Play Tennis

Have you always wanted to learn to play tennis, but you've been unsure of where to start? Do you love watching Rafael Nadal or Maria Sharapova dominate the courts? Playing tennis is a great way to build speed, power, and fitness as well as a great way to spend time with your family or your friends. Follow these steps to learn how to do it.

Steps

Master the Rules

1. Master scoring in tennis. Tennis is made up of games, sets, and matches. Traditionally, you must win 6 games (or, in special cases, 7) to win a set, and you must win 2 out of 3 sets to win a match. Here's what you need to know:
   • Each game begins with 0 points ("love") earned on each side. The first point won by a player is called 15, the second is called 30, and the third is called 40. If the first player has earned 40 points while his opponent has 30 or less, then he can win the game by winning the next point.
   • If both players have 40 points, then the score is called "deuce," and they must keep playing until a player wins by two.
   • You must win a set by two games, so if you and your opponent are playing at 6-5 (you have won 6 games and he/she has won 5), then you must win the next game to beat him 7-5 for the set. If he wins the next game, then you are stuck at 6-6, and you must play a tiebreaker to determine who wins the set.
2. Master the court. Before you can start playing tennis, you need to understand the layout of a tennis court. Here are the basics:
   • The tennis court has two sides that are separated by a net in the middle. Each court has two sides: the deuce side, or the right side of the court, and the ad side, or the left side of the court.
   • The court has alleys on either side, and if one player hits the ball in his opponent's alleys in a game of singles, he loses the point.
   • Each court has a right service box and a left service box. The server's goal is to serve the ball into the service box on the opposite side on his opponent's team. So, if the server is standing on the deuce side (the right side) of the court, he needs to serve the ball into his opponent's right service box.
   • Each player's court is framed by the baseline at the bottom and the singles sidelines on each side of the court. One player's ball must land on or within these lines of the opposing players court during a rally (any point after the serve) to be considered in.
3. Serve the ball. Start by standing on the deuce side of the court behind the baseline and serve the ball to the box that's across the net and diagonal to you. You have two chances to get your serve in. If you don't get your serve in the first time, it's called a fault; if you don't get it in the second time, it's called a double-fault and you've lost the point and have to move to the opposite side of the court.
   • If the ball hits the net and then bounces in to the service box, then it's called a "let" and you can play the point over again. If it hits the net and bounces back into your side of the court or outside the service box on the other side of the court, it's a fault.
4. Play until someone hits a winner or commits an error. A winner means that the ball bounces in the court, but the person can't hit it back. An error means that you either hit the ball out of bounds or hit the ball into the net.
   • The winner of the first point gets 15. The loser of the first point is scored at "love." If the server wins, the score is 15-love. If the returner wins, the score is love-15. The server will always say their score first.
5. Play the next point. Move to the "ad" (left-hand) side of the court. Serve the ball and play the point. The score proceeds 15, 30, and 40. The first person to exceed 40 by two wins the game.
   • If both players are tied 40-40, then they are at "deuce."
   • The player who wins the next point has the advantage (add in). If that player wins another point, then he or she wins the game.
   • If the player fails to win the advantage point, the score goes back to deuce. The game doesn't end until someone wins both an advantage and then a winning point.
6. Play a new game. The opposite player serves the ball starting in the deuce court.
7. Continue playing until you win the set or until you reach a tie breaker.
8. Play a tiebreaker if the score is 6-6. Here's how you do it:
   • Start with the player who did not serve in the last game. This player serves once.
   • The opposite player then serves twice. For the rest of the tiebreak, each player serves 2 points.
   • The tiebreak ends when a player reaches 7 and is leading the other player by 2 points. If a player reaches 7, and the other player is at 6, then they have to continue to play until the winner beats the other player by 2 points.
9. Start the scoring over to play the second set. Play the second set just as you played the first.
10. Continue to play until someone wins 2 out of 3 sets. The winner of 2 sets wins the match. In professional tennis, women have to win 2 out of 3 sets while men have to win 3 out of 5 sets. In high school and recreational tennis, though, the standard is 2 out of 3 sets.

