By Owen Jones
On the face of it, tennis is a fairly simple game - you have to take it in turns to hit a ball and make it land within a group of lines. It is also fairly cheap to play - when you have a ball and a racquet, you can play in a T-shirt and shorts or skirt. None of this stuff is especially costly, unless you go for famous names.
The rules are few and easy too. However, there are some rules and a knowledge of these rules will permit you to garner more enjoyment from the game whether you propose playing it or merely watching it.
Most top tennis matches are played by two people: one in each team. However, in amateur games lots of people like to play in doubles, which means having two players on either team. Mixed doubles means men and women playing together - one man and one woman per team.
The rules are few and easy too. However, there are some rules and a knowledge of these rules will permit you to garner more enjoyment from the game whether you propose playing it or merely watching it.
Most top tennis matches are played by two people: one in each team. However, in amateur games lots of people like to play in doubles, which means having two players on either team. Mixed doubles means men and women playing together - one man and one woman per team.
If players would like to play tennis all they have to take to the tennis court are a tennis racquet every and two tennis balls between them. White clothing is the most generally accepted uniform for playing tennis in, but you may wear pretty much what you like otherwise - short or long trousers, short or long skirt, short or long sleeved shirt.
Trainers and short white socks or no socks is the normal footwear. You might opt to wear a sunshade as well if the sun is bright or you may harm your eyes if you look into the sun when tracking the ball. The difficulty with sunglasses or a sunshade is keeping them in position, because tennis is a very active game.
Tennis courts are a regulation size being the same everywhere in the world. The court is divided in half by a net set at a regulation height. The outside line parallel to the net is the base line and is the position where most players await a service. Serving has to be made between the base line and the inner parallel line of the service box.
Services are given from the left to the right and from the right to the left in turn so as not to advantage left or right handed players. Along side the court running at 90 degrees to the net a narrow rectangle. These rectangles are only valid areas of play in doubles matches. If the ball lands in there during a singles match, the ball is deemed 'out' (of play).
The game is begun with a service. A player serves the ball into the opponent's service box on the opposite side to where he or she is standing. The ball has to bounce in that service box or the service has to be res
Trainers and short white socks or no socks is the normal footwear. You might opt to wear a sunshade as well if the sun is bright or you may harm your eyes if you look into the sun when tracking the ball. The difficulty with sunglasses or a sunshade is keeping them in position, because tennis is a very active game.
Tennis courts are a regulation size being the same everywhere in the world. The court is divided in half by a net set at a regulation height. The outside line parallel to the net is the base line and is the position where most players await a service. Serving has to be made between the base line and the inner parallel line of the service box.
Services are given from the left to the right and from the right to the left in turn so as not to advantage left or right handed players. Along side the court running at 90 degrees to the net a narrow rectangle. These rectangles are only valid areas of play in doubles matches. If the ball lands in there during a singles match, the ball is deemed 'out' (of play).
The game is begun with a service. A player serves the ball into the opponent's service box on the opposite side to where he or she is standing. The ball has to bounce in that service box or the service has to be res
Tennis courts are a regulation size being the same everywhere in the world. The court is divided in half by a net set at a regulation height. The outside line parallel to the net is the base line and is the position where most players await a service. Serving has to be made between the base line and the inner parallel line of the service box.
Services are given from the left to the right and from the right to the left in turn so as not to advantage left or right handed players. Along side the court running at 90 degrees to the net a narrow rectangle. These rectangles are only valid areas of play in doubles matches. If the ball lands in there during a singles match, the ball is deemed 'out' (of play).
The game is begun with a service. A player serves the ball into the opponent's service box on the opposite side to where he or she is standing. The ball has to bounce in that service box or the service has to be restarted and the opponent gets a point. The ball is then hit back and forth until a fault is created.
A complete game is made up of several sets and service alternates between teams for every set. The scoring is quite simple, but the numbers used are bizarre.
About the Author:
Services are given from the left to the right and from the right to the left in turn so as not to advantage left or right handed players. Along side the court running at 90 degrees to the net a narrow rectangle. These rectangles are only valid areas of play in doubles matches. If the ball lands in there during a singles match, the ball is deemed 'out' (of play).
The game is begun with a service. A player serves the ball into the opponent's service box on the opposite side to where he or she is standing. The ball has to bounce in that service box or the service has to be restarted and the opponent gets a point. The ball is then hit back and forth until a fault is created.
A complete game is made up of several sets and service alternates between teams for every set. The scoring is quite simple, but the numbers used are bizarre.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with the ebook Lawn Tennis Explained. Click a link to visit our website Playing Tennis.