Tennis is a racket sport in which players hit a ball over a net and attempt to make it land within the opponent's court in a way that prevents a legal return. It can be played as singles, with one player against one player, or doubles, with two players on each side. The modern game combines serving, returning, baseline exchanges, net play, movement, tactical positioning and rapid decision making.
Players use rackets to strike the ball, and a point is won when an opponent fails to return the ball legally, hits it outside the required court area, commits a service fault that produces the relevant scoring consequence, or otherwise infringes the rules. Tennis is played on different surfaces, principally hard court, clay and grass at elite level, with each surface affecting ball bounce, movement and tactical patterns. The sport therefore has a common set of fundamental rules but can produce substantially different styles of play depending on court surface, conditions and player characteristics.
The tennis court is rectangular and divided by a net. Singles uses a narrower court than doubles because the doubles alleys outside the singles sidelines are included in the doubles playing area. The baseline marks the rear boundary, while the service boxes are located near the net and determine where a legal serve must land. Players stand behind the baseline when serving and attempt to direct the serve diagonally into the appropriate service box.
The net divides the court into two sides and has a different height at the posts and centre according to the rules. Court dimensions are standardised by the governing rules, allowing tournaments around the world to use consistent playing areas. The combination of baseline, sidelines, service lines, centre service line and net creates distinct tactical zones. Players can choose to remain deep behind the baseline, move forward towards the net, or vary their position according to the opponent's style.
Scoring in tennis uses a distinctive sequence of points. A game is normally won by reaching at least four points while leading by two, with the traditional numerical progression represented as love, 15, 30 and 40. If both players reach 40, the score is called deuce, after which a player generally needs to win two consecutive points to take the game.
A set is normally won by reaching at least six games with a two-game advantage, although tie-break procedures can apply when the score reaches the relevant threshold. A match consists of sets, with the number required depending on the competition. Many professional men's Grand Slam singles matches use best-of-five sets, while most other professional singles matches use best-of-three. Doubles and different competitions can use additional formats. This layered scoring system creates many tactical situations because the importance of an individual point depends on the current game and set score.
The serve is one of tennis's most important shots because the server begins each point with control over ball placement and speed. A legal serve must be delivered from the correct side of the court into the diagonally opposite service box. Players normally receive two service attempts per point. A serve that fails to land in the correct box is a fault, while two consecutive service faults produce a double fault and award the point to the receiver.
A serve that touches the net and otherwise lands correctly can be treated according to the applicable let rules. Professional players use different serving patterns, including flat serves, slice serves and kick serves, to alter speed, angle, bounce and return difficulty. The serve is therefore not merely a method of starting play but a major tactical weapon that can create immediate advantages.
After the serve, the receiver attempts to return the ball before it bounces more than once on their side. The ball must be returned over the net and into the appropriate area of the opponent's court. Players use forehands, backhands, volleys, overheads, drop shots and lobs to construct points. Baseline rallies often involve repeated groundstrokes in which players attempt to move the opponent laterally, change height or spin, attack weaknesses and create a short ball that can be exploited.
A volley is generally played before the ball bounces, often near the net, while a lob sends the ball high over an opponent who has advanced. A drop shot is played softly to land close to the net, while an approach shot can be used to move forward before attempting a volley. These techniques create a tactical contest based on space, time and ball trajectory.
Court surface has a major effect on tennis. Grass generally produces relatively low and fast bounces and rewards players who can exploit short points and effective serving, although modern grass-court play can involve extensive baseline exchanges as well. Clay generally slows the ball and produces higher bounces, often creating longer rallies and giving defensive players additional time to retrieve shots. Hard courts occupy an intermediate position, although the exact characteristics vary according to construction and tournament specifications. Players can therefore have different performance patterns across surfaces because movement, bounce height, speed and traction influence tactical choices. Weather can also matter, particularly outdoors, because temperature, humidity, wind and altitude can affect ball speed, bounce and physical demands.
Tennis has a long historical development, with roots in earlier racket and ball games played in Europe and elsewhere before the emergence of the modern lawn tennis form in the nineteenth century. The modern sport developed alongside standardised courts, equipment, scoring systems, clubs and organised tournaments. Major international competitions now include the four Grand Slam tournaments, while professional tennis is organised through major tours and governing bodies for different levels and categories. The sport has also expanded through junior, amateur, school, university, recreational and wheelchair competitions. Technological developments have changed equipment and officiating, including advances in racket materials, strings, sports surfaces, performance analysis and electronic line-calling systems.
Tennis requires a combination of technical, physical and tactical abilities. Players need acceleration, repeated sprint capacity, lateral movement, balance, coordination, rotational power and endurance because points can involve explosive actions followed by recovery and repeated exchanges. Technical skills include serving, returning, groundstrokes, volleys, overheads, slices and controlled use of spin. Tactical intelligence involves recognising patterns, targeting spaces, changing tempo, constructing points and adapting to the opponent's strengths and weaknesses.
Mental concentration is also important because matches can last for extended periods and momentum can change repeatedly. Different players develop distinctive styles, including aggressive baseline play, serve-and-volley approaches, counterpunching, all-court tennis and combinations of these strategies. Tennis is therefore both an individual contest and a highly structured tactical sport in which every shot can influence the geometry and future development of the point.