Learn the Basic Tennis Strokes

1. Grip the racket. The basic grip for the tennis racket is the "Continental Grip," where you hold the racket just as you would hold a hammer, with the base knuckle on your index finger on the first bevel on the racket, putting the "V' created by your thumb and forefinger on the top of the handle. For lefties, the knuckle should go on bevel No. 4. Though this grip is most ideal for serves and volleys, it's a good way to start.
   • As you advance in tennis, you can use the Eastern or Western grip, which can help you hit topspin and add more power to your strokes.
2. Position yourself to hit the ball. This is the most important part of hitting a ground stroke or a volley -- any stroke other than the serve, really -- is to position your body so that you can comfortably swing and hit the ball. If you reach out for the ball and are flat-footed on the court, you won't get to the ball in time or you won't be able to use your skills to your advantage.
   • Tennis is all about the footwork. Take dozens of little baby steps as you anticipate the ball so that you can comfortably swing the racket and hit the ball as it moves in front of you.
   • Of course, there will be times when all you can do is stick your racket out and hope to hit the ball in time. But for every other shot, making the effort before you hit the ball will greatly improve your game.
3. Hit a forehand. Start by grabbing your racquet with your dominant hand, as though you're shaking hands with it. Here's how to do it:
   • Step forward with the foot on your non-dominant side. Turn at the waist and pull your dominant arm back to swing the racquet back behind you. You'll need to wind up to generate momentum for your forehand. Turn to the side so that your shoulder is pointing in the direction where you want the ball to go.
   • Swing your entire arm forward to hit the ball. Don't twist your wrist. Hit the ball in the center of your racquet strings, the "sweet spot" of the racket.
   • Bring the racquet across your body toward your opposite shoulder. This motion is called the follow-through. The racket should swing upwards at the end, to generate enough power to move the ball over the net. If you swing your racket across your body and end at your other side instead of your shoulder, the ball will go into the net.
4. Hit a backhand. The 2-handed backhand is the easiest to master. Here's how to do it:
   • Grab your racquet with your dominant hand as though you're grabbing a hammer. Your dominant hand should be near the bottom of your racquet handle.
   • Grip your racquet with your non-dominant hand by placing your other hand above your dominant hand on the racquet handle.
   • Twist at the waist and pull your racquet back on your non-dominant side. Your dominant forearm should be facing the net. Turn at the side so your shoulder is pointing where you want the ball to go. Bend your knees to generate more power.
   • Turn at the waist and use the power in your non-dominant arm to hit the ball across the net. Bring your racquet to your non-dominant shoulder to follow through.
   • To hit a one-handed backhand, just hold the racket with your dominant hand and don't put your non-dominant hand on it. Bend at the knees to generate power and hit the ball in the center of your racket, just as you would with a two-handed backhand. If you can master this stroke, you can generate a lot of power, but it's harder to be precise.
5. Perfect your serve. Stand behind the baseline near the center of the court with your non-dominant foot out in front of you. Hold your racquet in your dominant hand. Point your shoulder in the direction where you want the serve to go. You can bounce the ball on the ground a few times to generate stability. Here's what you do next:
   • Toss the ball straight up into the air with your non-dominant hand. Toss the ball just a little bit in front of you, high above your head. At the same time as you toss the ball, pull your racquet upward and position it behind your dominant shoulder.
   • Bend back at your waist, and bend your knees.
   • Hit the ball. Use not just your arm power but also the explosive power generated by straightening your back and your knees to propel the ball over the net. The ball should land in the service box that's diagonal to where you are standing.
   • Think of it as hitting the ball at the top of its arc, as if you're reaching over a fence to hit a ball just on the other side, creating an arc that powers the ball forward.
6. Learn to volley. Here's how to do it:
   • Forehand volley: Hold the racquet in your dominant hand. Hit the ball before it bounces with a downward motion. Pull your elbow toward your belly button and keep your racquet face open. You need to use a continental grip.
   • Backhand volley: Hold the racquet in your dominant hand with the back of your hand facing the net. Pull the racquet across your body and down, as though you're elbowing someone out of the way with your dominant elbow.
7. Return a serve. To return a serve, stand on the side of the court that's diagonal to the court that your opponent is serving from. You can stand behind the baseline for a first serve and come in slightly in front of the baseline for a second serve.
   • Hold the racquet using both of your hands. Your dominant hand should be on the bottom of the handle. Holding it with both hands will put you in position to quickly execute the return when the serve comes at you.
   • Watch the server and try to anticipate where the ball will land on your side. When you see where the ball is going, move quickly to execute a forehand or backhand.
   • If the ball is coming too quickly for a good backswing, just stick out your racquet and block the ball back to keep it in play.

