At first glance, tennis is a rather simple and uncomplicated sport. But in fact, like all professional sports, it has clear regulations and its own rules, and the list of the latter is very diverse.
Tennis Basics
The main difference between tennis and most other sports is the lack of a clear time frame. Matches are not limited in time and can take place within 30 minutes or several hours. There can be no draw in tennis, any meeting goes on until one of the opponents wins. Victory is awarded to the player who scores a certain number of points during the meeting. In different tournaments, the conditions for this very victory are slightly different from each other.
The area where athletes meet is a tennis court. The length of the playing court is always 23.77 meters, the width for singles is 8.23 meters, and for doubles - 10.97 meters. Tennis courts also vary in coverage. The most common type of court is grass. There are also soil and hard. The rules of the game do not change depending on the coverage, nevertheless, the participants have to use different tactical and strategic techniques during the competition on different surfaces.
Game Set Match
To win the match, one of the opponents needs to win two sets out of three possible (in major men's tournaments - three sets out of five possible). The set is divided into games, in order to win the set, you need to win 6 games, provided that the opponent has four or fewer. To win a game, a player must add four won balls to his account, while counting the balls earned looks rather strange: the first ball is 15, the second is 30, the third is 40, and after the fourth game ends and is recorded in the assets of the winning player.
In case both players win three goals in a game (score 40-40), points are awarded according to the "over-under" principle. The score 40-40 is called "even" and players need to earn an "advantage", which is denoted by Latin A or AD. The tennis player who has the advantage on winning the ball wins the game. If the opponent wins the ball, it is again declared "even" (score 40-40) and this continues until one of the opponents wins the ball with an advantage (AD-40). In words, everything seems a little confusing, but just watch 1-2 matches, and everything becomes clear.
If the opponents have five won games each, the match continues until one of the participants wins two games in a row (7-5 games in the set). Sometimes there are cases when opponents, not in the least inferior to each other, win 6 games each. In this case, a "tie-break" is assigned to identify the winners.
Tie-break is played up to 7 won balls, but on condition that the opponent has two fewer of them. If one of the players has reached the mark of 7 won goals, but his opponent has 6 won goals, then the rally continues until one of the players establishes a gap of two goals. Since tennis matches have no time limits, the tenacity of the players can keep matches going for hours on end, and tie-break scores can reach fifteen or more goals.
In some tournaments (for example, the US Open), tie-breaks are played up to a minimum of 13 goals won. In doubles, a tie-break can be used without a preliminary set, that is, instead of a decisive set, a tie-break is played immediately.
Tennis Association
All major tournaments and challenges with male athletes are hosted by the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP). The organization appeared in 1972 to carry out the preparation of tournaments and protect the rights of professional tennis players. She also mediates in various disputes between athletes and other organizations related to this sport.
The structure of the tournaments is divided into five competition stages:
- The final of the world tour is the most prestigious stage of the competition; athletes who have shown the best results during the year in other competitions take part in the tournament.
- The Masters 1000 is the second most important tournament in the structure of the ATP, has existed since 1990. For winning the matches included in the "Masters 1000", the participants receive one thousand points in the personal rating among professional men.
- World Tour 500 - tennis competitions that have been held since 2009 in different countries and on any court surfaces. In total, there are 13 different tournaments within the "round of 500". For the victory in them, athletes write down 500 points in the ATP world ranking.
- World Tour 250 is not the most significant category of professional men's tennis tournaments, but the most diverse. This category includes 40 different competitions that are held around the world. Winning any of these tournaments brings 250 points to the athlete's rating.
- ATP Challenger. This category includes over 150 different “Challengers” around the world. This category of matches is intended primarily for beginners and inexperienced tennis players. Small prize pools usually do not attract world-famous athletes, but these competitions give newcomers the opportunity to earn first rating points, prove themselves and acquire fans.
For participation in any of the listed stages, athletes are awarded points, which ultimately reflect the position of a tennis player in the ATP world rankings. Winning the Grand Slam tournament brings the most points - two thousand points at once. Next comes the World Tour Finals - 1000 and the Olympic Games - 750 points. The points earned in various challengers range from 80 to 125.
Women's Tennis Association
The analogue of the ATP for women is the WTA, in terms of structure and principles of work, the organizations are very similar. The WTA was founded a year later than its male counterpart, in 1973.
The structure of women's competitions is quite different from men's and consists of six categories.
- The Grand Slam Tournament is a serious and prestigious competition, for winning in which, as in the "male version", the participants receive 2000 points to the rating.
- Final Championship A. For the title won at this stage, the athletes receive 750 points in singles and 1500 points for winning in doubles.
- Final Championship B. In competitions from this category, tennis players can earn 260 points. In doubles tournaments of category B do not provide rating points.
- Premier Series - tournaments that take place throughout the year around the world belong to this category. Depending on the level of the competition and the number of participants, tournament winners receive 470 to 1000 points to their rating.
- International series. Tournaments in this category also take place all over the world, but have less weight at the professional level. For winning a tournament from an international series, athletes receive 280 points to their assets.
- The WTA 125k series includes six tournaments in which inexperienced athletes can prove themselves. The prize fund of the competition is 125 thousand dollars. For winning one of the tournaments, participants receive 160 points of personal rating.
ITF Women's Tour Competitions - Competitions in this category are primarily intended for beginners and inexperienced athletes. Participation in them gives you the opportunity to earn rating points without high competition and pressure from world tennis stars. Depending on the level of the event, the winning participants will receive from 12 to 150 rating points. The prize fund of the competition is 15 thousand dollars for the lowest level and 100 thousand for the higher ones.
