Tennis
Book - 2025
Introduces the basics of tennis, including understanding the game, how scoring works, tennis etiquette, and information on famous players and tournaments.
Saved in:
- Subjects
- Published
-
Hoboken, NJ :
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
[2025]
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Other Authors
- Edition
- 2nd edition
- Physical Description
- xvi, 394 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Bibliography
- Includes index.
- ISBN
- 9781394254668
- Introduction
- About This Book
- Foolish Assumptions
- Icons Used in This Book
- Beyond the Book
- Where to Go from Here
- Part 1. Getting Started with Tennis
- Chapter 1. What Is Tennis?
- Tennis: The Sport for a Lifetime
- Getting the Point: Singles, Doubles, and Winning at Both
- Racquet, balls, and an opponent
- Clearing the net
- Keeping the ball inside the lines
- One bounce only, please
- Scoring basics
- Chapter 2. Meet Me on the Court
- Court Dimensions
- Net height
- Line measurements
- Court Surfaces
- Hard courts: Tried and true
- Synthetic surfaces
- Clay: Slow and tricky
- Grass: A rare treat
- Chapter 3. Getting Geared Up
- The Racquet: Your Trusty Weapon
- Sizing up the frame
- Understanding racquet composition
- Deciding on a new racquet
- Try before you buy: Demoinga racquet
- Figuring out how many racquets you need
- Strings: The Overlooked Necessity
- A matter of materials
- The finer points: Gauge, shape, and texture
- String tension: Lower for power, tighter for control
- Lacing Up Your Tennis Shoes
- What makes it a "tennis" shoe
- The different types of models
- All-surface versus clay-court outsoles
- Tennis Balls: Fuzzy, Yellow, and Short-Lived
- The anatomy of a tennis ball
- Which ball should you play?
- Dressing for (Tennis) Success
- Loading Up on Tennis Accessories
- Chapter 4. Scoring in Tennis: Love Means Nothing
- The Anatomy of a Match
- Winning Points
- Scoring Games
- Scoring points
- That darned deuce
- Scoring Sets
- Scoring Matches
- The best-of-three sets
- The best-of-five sets
- Alternative Scoring Systems
- No-ad scoring
- The pro set
- The fast set
- Reading Line Scores
- Chapter 5. Rules and Regulations
- Servin' Em Up
- Deciding who serves first
- Choosing sides
- Getting the point started
- Avoiding foot faults
- Avoiding faults and double faults
- Calling lets during the serve
- Receiving the Serve
- Trading Ends of the Court
- Calling the Lines
- Looking at Other Ways to Lose the Point
- Getting struck by or catching the ball
- Intentionally hitting the ball twice
- Touching the net or your opponent's side of the court
- Hitting an obstruction
- Throwing the racquet at the ball
- Stopping Play with a Let
- Discovering Doubles Rules
- Deuce versus ad
- Establishing a serving rotation
- Choosing a serving formation
- Receiving the serve
- Playing tiebreakers
- Chapter 6. Tennis Etiquette
- Respecting the Ball and Your Equipment
- Keeping Track of the Score
- Making Those Delicate Line Calls
- Ninety-nine percent out is 100 percent in
- When you question your opponent's calls
- When your opponent questions you
- Taking Two Serves
- Showing Good Sportsmanship
- Those lucky letcords and other opportunities to apologize
- Not embarrassing your opponent (or yourself)
- Venting anger
- Avoiding gamesmanship
- Being a Supportive Doubles Partner
- Ending the Match with Class
- Part 2. Playing the Game
- Chapter 7. Mastering the Fundamentals
- The Basic Strokes
- Groundstrokes
- Serve
- Return of serve
- Volley
- The Essential Grips
- Choosing from the grips
- Finding the grip: Using the bevels
- Working the Face of Your Racquet
- The Elements of the Swing
- Stance
- Backswing
- Swing path
- Trunk rotation and weight transfer
- Strike zone: Finding the perfect contact point
- Follow-through
- Putting Shape on Your Shots
- Attacking with topspin
- Cutting with slice
- Key Components of a Perfect Swing
- Focused footwork
- A steady head
- A smooth and relaxed sequence
- The Pre-Match Warm-up
- Chapter 8. The Forehand: Your Money Shot
- Finding Your Forehand Grip
- Letting It Rip
