Balcombe Tennis

Loss of a point caused by a poorly hit shot that goes into the net or out of the court. Compare forced error.

A doubles formation in which one partner plays in the forecourt, the other in the backcourt. Compare tandem.

Acronym for the Van Alen Streamlined Scoring System, developed by James Van Alen. The main intent is to avoid the very long matches that can arise under the traditional scoring system. The Van Alen numbers the points from zero through four and awards a game to the first player to score four points, even if the other player has three points, thus eliminating deuce. Most important, Van Alen introduced the tiebreaker, which is now commonly used.

A shot on which the ball is hit before it bounces. As a verb, to hit such a shot.

A victory that results from the opponent's default.

Descriptive of a shot that lands beyond the sideline, or beyond the service sideline in the case of a serve. See also long.

A shot that wins a point.

A shot on which the frame of the racket strikes the ball.

To hit a shot to the side of an opponent who is moving or turned in the other direction.

Women's Tennis Association, the women's professional circuit in the US.