Point (tennis)
Encyclopedia
A point in tennis
is the smallest subdivision of the match, the completion of which changes the score
. A point can consist of a double fault by the server, in which case it is won by the receiver; otherwise, it begins with a legal serve
by one side's server to the receiver on the other, and continues until one side fails to make a legal return to the other, losing the point. Four points win a game, counted as 15 (1 point), 30 (2 points), 40 (3 points). A game must be won by at least two points.
A legal serve is any serve which does not fault. A fault occurs if the ball touches anything other than the racket, between the time the server throws the ball into the air to serve it and the time at which it lands in the designated service box; service faults are also incurred for missing the ball, stepping across the baseline before striking the ball, and walking or running while serving. Two consecutive faults result in the opponent winning the point. The receiver must allow the serve to bounce once before returning it, or they lose the point.
If a legal serve is made, the players then alternate returning the ball from their side of the court to the opponent's. The point is lost by whichever player first:
The rules allow such actions as:
Because the lines are drawn just inside the courts, the ball is considered "in" if it touches any part of the relevant line. On clay courts the ball leaves an impression in the ground that can be checked; on grass courts a puff of chalk
from the line indicates contact from the ball. This is less accurate, however, because dirt from the grass court resembles the chalk and can also be thrown up after being struck with a ball.
In an unofficiated game, the players are to give each other the benefit of the doubt on line calls. In an officiated game it is the chair umpire or line umpire's duty to call the ball "out." The chair umpire may overrule a line umpire's call.
Accordingly, starting with the NASDAQ-100
Open in March 2006, most top-level tournaments allow systems such as Hawk-Eye
to be used to settle disputed line calls.
Players are allowed to appeal to Hawk-Eye
on disputed calls with a limitation: They lose the privilege if the appeal goes against them three times per set, with one more challenge allowed during a tie-breaker.
In the 2006 NASDAQ-100 Open, challenges by men were upheld 38% compared to 27% for women (skewed by Maria Sharapova
, who went 0 for 11).
At the Championships, Wimbledon 2008, in the mens singles challenges were successful 29% of the time with an average of 6.6 challenges per match, in the women singles challenges were successful 20% of the time with an average of 3.8 challenges per match.http://championships.wimbledon.org/en_GB/scores/challenge/index.html
Super tie-break: This is played sometimes after players split sets (Each wins one set). It decides who wins instead of a third set. This is played like a regular tie-break but the winner must attain ten points instead of seven.
Super duper tie-break: Same as Super tie-break, but the winner must attain 12 points instead of ten.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
is the smallest subdivision of the match, the completion of which changes the score
Tennis score
A tennis match is composed of points, games, and sets. A match is won when a player or a doubles team wins the majority of prescribed sets. Traditionally, matches are either a best of three sets or best of five sets format...
. A point can consist of a double fault by the server, in which case it is won by the receiver; otherwise, it begins with a legal serve
Serve (tennis)
A serve in tennis is a shot to start a point. A player begins a serve by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it into the diagonally opposite backside box without being stopped by the net. The ball can only touch the net on a return and will be considered good if it falls on the opposite side...
by one side's server to the receiver on the other, and continues until one side fails to make a legal return to the other, losing the point. Four points win a game, counted as 15 (1 point), 30 (2 points), 40 (3 points). A game must be won by at least two points.
Play of a single point
The players (or teams) stand on opposite sides of the net. One player is designated the server, and the opposing player (or, in doubles, one of the opposing players) is the receiver. The players (or teams) alternate serving from game to game. From point to point within a game, the server alternates between the right and left sides of his end of the court. At the start of each point, the server stands behind his baseline, between the center mark and one of the sidelines (the first serve of a game is made from the right hand side). The receiver may stand anywhere on his side of the net, usually behind the diagonally opposite service box, the target for the server's ball.A legal serve is any serve which does not fault. A fault occurs if the ball touches anything other than the racket, between the time the server throws the ball into the air to serve it and the time at which it lands in the designated service box; service faults are also incurred for missing the ball, stepping across the baseline before striking the ball, and walking or running while serving. Two consecutive faults result in the opponent winning the point. The receiver must allow the serve to bounce once before returning it, or they lose the point.
