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 Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 7:16 pm
I'm pre-making posts so I can just copy and paste them over elsewhere, hopefully quickly so that they are consecutive.
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Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 7:48 pm
P R O F E S S I O N A L
T E N N I S  THIS thread is to track the Professional Tennis world as well as present a place to discuss tennis in general. Hopefully this thread will help educate on the sport of tennis.Table of Contents > > POST 1 < <
- Intro
- Table of Contents
POST 2
- What is Tennis?
- Singles vs. Doubles
- Rules/Score Keeping
- Surfaces
- Basic Strokes
POST 3
- Grand Slam Tournaments
* Australian Open
* French Open
* Wimbledon
* U.S. Open
POST 4
- How Professional Ranking Works
- Top 10 Ranked Male Players
- Top 10 Ranked Female Players
- Top 5 Mens Double Players
- Top 5 Womens Double Players
POST 5
- Player Showcase
* #1 Mens Singles Player
* #1 Womens Singles Player
POST 6
- Tennis Gear and Links
POST 7
- Tennis News
- Upcoming tournaments
- Current tournament stats
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Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:42 pm
POST 2 : What is Tennis?
- Tennis : An indoor or outdoor game that is played with racquets and a light elastic ball by two players, or two pairs of players, on a level court divided by a low net. HISTORY : Tennis was originally a hand-ball-esque game, developed in Europe around the area of France. It became a favorite sport of royalty, such as British king Henry VIII. The original courts were an hourglass shape; wider at the baseline and narrower at the net. Tennis is heavily related to squash and badminton.
The first official tennis tournament took place on a lawn court in 1877 at Wimbledon. In 1884 a women's tournament was implemented at Wimbledon as well. Singles vs. Doubles
SINGLES is when tennis is played with one opponent on each side of the net. The dimensions of the court that designate that a ball is in play are different than that of doubles.
* Doubles Alleys are out of bounds DOUBLES is played with a team of two people on each side of the net. There are no official boundaries to where the teammates are in relation to eachother. Both can be at net, at the baseline, on the same side of the net, or on opposite sides. A common format for doubles players is that the server will be at the baseline, and their partner will be at net on the opposite side of their partner. Scoring [Video on Scoring]Scoring of tennis can be confusing to newcomers to tennis:
VOCABULARY- Game : When one player scores a point past 40 (4 points)
- Set : A set is complete once one player has won 6 games. To win the set one must win by two games. Ex: 4 vs. 6 is a win, 5 vs 6 is not a win.
- Match : A match is won once the proper amount of sets are won/completed. This number changes depending on who is playing.
* Professional Men's Singles play up to 5 sets
* Professional Women's Singles play up to 3 sets
* Professional Doubles play up to 3 sets LOVE IS JUST THE BEGINNING
Scoring in tennis doesn't go 1, 2, 3, 4, Game. It goes Love, 15, 30, 40, Game.
- Love = 0; Both players begin with Love
- 15 = 1 point scored
- 30 = 2 points scored
- 40 = 3 points scored
- Game = 1 point scored past 40 PLAYING WITH ADVANTAGE Playing with Advantage or Ads occurs when both players are at 40, which is called DEUCE. In casual play, and in some leagues and high school's they do not use the Advantage method, and the next point simply wins. When you are playing Advantage one must score two points in a row past Deuce to win. This can be tedious and back and forth because if the opponent scores, not only does one have to score twice in a row, but the additional points to get the score back to Deuce.
Ex: Player A and Player B are at Deuce (40 - 40). Player A scores 1 point, which is Advantage Player A. Player B then scores 1 point, returning the score to Deuce. Player B then scores another point, so it is Advantage Player B. Player A scores a point, so the score is back to Deuce. Player A scores again, so it is Advantage Player A. Player A then scores again and wins the Game.Simplified Rules [Simple Tennis Rules Video]- If one hits a ball out of bounds the point goes to the opponent.
- If one misses the ball, and the ball hit inside the court, the point goes to the opponent.
- If the ball hits the line, it is still considered in.
- When serving the ball must hit inside the service box diagonal from the server. If the ball hits outside of the service box it is a fault. If the server misses the service box a second time the point goes to the opponent.
- If the ball hits the net, and goes into the service box it is a let. The server will take their first serve over.
- If the ball hits the net and does not go into the service box it is a fault.
- If the receiver hits the ball before it bounces in the service box the point goes to the server.
- If the receiver is hit with the ball the point goes to the serving side.
- Service must start from the Deuce side (right side) of the court.
- Teams must switch court sides after every odd numbered game. Ex: Switch after 1st game, Switch after 3rd game etc.
