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Glossary of Tennis Terms

Tennis - Glossary of Terms follows below:

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JKL


Jam To hit the ball at or near the opponent's body, forcing an awkward or weak return.
Jump smash A smash that is hit while the player is jumping into the air.

Kill – to "put the ball away" and end the point.

Kick serve A serve hit with a great deal of spin, causing it to change direction when it bounces. See twist.
Kill To hit the ball hard into an area where the opponent can't reach it. See smash.

Lob – a high-arcing shot, usually hit from behind the baseline, using topspin or under-spin to regain
position.

Lob volley – hitting a lob off the volley before the ball bounces. Often used when both players are at the
net.

Lawn tennis The original name for modern tennis, based on the fact that it's played on grass, to distinguish it from court tennis.

Left court Same as advantage court.
 


 

Let A stroke that doesn't count and must be replayed. This most commonly happens when a serve touches the net before entering the proper service court. It's also a let if the serve is delivered before the receiver is ready, if play is interrupted by some unusual occurrence (such as an animal running onto the court), or if a linesman's decision that resulted in stoppage of play is reversed by the umpire.

Line judge An official who is responsible for determining whether or not a shot landed in the court. They include the baseline judges, service line judges, and sideline judges.

Lob A shot that is hit in a high arc, usually over the opponent's head. See defensive lob; offensive lob.

Long Descriptive of a shot that is out because it hits the court beyond the opponent's baseline.

Love   The term used for no score; originated from the French indication of no score on their scorecards by an egg-shaped zero. This was unknown as "L'oeuf'," the French word for egg.  When English-speaking players began using the word, it sounded like love, and has been called "love" ever since.

Love Zero; no points. For example, a score of 40-love means that the server has scored three points and the receiver hasn't scored any. In a set score, it means that the player hasn't won any games. Probably derived from the old French word for egg, l'ove, because a zero is egg-shaped.

Love game A game in which the loser scored no points.

Love set A set in which the loser won no games.

Lucky Loser A player who lost in the last round of the qualifying tournament, but got into the tournament's main draw after a player dropped out due to injury.
 

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