Tennis Terms and Slang Trivia Quiz

Answer: deuce

The etymology of the term "deuce" when applied to tennis comes from the French term "deux de jeux," which means "two games/points." This makes sense as a player needs to win two consecutive points after reaching the stalemate of deuce (and three points if the other player receives the advantage after deuce).

When playing during deuce, players always start on the right-hand side of the court and switch to the left-hand side while playing during the advantage.

Answer: moonball

Moonballs are so-named because they fly high into the sky towards the moon. Moonballs, or lobs, are usually performed for various reasons. An offensive lob might be hit because the opposing player is close to the net, and the lob is too far away for them to chase down effectively.

A defensive lob might be hit due to the fact that the ball takes a while to land, thus giving the player time to position themselves back on the court properly. Of course, some amateur players simply hit lobs because they have little control over their racket and don't utilize spin very well.

Answer: foot fault

Faults happen while serving in tennis for various reasons. The most common are hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net. However, foot faults also happen occasionally, in which the player steps over the service line before connecting with the ball.

This is usually quite rare in professional settings, though with today's computer technology, sensors are quick to observe and sound an alarm when it does happen.

Answer: bagel

It's never fun losing every game of a set, but it does happen occasionally. In professional tennis, bagels (which have a similar appearance as the number 0) happen most often when the player is either completely out of their league or the player's rhythm is off for the set/match. One shouldn't lose all hope, though.

It's actually relatively common that a player loses a set to another player 6-0, but then they come back to win the match.

Answer: ace

Aces are easily the most sought-after statistic in tennis. It's easy to see why: you win the point without the other player having even touched the ball. In today's tennis world, aces are becoming more and more common as serving speed records are broken over and over. Since players have two attempts to land a tennis ball in the service box, most tennis players will attempt to go for it all and hit an ace on their first serve while being more reserved and safe while hitting their second.

Answer: wrongfoot

Much of the strategy in tennis relies on guessing where your opponent will hit the ball next. There are a few factors that can help you do this. Your opponent's position on the court and the angle you hit your shot can limit where your opponent can return the ball.

This allows you to guess where they might aim next. However, sometimes your opponent will hit a shot so brilliant that it surprises you, forcing you to turn quickly in the opposite direction. Of course, this is extremely disadvantageous, as you not only have to halt your forward momentum, you must turn back and try to return the ball in a way that your opponent won't be able to slam down your throat.

In most cases, if you've been caught wrongfooted, you are going to lose the point.

Answer: topspin

Creating spin, particularly topspin, is one of the first skills needed to master tennis. It allows you to hit a ball with both speed and control, rather than hitting the ball in a flat manner (such as when smashing it while close to the net). Backspin (often called "slicing") often slows down the tennis ball, which allows the player to position themselves better and also adds an unpredictable nature to the ball after it bounces. Sidespin exists, but it is usually reserved for trick shots that cause the ball to bounce in strange ways or to create unusual angles to ensure the ball is out of reach of your opponent.

Answer: shank

Shanking the tennis ball usually has a distinctive sound because the ball has struck the frame instead of a clean shot with only racket strings. Shanks most often result in hitting the ball out-of-bounds, into the net, or down onto your side of the court. Occasionally, a shank can result in the ball barely tipping over the net to win the point, but this is not common.

Answer: let

Lets while serving are quite common since the ball is zooming quickly toward the other player's service box. A let is a replay, as though the serve didn't happen at all. However, lets can also be called when some kind of distraction unfairly affects the point.

In this case, the point is begun again and service starts where it previously was. If it was a second serve, then the let starts at the second serve.

Answer: drop shot

In tennis, hitting drop shots is a completely valid strategy and is used when players are either out of position or in attempt to trick a player. They are often hit with backspin so that the ball stays as close to the net as possible after it bounces.

In professional play, successfully returned drop shots are often followed by high lobs since the player is close to the net and now must run back to the baseline if they hope to return the ball. This can result in some pretty amusing plays, including players hitting the tennis ball between their legs.