- Don't touch the Net!Court Surfaces
There are 3 major/popular court surfaces, and each effect the bounce and speed of the ball:
*CLAY courts are generally made out of crushed stone, brick, or shale. There are RED clay courts, and North-American GREEN clay courts. The RED clay courts generally play slower, but in general all clay courts slow down the ball and create a higher bounce. Big serves are disadvantaged on this surface. These are initially cheaper to construct but are high maintenance requiring to be flattened and dampened on a regular basis. The French Open is played on Red Clay courts. *Grass are the fastest courts, resulting in low bounces. However this all depends on how healthy the grass is, how recently it has been mowed and the recent wear and tear on the courts. The Wimbledon Championships are played on grass courts and are very popular in the U.K. and other parts of Europe. *Hard courts are a medium court; faster than clay, but slower than grass and are considered and equalizing surface. The speed of the court is altered by the amount of sand in the top paint; the more sand the slower the ball. They are generally made out of asphalt. The U.S. Open is played on an acrylic hard surface. The Australian Open is played on a synthetic hard surface. Simple StrokesIt is very difficult to textually describe ground strokes so I highly suggest watching the provided videos to have a better visual.
- Forehand : Hit using one hand, usually your dominant hand, though some use their non-dominant hand, such as Rafael Nadal who uses his left hand, despite being right handed.[Forehand Instructional Video]- Backhand : Hit using either both hands, or one depending on what you are comfortable with. When using the backhand you are hitting from the opposite side you hit with from the forehand.[Backhand Instructional Video]- Serve : The serve is the initial shot in tennis and can be one of the most difficult ones and is an overhead shot.[Serve Instructional Video]- Volley : This is where the ball is returned without allowing the ball to bounce.[Volley Lesson][Volley Visual]- Overhead : Usually used when the ball is lobbed, the ball is struck from an overhead swing.[Overhead Lesson]
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:50 am
POST 3 : GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENTS
What determines a Grand Slam tournament?
The Grand Slam tournaments are the tournaments that are the biggest in terms of world ranking points, prize money, tradition, and public interest. Grand Slam tournaments are widely televised. Established: 1905Court: Synthetic Hard CourtWhen: January 19 - February 1Where: Melbourne, Australia - Melbourne ParkPrize Money: For Mens/Womens Singles Winner: Total $2,000,000
For Mens/Womens Doubles Winners (per pair): $450,000
For Mixed Doubles Winners (per pair): $134,460[Prize Money by Round] Most Recent ChampionsMen's Singles: Rafael Nadal def. Roger FedererWomen's Singles: Serena Williams def. Dinara SafinaMen's Doubles: Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan def. Mahesh Bhupathi & Mark KnowlesWomen's Doubles: Serena Williams & Venus Williams def. Daniela Hantuchova & Ai SugiyamaMixed Doubles: Sania Mirza & Mahesh Bhupathi def. Nathalie Dechy & Andy Ram[Official Australian Open Website] Established: 1912Court: Red ClayWhen: May 24 - June 7Where: Paris, France - Roland-GarrosPrize Money: For Men's/Women's Singles: €1,000,000
For All Doubles (per pair): €300,000 [Prize Money by Round]Most Recent Champions
Men's Singles: Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer
Women's Singles: Ana Ivanovic def. Dinara Safina
Men's Doubles: Pablo Cuevas & Luis Horna def. Daniel Nestor & Nenas Zimonjic
Women's Doubles: Anabel Medina Garrigues & Virginia Ruano Pascual def. Casey Dellacqua & Francesca Schiavone
Mixed Doubles: Victoria Azarenka & Bob Bryan def. Katarina Srebotnik & Nenad Zimonjic Established: 1877Court: GrassWhen: June 22 - July 5Where: Wimbledon, England - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet ClubPrize Money: For Men's Singles: £750,000
For Women's Singles: £750,000
For Men's Doubles: £230,000
For Women's Doubles: £230,000
For Mixed Doubles: £92,000[Prize Money by Round]Most Recent Winners
Men's Singles: Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer
Women's Singles: Venus Williams def. Serena Williams
Men's Doubles: Daniel Nestor & Nenad Zimonjic def Jonas Bjorkman & Kevin Ullyet
Women's Doubles: Serena Williams & Venus Williams def. Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur
Mixed Doubles: Bob Bryan & Samantha Stosur def. Mike Bryan and Katarina Srebotnik Established: 1881Court: Acrylic Hard CourtWhen: August 31 - September 13Where: New York City, United States of America - USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis CenterPrize Money: For Men's Singles: $1,500,000
For Women's Singles: $1,500,000
For Men's Doubles (per pair): $420,000
For Women's Doubles (per pair): $420,000
For Mixed Doubles (per pair): $150,000[Prize Money by Round]Most Recent Champions
Men's Singles: Roger Federer def. Andy Murray
Women's Singles: Serena Williams def. Jelena Jankovic
Men's Doubles: Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan def. Lukas Dlouhv & Leander Paes
Women's Doubles: Cara Black & Liezel Huber def. Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur
Mixed Doubles: Cara Black & Leander Paes def. Liezel Huber & Jamie Murray
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:30 pm
POST 4 : Professional Ranking - Professional Tennis rankings are controlled by the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and WTA (Women's Tennis Association) and the win/loss record of the past 365 days. Each tournament has a designated amount of points. Depending on how far a player gets in a tournament the more points they accumulate. Tennis players also have to defend their amount of points. Eligible tournaments are determined by total prize money allotted.
