butt the end of a racket handle. cannonball a fast, hard serve.
carry literally to carry or hold the ball in play on one's racket, a penalty situation resulting in the loss of the point.
centerline the line dividing the service boxes.
changeover the switching of courts by the opposing players after every odd game in a set.
chip a soft, backspinning shot that dips and barely clears the net. Also known as a dink.
chop a shot made by a chopping swing of the racket, which imparts the ball with heavy spin.
clay court a court surface made of clay.
closed face the face of the racket when it is tilted down toward the ground or down toward an incoming ball, as distinguished from an open face.
continental grip a popular grip that can be used for either forehand or backhand shots, characterized by the palm facing down and the index finger and thumb forming a V around the left side of the handle.
crosscourt shot a ball hit diagonally across the court.
cross slice a short, slicing motion of an open racket; it gives the ball backspin and sidespin simultaneously. Also known as a cut stroke.
Davis Cup an annual international teams tournament. dead slang for out of play.
default to forfeit a game, set, or match by failing to complete it.
defensive lob a very high, deep lob, executed to give a defensive player time to get into better position for the opponent's next shot.
deuce when players reach a tie score of 40 to 40. To win, one player must score two points in a row.
die of a ball, to fail to bounce, such as when imparted with underspin.
dink see chip.
double fault the failure to deliver a legal or inbounds serve within two tries.
double hit to hit the ball twice in the same play, an infraction resulting in the loss of the point.
doubles a game with four players, two to a side.
down-the-line shot a shot hit straight down the sideline.
down-the-T shot a shot hit straight down the middle of the court, along the center service line.
drag volley a volley hit with an open racket, imparting some backspin.
drive a hard groundstroke.
drop shot a soft shot that barely clears the net and is therefore difficult for an opponent in the backcourt to reach.
eastern grip popular forehand grip in which the player "shakes hands" with the racket handle in a natural hand position. Also known as the shake hands grip.
error a failed return.
face the stringed, hitting surface of the racket.
fast court a court in which the ball tends to skid or bounce quickly, as on wood or grass.
fault failure to deliver a legal or in-bounds serve.
15 the first scoring unit or point.
flat a serve or shot executed with little or no spin.
follow-through the finishing portion of a swing.
foot fault stepping on or over the baseline while making a serve; two consecutive faults result in the loss of the point.
forecourt the area between the net and the service line.
forehand a shot executed on the right side of the body by a right-handed player (opposite for a lefty).
gallery the spectators' seating area.
gallery play a showoff shot made to stir up a reaction from the spectators.
game point a point that wins a game if made by the player who is ahead.
game set a game-winning point in a set-winning game.
Grand Prix a yearlong, worldwide tournament circuit played by professionals, who earn points and prize money for a year-end championship.
grand slam winning the Australian, U.S., French, and Wimbledon singles championship in the same year.
grass court a court made of grass and known for its fast surface.
groundstroke a stroke made after an incoming ball has bounced, as distinguished from a volley.
gut a racket's string material, made from animal intestines.
half-volley to strike the ball immediately after a bounce.
jam to stroke the ball directly at an opponent's body in order to force an off-balance return.
jump smash a powerful, overhead shot made while jumping in the air.
kick the speed, height, and direction of a ball that has bounced up from the ground.
kill a hard, fast shot that eludes the opponent.
let a serve that nicks the top of the net and must be replayed.
linesman any one of the line judges who makes calls on whether a ball hits in or out of court.
lob a high, arcing shot.
love a score of zero.
match winning the best of three or more sets.
mixed doubles doubles in which each team has one male and one female.
moon ball a very high lob.
net judge a judge who sits on one side of the net and calls any lets on a serve.
open a tournament open to professionals and amateurs.
open face the face of the racket when it is titled back away from an incoming ball, as distinguished from a closed face.
overhead a stroke hit with the arm over the head, as a serve.
passing shot a shot that passes by an opponent who is close to the net.
poach in a doubles game, to move intentionally into a partner's territory to attempt a surprise kill shot.
point the first point is 15, the second is 30, the third is 40, and the fourth is game. Four points wins a game.
point penalty a subtraction of one point for unsportsmanlike conduct.
power player a player who uses powerful serves and drives to win a game, as distinguished from a touch player.
punch volley a volley made by partially swinging or punching the racket.
put away to execute a kill shot.
rally a long exchange of shots between opponents before someone finally fails to make a return.
serve and volley to serve then quickly rush the net for a return volley.
service a serve.
service box slang for service court.
service break winning a game against the server.
service court either of the 13%-foot by 21-foot rectangular boxes on both sides of the court in which the ball must land when served.
service line the line marking the boundaries of the service boxes.
set a scoring unit, specifically the first six games won by one player by a margin of two.
set point a point that will win a set if the leading player scores.
sidespin a sideways spin imparted on the ball by a sideways slice of the racket.
singles court the court area measuring 78 feet by 27 feet.
slam a smash.
slice hitting under and across a ball to impart it with underspin and sidespin.
slow court a court surface that produces high, rebounding balls, as in clay.
smash a powerful, overhead stroke.
sphairstike the original name for tennis, as coined by its inventor.