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In this section, we'll try to answer a number of questions about tennis for beginners
and advanced players alike.  If your question has not been answered on this page, please write to us and we'll do our best to answer it.

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FAQ

  • What are the dimensions of a tennis court?
    78 ft. (23.77m.) x 36 ft (10.97m.) including doubles alleys.
  • What type of surface can tennis be played on?
    Tennis can be played on several surfaces, the four main ones being: - Grass - Clay - Hard surface - Carpet (indoor surface)
  • How long does a tennis match last?
    Professional matches usually last from 1h30 to 3 hours, sometimes lasting up to 5 hours during best-of-5 Grand Slam matches. On average, during a match lasting 2.5 hours, only 20 minutes are devoted to active play.
  • What is a “let” in tennis?
    A let in tennis occurs when an event forces a point to be replayed. Here are some events resulting in a “let”: - The serve hits the upper band of the net and falls into the service square. - The serve hits the upper band of the net and makes contact with the player returning the serve before touching the ground. - The serving player hits his serve before the returning player is ready to receive it. It should be noted that a player returning a serve may receive a warning if he does not play at the pace of the server. - A distraction occurs in the middle of a rally, this can happen when a ball from another court ends up in play or when a spectator moves in the middle of a rally. It should be noted that there is no limit on "lets" on serve, the official record being 4 consecutive "lets" performed by Serena Williams in 2013 during a victory against Ayumi Morita. Source: https://tenniscompanion.org/let/
  • How does tennis rankings work?
    For one circuit as for the other, the points obtained during a tournament vary depending on the result obtained, but also the type of tournament. ATP (Men’s Professional Tour) Ranking points are those obtained by a player in ATP-sanctioned tournaments during the previous 52 weeks. A maximum of 19 tournaments can count towards the ranking, so even if a player plays, for example, 22 tournaments, their best 19 results will count towards their ranking. The top 8 players qualifying for the end-of-season championship benefit from an additional tournament for their point total, with the end-of-season championship then counting as a 20th tournament. WTA (Women's Professional Tour) The WTA ranking is calculated in the same way as the ATP ranking with the exception of the maximum number of tournaments counting towards the ranking. On the women's side, players are limited to 16 tournaments. The best players also benefit from an extra tournament with the end-of-season championship counting as a 17th tournament in the rankings. When possible, the points obtained during the 4 Grand Slam tournaments and the 4 mandatory WTA 1000 tournaments must be taken into account in the total counting for the ranking.
  • What is a “tennis elbow”?
    Lateral epicondylitis, commonly known as tennis elbow, is a very common injury in racquet sports. It is characterized by the inflammation of the tendons used to bend the wrist and hand backwards, away from the palm. In order to prevent this type of injury, it is recommended to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder and forearm; a less tense string can also lessen the impact of each strike and thus reduce the risk of inflammation. Rest and ice are the best ways to treat such an injury. Wearing an elbow pad can also relieve and prevent “tennis elbow”.
  • When was tennis invented?
    Contemporary tennis is a direct descendant of “game of palm” , a variation of tennis played with the palm of the hand. The use of rackets and the use of the name "tennis" first appeared in the 16th century in France and England. The name would derive from the French verb “tenez!”, then pronounced by the server to indicate to the receiving player that he was about to serve. Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histoire_du_tennis
  • What are the 4 Grand Slam tennis tournaments?
    Australian Open - Melbourne, Australia - Hard Court Roland-Garros (French Open) - Paris, France - Clay Wimbledon - London, England - Grass U.S. Open, New York, United States - Hard Court
  • What does ATP stand for in tennis?
    Association of Tennis Professionals It is the governing body of men's professional tennis.
  • What does WTA stand for in tennis?
    Women's Tennis Association It is the governing body of women's professional tennis.
  • How is a tennis match won?
    Matches are played to the best of 3 sets, except in men's matches during Grand Slam tournaments where they are played to the best of 5 sets.
  • How is a set won in tennis?
    A round is won when a player reaches 6 games with an advantage of 2 games over his opponent. If the tie persists at 6 games all, a “tie-break” is played in which the player first reaching 7 points, with an advantage of 2 points, wins the tie-break, as well as the set.
  • How is a game won in tennis?