If a legal serve is made, the players then alternate returning the ball from their side of the court to the opponent's. The point is lost by whichever player first:
- allows the ball to bounce twice on his side of the court, or
- returns the ball outside the opponent's court (which includes the ball hitting an object besides the net before landing in the correct court), or
- intentionally contacts the ball with the racket more than once, or
- touches the ball with anything other than the racket (or with the racket if it has left their hand), or
- hits the ball before it has passed over the net to their side, or
- touches any part of the net with their person, or
- (in doubles) hits the ball after their partner has already done so, before the ball has returned to the other side.
The rules allow such actions as:
- bouncing the returned ball off any part of the net before it lands in the correct court (intentionally or not),
- returning of a ball before it has bounced at all on that side (aside from serves),
- reaching over the net to hit the ball if it has landed on the player's side and then blown or spun back over the net,
- accidentally touching the ball twice with the racket,
- returning the ball around a net post, and
- returning the ball under the net cord between the net and singles stick.
Because the lines are drawn just inside the courts, the ball is considered "in" if it touches any part of the relevant line. On clay courts the ball leaves an impression in the ground that can be checked; on grass courts a puff of chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
from the line indicates contact from the ball. This is less accurate, however, because dirt from the grass court resembles the chalk and can also be thrown up after being struck with a ball.
In an unofficiated game, the players are to give each other the benefit of the doubt on line calls. In an officiated game it is the chair umpire or line umpire's duty to call the ball "out." The chair umpire may overrule a line umpire's call.
Instant replay
Computer-assisted video tracking technology has improved to the point that it can determine the position of a ball at impact with a margin of error less than five millimeters .Accordingly, starting with the NASDAQ-100
NASDAQ-100
The NASDAQ-100 is a stock market index of 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the NASDAQ. It is a modified capitalization-weighted index. The companies' weights in the index are based on their market capitalizations, with certain rules capping the influence of the largest components...
Open in March 2006, most top-level tournaments allow systems such as Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye is a complex computer system used in cricket, tennis and other sports to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image. In cricket and tennis, it is now part of the adjudication process. It was developed by engineers...
to be used to settle disputed line calls.
Players are allowed to appeal to Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye is a complex computer system used in cricket, tennis and other sports to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image. In cricket and tennis, it is now part of the adjudication process. It was developed by engineers...
on disputed calls with a limitation: They lose the privilege if the appeal goes against them three times per set, with one more challenge allowed during a tie-breaker.
In the 2006 NASDAQ-100 Open, challenges by men were upheld 38% compared to 27% for women (skewed by Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
, who went 0 for 11).
At the Championships, Wimbledon 2008, in the mens singles challenges were successful 29% of the time with an average of 6.6 challenges per match, in the women singles challenges were successful 20% of the time with an average of 3.8 challenges per match.http://championships.wimbledon.org/en_GB/scores/challenge/index.html
In American college tennis
As of 1999, in Division I tennis in the NCAA, a let service is considered playable. This rule change was made to prevent receivers from falsely claiming a valid service to be a let, which is a call that cannot be overruled. Thus, a service that hits the net before landing in the service box is a playable shot, and must be returned by the receiver. Otherwise, the receiver loses the point.In American high school tennis
During high school tennis team matches, players may have to follow a few different rules:- Pro set: Instead of playing best out of three sets, players may play one pro set. A pro set is first to 8 games instead of 6. All other rules apply.
Super tie-break: This is played sometimes after players split sets (Each wins one set). It decides who wins instead of a third set. This is played like a regular tie-break but the winner must attain ten points instead of seven.
Super duper tie-break: Same as Super tie-break, but the winner must attain 12 points instead of ten.
- No-ad: The players play through the match without any ads. When the game is at deuce the receiving player has the option to choose what side of court (either the deuce side or the ad side) they want to receive the serve for the final game-deciding point. The first player or doubles team to four points wins the game.
External links
- ITF Rules of Tennis
- USTA Rules of Tennis (identical to ITFInternational Tennis FederationThe International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
rules, with added commentary from USTA and a guidebook for unofficiated games)