- Hitting with Topspin
- Giving yourself more margin for error
- Producing a "heavy" ball
- Defending with the Slice Forehand
- Chapter 9. The Backhand: A Perfect Complement
- Understanding the Backhand's Split Personality
- The two-handed backhand
- The one-handed backhand
- Hitting the Two-Handed Backhand
- Finding the two-handed grip
- Using your nondominant arm
- Hitting the One-Handed Backhand
- Finding the one-handed backhand grip
- Extending through contact
- Dressing Up Your Backhand with Slice
- Chapter 10. The Volley: An Exclamation Point
- A Half-Stroke with Punch, Possibility, and Risk
- The Volley Grip
- Hitting the Forehand Volley
- Hitting the Backhand Volley
- Getting There Is Half the Fun
- Recognizing the transition (midcourt) ball
- Following the approach shot
- Organizing your feet at the net
- Lifting Low Volleys and Half-Volleys over the Net
- Adding Touch to Your Volleys
- Swinging Volleys: Finishing with a Flourish
- Chapter 11. The Serve: The Most Important Shot in the Game
- The Ball Is Entirely in Your Hands
- Serving Essentials
- Grip
- Stance
- Preparing to Serve
- Establishing a preset routine
- Visualizing the target
- Taking It One Step at a Time: The Serve Sequence
- Tossing the ball consistently
- Rotating your shoulders in the backswing
- Uncoiling and swinging up to contact
- Keeping a loose arm and a fluid motion
- Allowing your arm to naturally decelerate
- Hitting the Three Types of Serves
- Flat
- Slice
- Topspin
- Chapter 12. Completing the Arsenal: Lobs, Overheads, and Drop Shots
- Loving the Lob: An Underappreciated Asset
- Offensive lobs
- Defensive lobs
- The Overhead: Smashing Success
- Outfielder footwork: Backpedal, side-shuffle, or crossover step
- Taking an abbreviated backswing
- Tracking the ball with your nondominant arm and hand
- To bounce or not to bounce
- Contact point: Out in front and above the hitting shoulder
- The backhand overhead: Necessity meets invention
- The Drop Shot: Sneaky and Satisfying
- Prime-time drop shot opportunities
- Drop shot technique
- Chapter 13. Winning Strategies and Tactics
- Serving Up a Storm
- Service placement: Wide, body, and T
- Using serve-plus-one tactics
- Getting a kick out of second serves
- Returning Serve
- In tight or back behind the baseline
- Seizing the initiative with your return
- First serve back, second serve attack
- Riding Your Groundstroke to Victory
- Managing errors: Grinding down opponents
- Playing to your strong side
- Placing your shots
- Picking on an opponent's weakness
- Playing keep-away, not catch
- Netting Profits with Your Volley
- Passing Shots
- Hard drives
- Two-shot combos
- Lobs
- Winning Ways for Doubles
- Lining up to receive serve
- Seizing the advantage at the net
- Poaching
- Playing the percentages
- Outfoxing a Lefty
- Part 3. Taking Your Game to the Next Level
- Chapter 14. Enjoying Your Amateur Status
- Finding Places to Pick Up a Game
- Public parks
- Tennis clubs
- Fitness facilities
- Resorts
- Joining the U.S. Tennis Association
- Player ratings
- USTA League and tournament play
- USTA-sanctioned tournaments
- Creating a Universal Tennis Rating Profile
- Getting into Unsanctioned Organized Competition
- Playing in unsanctioned tournaments
- Scaling the local tennis ladder
- Playing in school
- Turning to tennis apps
- Chapter 15. Practice: The "P" Word
- Off-Court Solo Practice
- Mirror, mirror, on the ball
- Shadow tennis
- Beating your (racquet) head against the wall
- Hitting with a ball machine
- Starting Small with Mini-Tennis
- Developing Skills with Practice Routines
- A solid one-hour session
- Improving accuracy
- Drilling Away at Success
- The crosscourt and down-the-line drill
- The scramble drill
- The high-low drill
- Dink doubles
- The all-advance doubles drill
- Dingles
- Chapter 16. Physical Conditioning for Tennis
- Stretching Your Game to New Heights
- Getting the most out of your stretches
- Mobilizing the neck
- Loosening the shoulders and arms
- Opening up the hips and lower back
- Elongating the calves
- Warming up the hammies
- Activating the quads
