Tennis is a sport played between either two players ("Singles") or two teams of two players ("doubles"). Players use a stringed racquet to strike a ball, a hollow rubber ball covered in felt, over a net into the opponent's court. In some places tennis is still called lawn tennis to distinguish it from real tennis (also known as royal tennis or court tennis), an older form of the game that is played indoors on a very different court. Originating in England in the late 19th Century, the game spread first throughout the English-speaking world, particularly among the upper classes. Tennis is now an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society, by all ages, and in many countries around the world. Except for the adoption of the tie-breaker in the 1970s, its rules have remained remarkably unchanged since the 1890s. Along with its millions of players, millions of people follow tennis as a spectator sport, especially the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Manner of play

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The court

Tennis is played on a rectangular, flat surface, usually grass, clay, or a hardcourt of concrete and/or asphalt. The court is 78 feet (23.77 m) long, and its width is 27 feet (8.23 m) for singles matches and 36 feet (10.97 m) for doubles matches. Additional clear space around the court is required in order for players to reach overrun balls. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal ends. The net is 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high at the posts, and 3 feet (914 mm) high in the center.

Types of Courts

There are three main types of courts. Depending on the materials used for the court surfaces, each surface provides a difference in the speed and bounce of the ball, which in turn can affect the level of play of the individual players. The three most common types of courts that are used for play are:

• Clay court
• Grass court
• Hardcourt

Some players are clearly more successful on certain surfaces than on others and become known as, for instance, a "grass-court" or "Clay-court specialist".

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End tally: one dim sim, two tennis balls, an empty beer can, and a steel tape measure which is built into the guttering for some reason
mcgrasea (Sean McGrath) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:24:39 -0000
End tally: one dim sim, two tennis balls, an empty beer can, and a steel tape measure which is built into the guttering for some reason
Maryland Circuit Table Tennis Tournament, Nov. 7th, Eldersburg Md, Events for eveyone Kids & Adults, for more info mdtta@hushmail.com
Chris8_8_8 (Chris Puls) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:23:53 -0000
Maryland Circuit Table Tennis Tournament, Nov. 7th, Eldersburg Md, Events for eveyone Kids & Adults, for more info mdtta@hushmail.com
Packed day with tennis, farmers market, hike with dog and hubby on trail & fam BBQ ;-P
FullHouse31Carl (Carlos E. FullHouse) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:23:49 -0000
Packed day with tennis, farmers market, hike with dog and hubby on trail & fam BBQ ;-P
Malisse en Wickmayer één jaar geschorst: TENNIS — GENT - De tennissers Xavier Malisse en Yanina Wickmayer betal.. http://1bg3y.tk
openspatter (Open Spatter) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:23:36 -0000
Malisse en Wickmayer één jaar geschorst: TENNIS — GENT - De tennissers Xavier Malisse en Yanina Wickmayer betal.. http://1bg3y.tk
Djokovic advances at Basel tennis event http://bit.ly/ZQMmB
SportTwalk (Sport Tweets) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:22:28 -0000
Djokovic advances at Basel tennis event http://bit.ly/ZQMmB
Registration open for Bonita Bay's celebrity tennis event http://bit.ly/4aXwdv
SportTwalk (Sport Tweets) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:22:26 -0000
Registration open for Bonita Bay's celebrity tennis event http://bit.ly/4aXwdv

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