Singles (tennis)
Encyclopedia
Traditionally, tennis
is played between two people in a singles match, or two pairs in a doubles match.
Doubles is played by two players of two teams each, most often all-male or all-female. It utilizes a wider court than singles matches: it includes the area in the alley (tramlines, in British terminology), whereas singles does not. The two players on the receiving side change positions after each point played (one at the net and the other near the baseline, preparing to return serve).
Mixed doubles is played the same as doubles, but with each team comprising one man and one woman. This form of tennis is rare in the professional game, due to the men's and women's tours being organised separately (by the ATP
and WTA
respectively). However, all four Grand Slam
tournaments hold a mixed doubles competition, alongside the men's and women's doubles, and featuring many of the same players. There is also an annual mixed tournament for national teams, the Hopman Cup
, which includes mixed doubles. Additionally, tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics
will include a mixed doubles event for the first time since tennis returned to the Olympic Games in 1988
.
In professional tennis tournaments such as Wimbledon
, the singles competition receives the most prize money and coverage, followed by doubles, with mixed doubles usually receiving the least monetary awards. Also while players are gradually less competitive in singles by their late 20s and early 30s, they can still continue competitively in doubles, such as Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe
who won doubles titles in their 40s.
This variation is the brainchild of Tennis North (Tasmania) president Tennis Tucker.
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 played between two people in a singles match, or two pairs in a doubles match.
Standard types of match
Singles involves two players competing against each other, usually two men or two women, although games between a man and a woman may be played on an informal basis.Doubles is played by two players of two teams each, most often all-male or all-female. It utilizes a wider court than singles matches: it includes the area in the alley (tramlines, in British terminology), whereas singles does not. The two players on the receiving side change positions after each point played (one at the net and the other near the baseline, preparing to return serve).
Mixed doubles is played the same as doubles, but with each team comprising one man and one woman. This form of tennis is rare in the professional game, due to the men's and women's tours being organised separately (by the ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
and WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
respectively). However, all four Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
tournaments hold a mixed doubles competition, alongside the men's and women's doubles, and featuring many of the same players. There is also an annual mixed tournament for national teams, the Hopman Cup
Hopman Cup
The Hopman Cup is an annual international team tennis tournament held in Perth, Western Australia in early January each year, which plays mixed teams on a country by country basis...
, which includes mixed doubles. Additionally, tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics
The tennis competitions of the 2012 Summer Olympics are scheduled to be staged at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from 29 July to 5 August 2012. 172 tennis players are expected to compete in five events; singles and doubles for both men and women and for the first...
will include a mixed doubles event for the first time since tennis returned to the Olympic Games in 1988
Tennis at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Tennis returned to the Summer Olympic Games at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, having been left out since the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Tennis had been a demonstration sport at the 1984 Summer Olympics....
.
In professional tennis tournaments such as Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, the singles competition receives the most prize money and coverage, followed by doubles, with mixed doubles usually receiving the least monetary awards. Also while players are gradually less competitive in singles by their late 20s and early 30s, they can still continue competitively in doubles, such as Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
who won doubles titles in their 40s.
Canadian doubles
When three players are available, modified rules can accommodate the mismatch so that the single player does not have to be significantly better than the double team. The single player hits into a doubles court while the side with two players hits into a singles court.Australian doubles
An informal and unsanctioned form of tennis, this is played with similar rules to Canadian doubles, only in this version, players rotate court position after each game. As such, each player plays doubles and singles over the course of a match, with the singles player always serving. Scoring styles vary, but one popular method is to assign a value of 2 points to each game, with the server taking both points if he or she holds serve, and the doubles team each taking one if they break. Throughout Australia this format is usually known as "American doubles", wheras in South Africa you would call it "American singles".Jordache tennis
A game played between three players. A normal tennis game takes place between two of the three contestants. Players are awarded 5 points for a game win and the loser is awarded points based on the score achieved: 3 for deuce, 2 for 30 and 1 for 15. The winner remains in. The player replacing the loser gets to choose who serves. The first to 50 wins. Scoring is calculated continuously, so if a player is currently on 49 points at the start of a game they only have to win one point for the game to end. There is a variation invented in 2005, called "mini-Jordache", where the winner is the first to 25.Wheelchair tennis
Played in both singles and doubles forms by people in wheelchairs. The main difference is that the ball may bounce twice before it is hit, the second bounce may even be outside the court. All four Grand Slam tournaments include wheelchair tennis.T31
Played in singles under the following rules:- Players play 31 points.
- It is not the first to get 16. All 31 points are played so that simultaneously played games finish together.
- Players change ends after 16 points and change serve after each five points.
- A player has one serve and no lets.
- The server must move inside the service line for his fifth stroke.
- Format is an eight-person compass draw. With each game lasting about 15 minutes, an entire tournament of three rounds can be played on four courts in under an hour.
- Additional prize for the player with the most points so eliminated players still have incentive.
This variation is the brainchild of Tennis North (Tasmania) president Tennis Tucker.
See also
- Tennis courtTennis courtA tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
- Tennis gamesTennis gamesTennis games are often used to help players of all abilities to practice the different strokes involved in tennis. The number of participants needed varies from as few as two players to as many players as can fit on a tennis court...
- Deck tennisDeck tennisDeck tennis is a sport that was played on the decks of passenger and cruise ships and is still practiced to a small extent. This sport is also known by the names Tenni-Koit, Tenniquoites or Ring tennis...
- Beach tennisBeach tennisFor another sport called "beach paddleball", see Matkot. For other sports called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Beach Tennis USA takes the fun and fast-paced sport of tennis and combines it with the sun, sea and sand of the beach....