Tennis Terms P - S

• Passing shot – A shot that passes by the opponent at the net, but not over him (see lob)
• Poaching – (in doubles) an aggressive move where the player at net moves to volley a shot intended for his/her partner
• Point – the period of play between the first successful service of a ball to the point at which that ball goes out of play
• Pusher – a player who does not try to hit winners, but only to return it safely
• Putaway – a shot to try to end the point from an advantageous situation
• Racquet – a bat with a long handle and a large looped head with a string mesh tautly stretched across it, made of wood, metal or some other synthetic material, that is used by a tennis player to hit the tennis ball during a game of tennis - (see also Racket)
• Rally – (Following the service of a tennis ball) – A series of return hits of the ball that ends when one or other player fails to return the ball within the court boundary or fails to return a ball that falls within the play area.
• Retriever – a defensive baseliner.
• Set point – one point away from winning a set
• Singles – a tennis game played by two players
• Second Service – the second and final of the two serves of a tennis ball a player is allowed at the beginning of a Point
• Serve – to begin a point by hitting the ball into the opponents half of the court
• Serve and volley – a strategy to serve and immediately move forward to make a volley and hopefully a winner
• Slice – (rally) hitting a tennis ball with underspin; (service) serving with sidespin
• Spin – rotation of the ball as it moves through the air, affecting its trajectory and bounce
• Split step – a footwork technique by doing a small hop just before the opponent is hitting the ball