Tennis Court - Terminology

Terminology

Common tennis court terms:

• Ad court (short for "advantage court"): the left side of the receiving team, the right side of the opponent's court as viewed from the server's side, significant as the receiving side for an Ad point.
• Alley (Tramlines): the zone between the single court and the doubles court, one on the Ad side, one on the Deuce side. These are only used when playing doubles.
• Back court ('No man's land'): the area between the baseline and the service line. It is not recommended to play in this area because this is where balls usually bounce.
• Baseline: The line dividing the "out" area from the "in" area made up of the back line of the back court and the small back side of the alleys.
• Center service line: The line dividing the two service boxes.
• Center niblet: The 12-inch mark at the halfway point of the baseline used to distinguish the two halves (and service boxes) of a tennis court.
• Deuce service box or deuce court: the right side of the receiving team, the left side of the opponent's court as viewed from the server's side, significant as the receiving side for a deuce point.
• Middle T: See T.
• Service box: is made up of the singles boundary and the closest line that runs parallel with the net. There is a left and right service box that is divided by the line running down the center of the court.
• Service line: the line that is parallel to the net and is located between the baseline and the net. It marks the end of the service boxes.
• Side T: The T shape formed by the service line and the sideline. There are four such side Ts, two on each side of the net.
• T or Middle T: The T shape formed by the service line and the center service line.