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Tennis Lingo: A Few Fun Facts
photo cred: www.mommybytes.com
I hear someone asking themselves, “What does this picture have anything to do with tennis?” If it’s you I’m hearing, read on.
As I am sure it is the case with any sport, tennis has it’s own funny quirks.
For example:
US Open Ticket-holder #1: What did they just say?
US Open Ticket-holder #2: Love.
US Open Ticket-holder #1: Who’s in love?
Okay – this exchange probably wouldn’t take place between two people who had actually purchased tickets to watch a professional tennis match…But, the US Open is pretty regularly referred to as a ‘social event’ – attracting fans and novices alike – for the prestige.
So for all you socialites out there, who received a ticket to the US Open in the mail from your manager/boyfriend/PR team and would like to avoid the embarrassing conversation I just cited, listen in while I explain the meaning and ancestry of tennis’ most talked about term.
Fans – you might enjoy this too!
Love:
In tennis, “love” refers to a player’s score of zero. In any game, a player must win four points, (by two). Those points are: 15, (you can think of this as point one) 30, (two) 40, (three) and finally, game, (the winning fourth point). But before you get any of those numbers on your scoreboard, you start with love. Nothing. Love = nothing. Sound a little pessimistic? It’s not.
The word “love”, as it is used to describe zero points in a game of tennis, has two very logical theories of origin – one British and one French, both debated.
The English conception, (if true) supposes that the phrase “neither for love, nor money,” was reduced simply, to “love”, meaning that a player, even with zero points, was still playing purely for the love of the sport. (Unless you’re Serena Williams, then you’ve played for 38 million.)
The French version, which seems to be more widely accepted, says that the term “love” came from a mispronunciation and eventual change of the French word “l’oeuf”, meaning “egg”, which was originally used in France, (where tennis is said to have originated) because of an egg’s similar appearance to the number zero, (0). Egg = 0 = l’oeuf = the English hearing “love” and just saying “love” from then on.
Regardless of which you choose to support, either is better than subscribing to some idea that tennis as a sport believes that “love” and “nothing” are synonyms. That would be a turn-off.
Who doesn’t love water-cooler trivia? Here are a few fun facts:
The name “Tennis” : Some believe it was the ancient Egyptians who created the precursor for the game we play today in a town called “Tinnis” along the Nile. Others say “tennis” comes from the French word, “tenez” meaning “take it”, as in sending the ball to your opponent.
Early Tennis : Truthfully, modern tennis came about by slowly moving away from handball. It was popular amongst French monks who’d play strictly with their hands and a rope. As it became an everyman sport, players first wore gloves, then webbed-gloves, then paddles, and finally, rackets.
On that subject : It is believed that the term “racket” actually evolved from the Arabic word, “rahat”, meaning “palm”. See the connection?
That’s plenty to make you sound really smart and impressive at the US Open this month.
You’re welcome.
Tennis Lingo: A Few Fun Facts
photo cred: www.mommybytes.com
I hear someone asking themselves, “What does this picture have anything to do with tennis?” If it’s you I’m hearing, read on.
As I am sure it is the case with any sport, tennis has it’s own funny quirks.
For example:
US Open Ticket-holder #1: What did they just say?
US Open Ticket-holder #2: Love.
US Open Ticket-holder #1: Who’s in love?
Okay – this exchange probably wouldn’t take place between two people who had actually purchased tickets to watch a professional tennis match…But, the US Open is pretty regularly referred to as a ‘social event’ – attracting fans and novices alike – for the prestige.
So for all you socialites out there, who received a ticket to the US Open in the mail from your manager/boyfriend/PR team and would like to avoid the embarrassing conversation I just cited, listen in while I explain the meaning and ancestry of tennis’ most talked about term.
Fans – you might enjoy this too!
Love:
In tennis, “love” refers to a player’s score of zero. In any game, a player must win four points, (by two). Those points are: 15, (you can think of this as point one) 30, (two) 40, (three) and finally, game, (the winning fourth point). But before you get any of those numbers on your scoreboard, you start with love. Nothing. Love = nothing. Sound a little pessimistic? It’s not.
The word “love”, as it is used to describe zero points in a game of tennis, has two very logical theories of origin – one British and one French, both debated.
The English conception, (if true) supposes that the phrase “neither for love, nor money,” was reduced simply, to “love”, meaning that a player, even with zero points, was still playing purely for the love of the sport. (Unless you’re Serena Williams, then you’ve played for 38 million.)
The French version, which seems to be more widely accepted, says that the term “love” came from a mispronunciation and eventual change of the French word “l’oeuf”, meaning “egg”, which was originally used in France, (where tennis is said to have originated) because of an egg’s similar appearance to the number zero, (0). Egg = 0 = l’oeuf = the English hearing “love” and just saying “love” from then on.
Regardless of which you choose to support, either is better than subscribing to some idea that tennis as a sport believes that “love” and “nothing” are synonyms. That would be a turn-off.
Who doesn’t love water-cooler trivia? Here are a few fun facts:
The name “Tennis” : Some believe it was the ancient Egyptians who created the precursor for the game we play today in a town called “Tinnis” along the Nile. Others say “tennis” comes from the French word, “tenez” meaning “take it”, as in sending the ball to your opponent.
Early Tennis : Truthfully, modern tennis came about by slowly moving away from handball. It was popular amongst French monks who’d play strictly with their hands and a rope. As it became an everyman sport, players first wore gloves, then webbed-gloves, then paddles, and finally, rackets.
On that subject : It is believed that the term “racket” actually evolved from the Arabic word, “rahat”, meaning “palm”. See the connection?