- Getting Stronger and Protecting Against Injuries
- Safeguarding the shoulder
- Enhancing upper arms, forearms, and wrists
- Developing powerful legs
- Stabilizing the core
- Bolstering upper and lower back
- Quickness Drills: Building Speed and Endurance
- Running the lines
- Five-ball pickup drill
- MK Drill
- Eating Right and Fueling Your Body for Competition
- Chapter 17. Handling the Physical and Mental Challenges of Tennis
- The Little Aches and Pains
- Blisters
- Cramps
- Pulled muscles
- Shin splints
- Tennis toe
- Sunburn
- Bad Injuries Can Happen to Good Players
- The rotator cuff
- Tennis elbow
- Troublesome joints
- Treating Injuries
- Keeping Injuries at Bay
- The Game between the Ears
- Knowing the downsides of an individual sport
- Remembering that nobody's perfect
- Zeroing in on performance instead of outcome: Winning isn't everything
- Focusing on what you can control
- Chapter 18. Improving Your Game with Lessons
- Understanding What Lessons Can (Realistically) Do for You
- Increase your rate of improvement
- Break logjams in your game
- Finding Strength in Numbers
- Hiring a Certified Pro for Private Lessons
- Taking Your Chances with an Uncertified Pro
- Maximizing the Efficiency of Your Hour
- Mining Other Sources for Help with Your Game
- YouTube videos
- Online stroke analysis
- Instructional apps
- Part 4. Tennis Aficionados Only
- Chapter 19. The Pro Game
- Alphabet Soup: The Governing Bodies in Pro Tennis
- ITF
- ATP
- WTA
- The Different Levels of Tournaments
- The points system
- Rankings and seeds
- Recent Innovations
- Automated line-calling
- The serve clock
- On-court coaching
- Chapter 20. The Four Grand Slam Events and Cup Competitions
- The Sport's Crown Jewels
- The winners (and the contenders)
- Why the slams are grand
- Summer Down Under
- The courts
- The atmosphere
- The French Open: Terre Battue
- The courts
- The atmosphere
- Beau gestes at the French Open
- Wimbledon: The Hallowed Grounds
- The courts
- The atmosphere
- The U.S. Open: Under the Lights in NYC
- The courts
- The atmosphere
- Moments of glory at the U.S. Open
- International Team Competitions: The Davis, Billie Jean King, Laver and United Cups
- The Davis Cup
- The Billie Jean King Cup
- The Laver Cup
- The United Cup
- Chapter 21. Tennis from the Stands and On-Screen
- Making the Most of Your Day at a Tournament
- Don't leave home without
- Who to watch - and where
- The best vantage point
- Spectator etiquette
- Watching Tennis on Television and Streaming Services
- The electronic advantage: ESPN, Tennis Channel, and the apps
- What you can't see on your screens
- Viewing the Pros - like a Pro
- The first two service games
- Key games
- Statistics
- Part 5. The Part of Tens
- Chapter 22. Ten Tennis Tips
- Watching the Ball
- Moving Your Feet
- Getting the Racquet Back Early
- Turning Your Shoulders
- Keeping Your Head Up When You Serve
- Following Through
- Using Your Hips with the Two-Handed Backhand
- Stamping Out Bad Volleys
- Pointing at the Overhead
- Loosening Up Your Competitive Game
- Chapter 23. The Ten Best Men Players of the Open Era
- Andre Agassi
- Björn Borg
- Jimmy Connors
- Novak Djokovic
- Roger Federer
- Rod Laver
- Ivan Lendl
- John McEnroe
- Rafael Nadal
- Pete Sampras
- Chapter 24. The Ten Best Women Players of the Open Era
- Margaret Court
- Chris Evert
- Steffi Graf
- Justine Henin
- Martina Hingis
- Billie Jean King
- Martina Navratilova
- Monica Seles
- Serena Williams
- Venus Williams
- Chapter 25. The Ten Greatest Matches of the Open Era
- Björn Borg Defeats John McEnroe, 1980 Wimbledon
- Martina Navratilova Defeats Chris Evert, 1984 U.S. Open
- Monica Seles Defeats Steffi Graf, 1992 French Open
- Pete Sampras Defeats Andre Agassi, 2001 U.S. Open
- Serena Williams Defeats Venus Williams, 2003 Australian Open
- Rafael Nadal Defeats Roger Federer, 2008 Wimbledon
- John Isner Defeats Nicolas Mahut, 2010 Wimbledon
- Novak Djokovic Defeats Rafael Nadal, 2012 Australian Open
- Novak Djokovic Defeats Roger Federer, 2019 Wimbledon
- Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Novak Djokovic, 2023 Wimbledon
- Index