    A game is won by the first player to reach 4 points with a 2 point advantage over their opponent. However, during games, excluding the tie-break, the points are called as follows: 15-30-40 instead of 1-2-3. When the score reaches 40-40 (3-3), there is a tie, also called a “deuce”. In a deuce, the player winning the next point will gain the advantage, if he also wins the next point, he will win the game. Otherwise, there will be a return to deuce. Here is an example of how a game plays out: Player A serving. Player B returning service. 1st point: won by player A: 15-0 2nd point: won by player A: 30-0 3rd point: won by player B: 30-15 4th point: won by player B: 30-30 5th point: won by player B: 30-40 (Called break point, since if the player returning the serve wins the next point, he will “break” his opponent’s serve.) 6th point: won by player A: 40-40 (deuce) 7th point: won by player B: 40-A (Advantage to player B, once again a break point) 8th point: won by player A: 40-40 (Return to deuce) 9th point: won by player A: A-40 (Advantage to player A, also called game point, since if the serving player wins the next point, he will win the game) 10th point: won by player A: game to player A
  • How many points do players earn during a tournament?
    For one circuit as for the other, the points obtained during a tournament vary depending on the result obtained, but also the type of tournament. Here is a summary of the different types of tournaments, as well as the points that can be collected. ATP (Men’s Professional Tour) Grand Slam: These are the most prestigious tournaments on the professional circuit, so they have the best prizemoney as well as the greatest number of points. Winner: 2000 points Finalist: 1200 points Semi-final: 720 points Quarter-final: 360 points 4th round (round of 16): 180 points 3rd round (round of 32): 90 points 2nd round (round of 64): 45 points 1st round (round of 128): 10 points Qualified players: 25 points End of season championship: tournament for which the 8 best players and 8 best doubles teams of the year qualify. Each victory during the pool phase (round robin) allows you to obtain 200 points. A player can earn an additional 400 points for making it to the final and an additional 500 points for winning the final, for a maximum total of 1500 points. ATP Masters 1000: flagship tournaments of the circuit, there are a total of 9, of which 8 are compulsory: Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, Montreal/Toronto, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris and finally Monte-Carlo which is not obligatory. Winner: 1000 points Finalist: 600 points Semi-final: 360 points Quarter-final: 180 points 4th round (round of 16): 90 points 3rd round (round of 32): 45 points 2nd round (round of 64): 25 points 1st round (round of 128): 10 points Qualifications: 25 points ATP 500: smaller tournaments, there are several dozen. Winner: 500 points Finalist: 300 points Semi-final: 180 points Quarter-final: 90 points 2nd round (round of 16): 45 points 1st round (round of 32): 20 points ATP 250: entry tournaments on the ATP circuit. Winner: 250 points Finalist: 150 points Semi-final: 90 points Quarter-final: 45 points 2nd round (round of 16): 20 points 1st round (round of 32): 10 points Challenger and Future circuit: there are two other smaller circuits on the men's circuit in which fewer points are awarded. They are usually populated by players outside the world top 100. These tournaments have several different “tiers”: 125, 110, 100, 90, 80 and 50. WTA (Women's Professional Tour) Grand Slam: The distribution of points is a little different from the ATP circuit. Winner: 2000 points Finalist: 1300 points Semi-final: 780 points Quarter-final: 430 points 4th round (round of 16): 240 points 3rd round (round of 32): 130 points 2nd round (round of 64): 70 points 1st round (round of 128): 10 points Qualified players: 40 points 3rd qualifying round: 30 points 2nd qualifying round: 20 points 1st qualifying round: 2 points End of season championship: as with the men's circuit, the 8 best players of the year can obtain bonus points during this event. A maximum of 1500 points are awarded depending on the results. WTA 1000 Premier: flagship tournaments of the circuit, these are the 4 mandatory WTA 1000 tournaments: Beijing, Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid. Winner: 1000 points Finalist: 650 points Semi-final: 390 points Quarter-final: 215 points 4th round (round of 16): 120 points 3rd round (round of 32): 65 points 2nd round (round of 64): 35 points 1st round (round of 128): 10 points Qualified players: 30 points 2nd qualifying round: 20 points 1st qualifying round: 2 points WTA 1000 Premier: these are the other WTA 1000 tournaments in which players are not required to participate: Cincinnati, Doha, Dubai, Rome, Montreal/Toronto) Winner: 900 points Finalist: 585 points Semi-final: 350 points Quarter-final: 190 points 3rd round (round of 32): 105 points 2nd round (round of 64): 60 points 1st round (round of 128): 1 point Qualified players: 30 points 3rd qualifying round: 22 points 2nd qualifying round: 15 points 1st qualifying round: 1 point Other tournaments: then there are smaller tournaments, just like the men's circuit: WTA 500, WTA 250, WTA 125 and several tournaments organized by the ITF.
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