That’s plenty to make you sound really smart and impressive at the US Open this month.
You’re welcome.
“You Have to Look Beneath the Surface” ….Or Do You?
Clay. Grass. PlexiCushion. DecoTurf.
The latest secret weapons for Tempurpedic? Maybe, but today I’m only talking about The Grand Slam courts and their four different surfaces.
By now I have outlined the four tourneys for you. To recap, seated players go from Australia in January, to France in May, to London in late June, and New York in August. That’s enough travel to make the average person a little scattered – but in addition, these pros have to adjust to an extreme change in the conditions of their courts in each location. For some, it’s a minor shift. For others, it’s intimidating, and at times, a deal breaker.
While Roland Garros court in France has always been a clay one, the others were always natural grass, until ’74 when US switched to clay, then DecoTurf, and ’87, when Australia chose Rebound Ace, then PlexiCushion. Now Wimbledon is the lone remaining green – and no court is alike.
A brief outline of what to expect on each surface:
The clay at Roland Garros: First of all, you’re playing on what is essentially dirt. France in May can get potentially humid. Dirt + humidity = one sticky court. You have to be extremely agile and fit to handle that footwork. Second, the clay slows down the ball and lets it bounce higher, this means a great receiver will do well, while a power server will struggle. Legend, Pete Sampras, endured a famous career-long battle with the surface. In the end, he was never able to come out on top.
The grass at Wimbledon: Similarly to clay, weather effects the grass significantly. Uncovered games are stopped and delayed constantly, effecting and shifting momentum. (Clay games are also delayed for rain, but are NOT delayed for humidity.) Even with the delays and drying, the grass is naturally a little slippery. Unlike shock-absorbent clay, grass propels the ball forward at lightening speeds and at lower heights. Speed-wise, grass is the stark opposite of clay, and thus helps players with different strengths. The winners on grass? The ‘power server’ we talked about who uses the speed to their advantage. In this case, Sampras dominated, with seven Wimbledon titles, (matched by Roger Federer) and Venus and Serena Williams, with five apiece.
Plexicushion at Melbourne and DecoTurf at Arthur Ashe: Both are hard courts, and many players and coaches consider the surfaces to be not only very similar, but a friendly middle ground between clay and grass. The courts are considered slower than grass, but faster than clay. US is an “acrylic” hard court, while AUS is a “synthetic” hard court. The majority of players tend to enjoy both because of the reduction of extremes, however they are also regarded as the most dangerous due to the sand in the top paint, which can magnify topspins and bother, or injure, a players joints. Andre Agassi is indisputably the best on the hard courts, holding the record for the most titles: nine total, five in Queens and four in Melbourne.
I asked my father, Steve Calleran, long-time tennis fan and recreational player, which surface he preferred.
“My favorite? I’ve always loved playing on hard courts. There’s almost no clay in America. But a local gym has ‘Har-tu’, American green clay – it’s a bit more forgiving, and these days, that’s a consideration.”
I laugh and tell him he doesn’t look a day over twenty, thirty, forty.
There has never been an official admission from the US Open as to why they introduced DecoTurf at the conception of The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 1978. Perhaps they were aiming to be “new” or “high-tech”. Many fans and observers however, believe economics may have been involved. The acrylic courts cost almost nothing to maintain – just a couple cans of paint for the bounds lines. In comparison, grass and clay can rack up monstrous bills in up-keep.
In any case, when it comes to The Grand Slams, the material your playing on will always have some effect on your performance. My Dad summed it up:
“The surface is VERY important.”
Posted in Andre Agassi, Arthur Ashe, Australian Open, clay court, DecoTurf, Events, grass court, Melbourne Park, Pete Sampras, Players, PlexiCushion, Roger Federer, Roland Garros, Serena Williams, Stadiums, US Open, Venus Williams, Wimbledon
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It’s Anyone’s Guess for Serena Williams
What a year.
Actually – what a couple years.
To say that it’s been smooth sailing lately for the player many call the best female to play the game, would be grossly incorrect. Serena Williams, after suffering from a leg injury and a pulmonary embolism that essentially took her out of 2010 and ’11, endured starting twenty-twelve Grand Slam tourneys that were nothing short of mortifying.
Flashback to January: Five-time winner of the tournament, Williams goes out in the fourth round at the Australian Open against Belarussian Ekaterina Makarova. Ranked 56th in the world.
Flashback to May: Add extreme insult to injury. It’s the French Open and Williams is knocked out in the third, second, FIRST round (ouch) by Frenchman Virginie Razzano – ranked 111th in the world. The New York Times calls Serena’s game “a meltdown as epic and complete as any in her career.”
Flashback to the beginning of July: Serena shocks the world when she walks away with TWO Wimbledon titles in ONE DAY. Her fifth singles title AND fifth doubles title with sister Venus were secured in less that NINE HOURS! WHAT THE HECK?
What happened to the girl who got demolished in Australia and France? She was nowhere to be found in London. Serena was at her best – proving once again why she holds 14 Grand Slam singles titles and is currently ranked fourth in the world by the WTA.
In an event one could only call serendipitous, Serena will play on that same Wimbledon green next week with her sister – battling for the Olympic doubles title. That gives us all one more opportunity to be impressed/confused/shocked by her performance before the US Open.
All we can do now is wait for the one major question to be answered:
Which Serena will we see in Queens next month?
Posted in Australian Open, Ekaterina Markova, French Open, Olympics, Players, Serena Williams, US Open, Venus Williams, Virginie Razzano, Wimbledon
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