club tennis than in the ITF rulebook, which calls it the deciding point.

Any shot struck after the ball has bounced, as opposed to a volley. Forehand and backhand groundstrokes make up the majority of shots in a match.

Winning a game on your own serve. Holding is the expected outcome, which is what makes a break worth so much.

A point replayed without penalty. Most often a serve that touches the net and still lands in the correct service box. Under the no-let rule, sanctioned in Appendix VI, such a serve is played rather than replayed.

A ball hit high and deep, usually over an opponent at the net. Defensively it buys time; offensively, with topspin, it is one of the hardest shots in the game to answer.

Zero. Used for both points and games — love-30 in a game, six-love in a set. The origin is disputed and the most-repeated explanation, from the French l'oeuf, is not established.

The tournament proper, as distinct from qualifying. Players reach it by direct acceptance, by winning through qualifying, or by wild card.

A tie-break played in place of a deciding set, to seven or ten points with a two-point margin. There is a 120-second set break before it, the original order of service continues, and balls are not changed even if a change is due.

Three minutes of treatment for one treatable medical condition. No extra time is given simply to recover condition — being tired is not grounds to stop play.

A scoring method in which deuce is settled by a single deciding point instead of requiring a two-point margin. Sanctioned in Appendix VI of the ITF rules, and the most effective single way to make match lengths predictable.

An alternative under which a serve that touches the net, strap or band is in play rather than replayed. Sanctioned in Appendix VI and used mainly in college and shortened formats.

A groundstroke hit past an opponent who has come to the net. Down the line or cross-court, and the standard answer to an approach shot.

A preliminary draw played before the main draw, whose winners take the remaining main-draw places. Qualifying draws are seeded by the number of sections rather than by draw size.

The exchange of shots between the serve and the end of the point. Rally length is the main driver of how long a match takes, which is why shortened formats target the scoring rather than the play.

Stopping a match after it has started, through injury or illness. The score stands as played and the opponent advances. Distinct from a walkover, where the match never started.

A player placed in the draw at a fixed position to keep the strongest entries apart. The ITF sets the count by draw size: 2 in a draw of 8, 4 in 16, 8 in 32, and 16 in any draw of 48 or larger.

The visible countdown enforcing the 25 seconds allowed between points. The umpire still decides when to start it and may hold it after a long rally in hot conditions.

First to six games with a margin of two. In a tie-break set, a tie-break is played at 6-6; in an advantage set, play continues until someone leads by two. A match is best of three or best of five sets.

A set played to four games with a margin of two, with a tie-break at 4-4 or, at the organiser's discretion, at 3-3. Sanctioned in Appendix VI and the shortest legitimate way to run a crowded group stage.

A shot struck with backspin, which keeps the ball low after the bounce and slows it down. Used to change rhythm, to approach the net, and as a defensive reset.

An overhead struck from above the head, usually to finish a lob. Also called an overhead. The most powerful shot in the game and the one that punishes a lob that lands short.

The game played at 6-6 to decide a set. First to seven points with a two-point margin. The player due to serve serves one point, the opponent serves two, and thereafter each serves two; ends change every six points, without a rest.

A mistake made under no pressure from the opponent, as opposed to a forced error. It is a statistic and a judgement call, not a rulebook term, and different scorers count it differently.

A shot struck before the ball bounces. Volleying requires the point to have been developed enough to get to the net, which is why the approach shot and the volley are learned as a pair.

Advancing because the opponent did not start the match at all. Distinct from a retirement, where play began and stopped. Telling the organiser early turns a walkover into a schedule adjustment rather than an hour of waiting.

A place in the draw given at the organiser's discretion rather than earned by ranking or qualifying. Wild cards may be seeded, and they must be named at the time the draw is made.