In my last post, we discussed a lot of the scoring in tennis. But I left out a few key details, like, how do you score a tiebreaker? And how do you even win a point, anyway? These questions will all be answered here.
First, tiebreakers. As I discussed in my last post, tiebreakers occur when players reach 6-6 (games) in a set, or sometimes 1-1 (sets) in a match.
The first kind of tiebreak is known as a 7-point tiebreak. It is played when each player has 6 games in the set. To win this tiebreak, you must win 7 points (win by two) before the other player. That part seems easy enough. The part that's more confusing is serving.
In all tiebreakers, the serving is the same. The first person to serve only serves 1 point (different than the usual whole game during the match) and after that, each player serves twice, one time on each side, until the tiebreak is over. Players also switch ends when the score is a multiple of six.
I know, that's a lot to remember. Beginning players often need a coach on the court to walk them through the tiebreak when it happens the first couple of times.
10- point tiebreaks, also known as third set tiebreaks, are very similar. The serving and switching ends are all the same. This tiebreak, however, is played in Lui of a third set (when the set score is 1-1) and players play until one person reaches 10 (win by two).
This kind of tiebreak is mostly seen in high school and sometimes college-level matches when time is an issue.
So, now that we've got that out of the way. Let's get into how you win these things, or any point in tennis for that matter.
This part of tennis is relatively simple, but it still must be taught.
To win a point, a player must make the ball bounce twice on his/her opponent's side, or force his/her opponent to hit the ball "out" or into the net.
What counts as "out," you might ask?
In singles (1 player vs 1 player), "out" is anything outside the bordering white lines AND the doubles allies.
In doubles (2 players vs 2 players), "out" is just anything outside of the bordering white lines.
Here's the catch: players call their own lines.
Unlike many other sports, in tennis, players are responsible for making their own line calls (until you get to the professional level). That means if you hit a ball that you think was in, but your opponent calls it out, it is considered out.
Now, hopefully, you can see why this might cause some issues, especially among young players. Luckily there are things you can do to prevent cheating.
You can question your opponent.
The most respectful and well-known way to do this is to say "are you sure?" after a call you disagree with. This usually doesn't cause a change in the call, but it lets your opponent know that you think they are cheating and can prevent it from happening again.
2. You can call a line judge.
If the above method doesn't work, you can call an official (or a representative from each side) to be a line judge. This third party will determine whether or not the calls being made are fair.
Well, if you've made it this far, I think you're set for the court! I hope this blog helped you understand my favorite sport a little better.