Master Advanced Skills

1. Hit an overhead. An overhead is a shot where the other player lobs the ball up high over your head, and you aim to slam it down on his side so it's nearly impossible to return. To hit a perfect overhead, do the footwork to move around enough so that the ball is coming down just in front of your head, just as it would in a good toss for a serve. Treat it like a serve. Here's what you do:
   • Hold your racket back behind your head so it grazes your back with your dominant serving hand, and point at it with your free hand.
   • When the ball is at the same height as it would be for you to hit a good serve, slam it down over the net, just as you would do with a serve.
   • The overhead will generate a lot of power. You can aim the ball either right at your opponent or on the opposite side of the court, so he has no time to get to it.
2. Put topspin on your strokes. Adding topspin to your strokes can help the ball bounce higher and move faster. To use topspin, don't hit the ball head-on to the center of your racket, but use your racket to hit the side and then the top of the ball, thus making the ball spin in an upward arc instead of moving in a straight path. You should put topspin on your forehand and backhand, but not your volleys.
   • Learning topspin can also help you "lob" the ball over your opponent's head. To do this, hit the ball high up in the air, so that it lands on your opponent's court with enough fast topspin to bounce up over his head and out of his reach.
3. Add slice to your repertoire. Slicing the ball is a skill that allows you to change the direction of the ball, give it backspin, and to also slow down the ball in its path, in many times making lose enough momentum so that it just "dies" on the other player's court before he has a chance to get to it. This is particularly effective if you're up at net and your opponent is all the way at the baseline and won't have enough time to get to a ball that you slice just over his side of the court. Here's how you do it:
   • Hit under the ball instead of over it, slicing down on it so that it spins backward.
   • Finish the stroke with your racket swinging up, above the place where the ball was when you hit it.
   • Bend your knees and get lower to the ground to help the ball move in the right direction.
   • Use this shot to hit a killer "drop shot" when you're right at net, or to surprise your opponent with a new stroke in the middle of a rally when he won't have time to get to the slower, back-spinning ball.
4. Learn to read your opponent. To truly master tennis, you have to understand that no two tennis players are exactly alike. To win at tennis, you have to be able to exploit your opponent's weaknesses and to not give him an opportunity to use his strengths. Here are some ways to do this:
   • Many players, especially beginners, are more comfortable with either a forehand or a backhand. If you notice that your opponent has a weak backhand, keep on hitting the ball to his backhand side until he gets frustrated. You can even serve the ball either to his forehand or backhand.
   • Many players either love or hate the net. If your opponent hates the net and loses most points up there, then hit short balls and get him up there as much as you can. If he goes up to net every chance he gets, hit the balls deep into the baseline so he doesn't have the opportunity to get up there.
   • Get to know your opponent's serve. Does he serve long and deep? If so, make sure you keep standing near the baseline so you you don't get crowded by the ball. Does he serve soft "patty cake" shots that barely hit the middle of the service box? If so, move up near the end of the service box. There's no need to stand so far back.
   • Study your opponent's mental state. Don't let your opponent see you get upset, or he'll take advantage of you. But if you see that he's getting more and more upset and is missing more and more shots, kick your game up a notch so you can win before he can mentally recover.

Play Other Forms of Tennis

1. Play doubles. Doubles is played with two players on each team. The scoring rules are the same and the court is used the same way, except in doubles, the alleys, or on either side of the court are considered fair game, unlike in singles, where hitting the ball into the alley lines is considered hitting it out. In doubles, each player still has to serve into the opposite service box and to hit the ball within the baseline or the outer edges of the alleys.
   • In doubles, typically one player serves while his teammate stands in the opposing service box on the other half of the court. So, if one player is serving from the right side of the court, his teammate should stand about in the middle of the service box on the left side of the same court, creating a diagonal line between the players.
   • On the serving side, the serving player continues to move back and forth from the right and left sides of the court after each point while his teammate moves back and forth between the two service boxes.
   • On the receiving side, the players don't move right and left but just move up and down, depending on whether they're receiving the serve or standing up at the net. For example, if the player on the receiving team was just standing near the right baseline to receive the serve, he would move up to the right service box for the next point.
   • Typically, the player on the receiving team who is up at net doesn't stand quite as close to the net, but keeps his heels on the bottom line of the service box.
2. Play Canadian doubles. Canadian doubles is played when there are two players on one team and one player on the other team. The only variation between Canadian doubles and traditional doubles is that the team with two players can only hit the ball within the singles player's lines while the person on the one-player team can hit the ball within the doubles players lines, so that he has a bit of an advantage to make for not having a teammate.

Tips

• Be patient with yourself as you learn the sport. People spend a lifetime perfecting their tennis strokes and strategies. Just continue improving your game over time.
• When you feel confident in your basic skills, find a tennis league in your community. You'll meet people who love the sport as much as you do, and you'll see how you stack up against the competition.
• Most importantly, have fun when when you're playing tennis!
• Once you've perfected your basic tennis strokes, you can learn to Hit a Lob in Tennis,hit an overhead, and hit volleys.
• If you can try and hit your shots in the space (where opponent isn't) therefore it will be harder for them to hit the ball back. Therefore you can win more points! Try it out!

Warnings

• If your elbow, forearm, or wrist is sore after playing tennis, put an icepack on the sore spot to ease the pain. Avoid playing for a day or so to give the tendons time to recover.
• Do not try to practice at home or in a crowded area; you may hurt others, break your racket, and damage glass, walls, and the flooring. Also, if playing in cold conditions your strings will break much easier.

Things You'll Need

• Tennis court
• Tennis racquet
• Tennis balls
• Tennis partner (if playing doubles)
• Tennis backpack (for carrying your racquet)

Related Articles

• Serve a Tennis Ball
• Hit a Flat Serve in Tennis
• Hit a Slice Serve in Tennis
• Hit a Tennis Ball
• Improve Your Tennis Game
• Slice a Tennis Ball

Sources and Citations

See also

• Play Extreme Tennis
• Become a WTA Tennis Player
• Hit a Tennis Ball
• Choose a Tennis Racquet
• Start Playing Tennis
• Get Better at Tennis
• Hit a Tennis Forehand
• Serve a Tennis Ball
• Play a Tennis Tiebreaker
• Clean Tennis Shoes

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