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                                | Glossary of Tennis 
                        Terms |  
                                | 
                          Tennis 
                          - Glossary of Terms follows below: |  
                          
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                          T
 
 
                          "T"
                           
                          – mid-court area formed by the junction of 
                          the centre service line and the service lines. You may
                          hear “a player serves down the T for an ace.”
 
 Tennis elbow – pain caused by too much play, 
                          improper technique, racquet tension or even racquet 
                          grip
 size.
 
 Tension – degree of tautness in the strings of 
                          a racket.
 
 Topspin – hitting over the top of the ball for 
                          forward rotation in flight
 
 T The midcourt area, where the service lines 
                          meet the center service line.
 
 Take the net   To move into the 
                          forecourt and toward the net to be able to hit volleys 
                          quickly into the opponent's side of the court.
 
 Tandem A doubles formation in which each 
                          partner is responsible for one half of the court, as 
                          divided by the center line. Compare up and back.
 
 Tape The band of white canvas or synthetic 
                          material, 2 to 2½ inches wide, that covers the top of 
                          the net.
 
 Team tennis A type of competition between teams of 
                          players, involving singles and doubles matches, in 
                          which the victory is the team that takes the most 
                          games.
 
 Tennis ball The ball used in tennis is a hollow 
                          rubber sphere, 2 to 2 5/8 inches in diameter and 
                          weighing between 2 and 2 1/16 ounces, filled with 
                          pressurized air and covered with a nap of wool and 
                          nylon.
 
 
                          Tennis elbow Tendinitis of the elbow, often caused 
                          by the strains placed on the joint by playing tennis, 
                          though it may have other causes.
 Thirty The second point scored by a player or side 
                          in a game. See point; scoring system.
 
 Throat The thin area of a racket handle, where it 
                          meets the head.
 
 Tie-break A tiebreaker.
 
 Tiebreaker A method of determining the winner of a 
                          set that's tied. The most commonly used is the 
                          13-point tiebreaker, which is won by the player who 
                          first wins 7 points, provided that the margin of 
                          victory is at least 2 points. This is sometimes called 
                          a "lingering death" tiebreaker, on contrast to the 
                          sudden death tiebreaker.
 
 Top seed The player judged to be the best in a 
                          given tournament, usually on the basis of computer 
                          rankings. See seed.
 
 Topspin Forward spin, around the ball's horizontal 
                          axis, that's applied by drawing the racket strings up 
                          and over the ball at the moment of impact. A shot hit 
                          with topspin is more likely to stay in play, because 
                          it drops sharply after reaching its highest point, and 
                          it takes a high bounce.
 
 Touch Precise control of a shot, often resulting 
                          in a placement, as in "She hit that shot with perfect 
                          touch."
 
 Triple The feat of winning the singles, doubles, 
                          and mixed doubles championships at a tournament.
 
 Twist A combination of topspin and sidespin on a 
                          serve. See, for example, American twist and reverse 
                          twist.
 
 Two-handed backhand A backhand shot on which the 
                          player has both hands on the racket handle.
 
                          
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