Ranking Points by Tournament
Grand Slam Tournaments
- 1000 points for winning
- 700 points for reaching the finals
- 450 points for reaching the semi-finals
- 250 points for reaching the quarter-finals
- 140 points for reaching round 16
- 90 points for reaching round 32
- 60 points for reaching round 64
- 2 points for reaching round 108
Sony Ericsson Championships
- 750 points for winning
- 525 points for the Finals
- 335 points for the Semi-Finals
- 185 points for the Quarter-Finals
- 105 points for Round 16
Tier I Level Tournament with a total of $3,000,000
- 500 points for winning
- 350 points for the Finals
- 225 points for the Semi-Finals
- 125 points for the Quarter-Finals
- 70 points for Round 16
- 45 points for Round 32
- 30 points for Round 64
Tier I Level tournament with a total of $2,000,000
- 465 points for winning
- 325 points for the Finals
- 210 points for the Semi-Finals
- 115 points for the Quarter-Finals
- 65 points for Round 16
- 40 points for Round 32
- 25 points for Round 64.
Tier I Level tournament with a total of $1,340,000 (56 players)
- 430 points for winning
- 300 points for the Finals
- 195 points for the Semi-Finals
- 110 points for the Quarter-Finals
- 60 points for Round 16
- 35 points for Round 32
- 1 point Round 64.
Tier I Level tournament with a total of $1,340,000 (28 players)
- 430 for winning
- 300 points for the Finals
- 195 points for the Semi-Finals
- 110 points for the Quarter-Finals
- 60 points for Round 16
- 1 point for Round 32.
Tier II Level tournament with a total of $650,000 (28 players)
- 300 points for winning
- 215 points for the Finals
- 140 points for the Semi-Finals
- 75 points for the Quarter-Finals
- 40 points for Round 16
- 1 point for Round 32
Tier II Level tournament with a total of $600,000 (56 players)
- 275 points for winning
- 190 points for the Finals
- 125 points for the Semi-Finals
- 70 points for the Quarter-Finals
- 35 points for Round 16
- 20 points for Round 32
- 1 point for Round 64
Tier II Level tournament with a total of $600,000 (28 players)
- 275 points for winning
- 190 points for the Finals
- 125 points for the Semi-Finals
- 70 points for the Quarter-Finals
- 35 points for Round 16
- 1 point for Round 32
Tier III Level tournament with a total of $225,000
- 165 points for winning
- 115 points for the Finals
- 75 points for the Semi-Finals
- 40 points for the Quarter-Finals
- 20 points for Round 16
- 1 point for Round 32
Tier III Level tournament with a total of $175,000
- 140 points for winning
- 100 points for the Finals
- 65 points for the Semi-finals
- 35 points for the Quarter-Finals
- 25 points for Round 16
- 1 point for Round 32 Top Ranked Tennis Players Top 10 Men: Top 10 Women: 1. Rafael Nadal 1. Serena Williams 2. Roger Federer 2. Dinara Safina 3. Novak Djokovic 3. Elena Dementieva 4. Andy Murray 4. Jelena Jankovic 5. Juan Martin del Potro 5. Venus Williams 6. Andy Roddick 6. Vera Zvonareva 7. Gilles Simon 7. Ana Ivanovic 8. Fernando Verdasco 8. Victoria Azarenka 9. Nikolay Davydenko 9. Svetlana Kuznetsova 10. Gael Monfils 10. Nadia Petrova Top 5 Men's Doubles Players: Top 5 Women's Doubles Players: 1. Bob & Mike Bryan 1. Cara Black & Liezel Huber 3. Daniel Nestor 3. Ai Sugiyama 4.Nenad Zimonjic 4. Katarina Srebotnik 5. Kevin Ullyet 5. Anabel Medina Garrigues
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Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 3:56 pm
POST 5 : Tennis Showcase #1 Man Name: Rafael Nadal
Age: 22
DOB: June 3, 1986
From: Manacor, Majorca, Spain
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 187 lbs
Career Titles: 34
Best Known For: Winning the French Open 4 straight times (2005, 2006, 2007, 200 cool , Beating then #1 Roger Federer at Wimbledon (200 cool , and winning the Australian Open (2009). He also won the gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. The only Grand Slam tournament he hasn't won is the U.S. Open. #1 Woman Name: Serena Williams
Age: 27
DOB: September 26, 1981
From: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, United States of America
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 150 lbs
Career Titles: 33
Best Known For: Winning the Australian Open (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009), winning the French Open (2002), winning Wimbledon (2002, 2003), and winning the U.S. Open (1999, 2002, 200 cool . She is also greatly known for playing doubles with her equally successful sister, Venus William. She has also started a fashion line.
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:06 am
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:12 am
POST 7 : Tennis NewsUpcoming TournamentsCountdown to the French Open: 34 DaysCurrent Tournament Stats
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:15 pm
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