Lawn Tennis

Tennis (ten'is), a game in which the players, using
rackets, hit a ball back and forth across a net. The
most widely played form of tennis is lawn tennis. It
can be played by two opponents (singles) or by two
teams of two players each (doubles). It is played by
men, women, and children, either indoors or outdoors.
The playing surface, or court, may be grass, clay, con-
crete, wood, or one of several artificial materials. Other
kinds of tennis are court tennis, deck tennis, paddle
tennis, and table tennis, or Ping-Pong. These games
are usually referred to by their full names, however,
and the term "tennis" when used alone generally refers
to lawn tennis. After lawn tennis was invented in the
19th century, it spread to virtually every country in the
world. This game is particularly popular in Europe, the
United States, and Australia.

Court and Equipment
The Court. Tennis is played on a rectangular court 78 feet (23 meters) long and 27 feet (8.2 meters) wide for singles or 36 feet (11 meters) wide for doubles. Most courts are laid out for doubles, with inner boundaries for singles play. The area between the singles and the doubles sidelines is known as the alley. The court is divided in the center by a net, which is suspended by a cable from posts 3 feet 6 inches (105 cm) high, set 3 feet (90 cm) outside the court on each Bride. The net is 3 feet high at the center of the court, where it is held down by a strap. On each side of the net, at a distance of 21 feet (6.4 meters) from it, is a service line, which runs parallel with the net and extends to the sidelines. A center service line runs par-allel with the sidelines and extends down the middle of the court from one service line to the other, dividing the forecourt into two service courts. At each end of the court and 18 feet (5.5 meters) back of the service line is a base line, which extends from one sideline to the other and marks the end of the backcourt. For important tournaments the space around the court is at least 21 feet (6.4 meters) beyond the base lines and 12 feet (3.6 meters) beyond the sidelines.

The Ball. The standard tennis ball is a hollow rub­ber sphere inflated to a high pressure, with an outer surface of rough felt with unstitched seams. It must measure between 2 1\2 inches and 2 5\8 inches (6.3-6.6 cm) in diameter and must weigh between 2 ounces and 2 1/16 ounces (57-58.4 grams). The ball must bounce between 53 inches and 58 inches (135-147 cm) when dropped from a height of 100 inches (254 cm) onto a concrete surface.
The Racket. There are no official requirements for the size and material of tennis rackets. The frames of most rackets are made of laminated wood, metal, or fiberglass. The head of the racket is oval in shape and is strung with catgut, nylon, or (rarely) wire. The racket usually weighs from 13 ounces to 15 ounces (368-425 grams) and is about 27 inches (68 cm) long, including the handle. Most handles are equipped with a handgrip made of either rubber or composition

Clothing. Most male tennis players wear shorts and a T-shirt, canvas shoes with rubber nonskid soles, and heavy wool socks. In cooler climates, white flannel trousers and a sweater are sometimes worn. Women players wear shorts and a blouse or a short one-piece tennis dress. Tennis etiquette requires that in tourna­ment play male players wear white shorts and shirts and women wear white tennis dress. Many tennis clubs also require that all players wear white on the courts. There are practical reasons for wearing white: It reflects rather than absorbs sunrays, thereby keeping the player cooler, and white is less distracting to the other player than vivid colors would be.

The Game
In the singles game the two players spin a racket to see who has the choice of sides or, if the winner prefers, of service. The server takes his position at the base line to the right of the center service line and strikes the ball so that it falls within the service court at the receiver's right. If the ball misses its objective, it is called a fault and the server tries a second time. If the second serve is also a fault, the receiver scores a point. If the ball touches the net and then falls within the service court, it is known as a let and must be served over again. The server is charged a foot fault if he takes a step after tossing the ball and before serving it or if his foot touches or goes over the base line.

If either the first or the second service is good, the receiver must return the ball after it has bounced once in his service court. After that, the players alter­nate in hitting the ball, either after its first bounce or before it hits the ground. This exchange, known as a rally, continues until one of the players misses the ball, hits it into the net, or hits it outside the boundaries of his opponent's court. A point is then scored by the other player. After each point is scored, the server repeats the service alternately from the left and the right of the center service line. The game continues until one player has won at least four points. The first point is called 15, the second 30, and the third 40. For example, if the server has scored three points and the receiver none, the score is 40-love (love stands for zero). The score of the server is always mentioned first; if the receiver were ahead, the score would be love-40. With the score at 40-lovc, the server wins the game if he scores the next point.

If the players are tied at 40-40. the score is known as deuce and one player must score two points in succession to win the game. If the server wins the first point after deuce, the score is advantage in; if the receiver wins it, the score is advantage out. The holder of the advantage must score the next point to win the game. If not, the score reverts to deuce and it again becomes necessary to score two successive points to win the game.
The player who wins six games wins a set. However, he must win by a margin of at least two games over his opponent. Otherwise the set is extended until one of the players achieves that margin. In most tournaments and in the early rounds of some major championships, matches are decided on the best two out of three sets. In most major championships the best three out of five sets wins. Women always play the best of three sets. In most major championships the better players are seeded, or placed in specific positions in the draw, in order to bring about closer and more exciting matches in the later rounds.

The rules for doubles are basically the same as for singles. The service alternates between the two teammates. The position that each takes on the team's side of the net must remain the same throughout the set. In both singles and doubles matches the players change sides after every odd-numbered game.
In 1964 a new scoring system for tennis was devised by James H. Van Alen, a prominent American tennis fan and the chief founder of the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. Known as VASSS (for Van Alen Simplified Scoring System), its most important innovation was the replacement of the traditional scoring terminology (15, 30, 40, deuce, advantage, and love). Under the new system, matches would be scored by the single-point method (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). A score of 31 would constitute a winning set, and there would be no division into games. A match would consist of the best 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 5 sets. The service rules would also be changed: Only one serve would be permitted, and the service would change after every 5 points.
VASSS also proposed a new schedule for estimating handicaps and a new setup for round-robin tournaments. When the Van Alen system was announced, it attracted wide interest among tennis players and fans. Many clubs and schools sponsored experimental tournaments using VASSS rules, to test the new system out.