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Two notable exceptions on the ATP Tour are the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals and Next Gen ATP Finals, which utilize a round-robin stage before knockout semifinals and finals. In a standard tournament, the winning player moves on to the next round while the loser is eliminated. What happens when a player wins a match and what happens when a player loses? Some players have refueled with chocolate, dates, maple syrup, and even coffee! What do players eat and drink to refuel during a match?Ĭommon snacks and drinks on the sideline include bananas, gels, water and electrolyte drinks. Players often refuel with drinks and occasionally snacks during this time, while evaluating their game plan. In between sets, the changeover is extended to two minutes. What is a changeover and how long does it last?Ĭhangeovers, which occur after every odd-numbered game in a set (other than the first game, after which there is a change of ends but no sit-down) are 90 seconds in length and allow players to recover mentally and physically at their bench. Winners can be hit from all areas of the court with any type of shot: groundstroke (forehand or backhand), volley, overhead, drop shot and more. Not dissimilar from an ace, a winner is a shot that lands in the court and goes untouched by the receiving player. What is a winner and what is an unforced error? Two in a row make a double fault, which cedes the point to the receiver. A fault is a serve that misses the service box, either by hitting the net or landing out. The ugly cousin of the ace is the double fault.
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Aces are typically the result of well-placed, powerful serves - though some aces are the product of finesse, spinning away from the receiver. It is the most straightforward way to win a point in tennis.
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There are two service boxes on each side of the court - the two boxes that extend from the net to the service line, which sits just more than halfway between the net and the baseline.Īn ace is a serve that lands inside the service box and goes untouched by the receiving player. These terms all relate to serves, so first thing’s first: A serve must be hit diagonally into the appropriate service box. What is an ace? What is a fault and what is a double fault? Break points are critical due to the inherent advantage of the server. What is a break point? What does breaking serve mean?Ī break point is a game point for a returning player, a chance to “break” the opponent’s serve. If a player wins the first two sets, the third is not played.Īt Grand Slams (Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open), men play best-of-five sets, while women play best-of-three. Matches on the Hologic WTA Tour and ATP Tour are best of three sets. How many sets does it take to win a match? If the tiebreak score is tied at 6/6, the pattern continues until one player leads by two points to win the tiebreak. Because serving alternates in this manner, a player must win at least one point on return to win a tiebreak - ensuring the player who returns first is not at a disadvantage.
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