Tennis Glossary - C
Here are some basic terms used in the game of tennis. If you're just beginning, have been playing for years, or don't play at all, you can use these terms to really "talk tennis".
C
Canadian doubles
Doubles with three people, one against two
Carry
An illegal shot, on which the ball is held and/or carried on the racket, rather than being struck.
Center court
The main court at a tennis arena, where the championship and other major matches are played.
Center line judge
An official who is responsible for watching the center service line to determine whether a serve has entered the service court.
Center mark
A line, 2 inches wide and 14 inches long, that marks the midpoint of the baseline.
Center service line
A line, extending from the net to the midpoint of the service line, which marks the boundary for both service courts.
Chair
The umpire's seat and, by extension, the umpire, as in "The chair ruled that the shot was out."
Changeover
A 90-second period after every op-numbered game in a set, when players change sides.
Chip
A soft shot, hit with backspin, that just drops over the net; as a verb, to hit such a shot. It's similar to the drop shot, but is more commonly used against an opponent who is at the net, forcing a difficult volley.
Chip and charge
an aggressive strategy to return the opponent's serve with underspin and move forward to the net
Chop
A shot hit with a sharp, downward chopping motion, resulting in a great deal of backspin; as a verb, to hit such a shot.
Clean winner
A shot that cannot be reached by the opponent.
Clip the Line
A shot in which some part of the ball lands on the line.
Please note:
Closed grip
A grip in which the racket face is tilted downward, toward the court.
Closed racket
A racket held with a closed grip.
Code Violation
On the ATP tour, occurs when a player commits a violation such as voicing an obscenity or hitting a ball into the stands (not during the point). The first violation results in a warning, the second a point penalty, the third a game penalty, and the fourth forfeiting the match.
Counterpuncher
a defensive baseliner. See tennis strategy
Continental grip
the same for forehand and backhand, so called because it was developed on the ‘continent' of Europe
Court
The tennis court is 78 feet long and 27 feet wide for singles, 36 feet wide for doubles. It is divided across the mipive by the net. Service lines are marked 21 feet from each side of the net and parallel to it. The area bounded by the singles sidelines and the service line is divided into two equal parts, the service courts, by the center service line, which is halfway between the sidelines and parallel to them.
Court tennis
The ancestor of modern tennis, court tennis apparently developed during the Mipive Ages in monastery courtyards and then moved into the courtyards of castles, where it was played by kings and nobles. It has a very complicated scoring system, which has been somewhat simplified for modern lawn tennis. Also known as "real tennis," in which "real" is the Spanish word for "royal."
Cross-court
Descriptive of a shot that is hit from one side of the court to the other, as well as over the net. For example, the player hits from the right-hand side of the back court to the right-hand side of the opponent's backcourt.
Cut
To hit the ball with a short, downward slicing motion, often drawing the racket strings across it to give some sideways spin action to backspin.
Cyclops
A device used on Center Court to detect if a serve lands long past the service line. The device emits an audible noise when the serve is long.
