I’m New to Tennis. What Do I Need to Know?
Welcome! We’re glad to have you here, and we’re excited to share with you a quick guide on one of our favorite topics: attending tennis tournaments. No tournament is built the same, but here are a few things to consider if you are going to one.
What type of ticket do you have?
Grounds Pass: Gets you access to all the fun stuff happening onsite –– shops, food, and the smaller courts that surround the two bigger, ticketed stadiums
Stadium Ticket: Most tournaments have two main stadiums — a main one and a second one. At the US Open, for example, that's Arthur Ashe (main) and Louis Armstrong (second). A stadium ticket gets you a seat in that specific stadium, plus everything included with a grounds pass.
Getting in: Always arrive early. The gates will open well before the matches start so attendees can get their bearings. The grounds are often massive and understanding where everything is genuinely takes time. A lot of first-timers often don’t realize how much time this eats up.
How to plan your day: Most tournaments post a daily schedule the day before, but times are estimated not fixed, meaning your 2pm match could start at 4pm depending on a number of things (the match prior is running long, weather, etc.)
Hydration: A lot of tournaments have water refill stations, and you can bring your own reusable water bottle. Staying hydrated at tournaments is key, as is not having to pay for 10 tiny bottles of water.
The Bag Policy: This is especially critical for American tournaments, but there is always a bag policy and you will have to adhere to it.
Check the weather beforehand. It goes without saying, but most tournaments are hot, and if you're there during the day, you will sweat. Wear sunscreen, even if you think you don't need it. And as much as you want to break out the new heels, stick with flats or sneakers — you'll be doing way more walking than you expect.
Etiquette
Only clap after you’re sure a point is over. Typically you’ll hear a loud “OUT” or the chair umpire will speak into the microphone.
Stay quiet during points. This is huge.
Do not walk to or from your seat mid-point. Ushers would (and should) stop you and only let you come and go from the stadium during “changeovers” (when the players sit on their benches and take a break)
Now you know the rules!
Follow along with Best of Ten and we’ll keep you in the loop on current rivalries, what’s new and exciting in the sport, who the players are, the drama, and as always, the how-tos and the do-nots.
The Newcomer Glossary
At first, tennis scoring can seem scary. Similar to how Caroline thinks about football (no she still hasn’t figured that out), but lucky for you we’re here to break it down.
First things first, it’s a match not a game
When the players hit the ball back and forth, it’s called a point
If the ball goes back and forth for a long time, you’d say that was a long rally
Points
Points in tennis don't count 1, 2, 3. Instead it goes a little something like this:
0 points = "love"
1 point = 15
2 points = 30
3 points = 40
4 points = you win the game! (as long as you're ahead by 2 points)
If you both get to 40, that's called deuce. From deuce, you can't just win with one more point, you have to win by 2.
If you score next, you get the "advantage" (basically a lead of 1)
If you score again, you win the game 🙂. If your opponent scores instead, you're back to deuce 🙁
Sets
Win enough games and you win a set. You need 6 games, and you have to win by 2 — so a set might end 6-4, or if it's close, 7-5.
If the set reaches 6-6, you play a tiebreak. In a tiebreak, you count points normally (1, 2, 3...) instead of the weird love/15/30/40 way, and whoever gets to 7 first (winning by 2) wins the set*. If it's 7-6 in points, you keep playing until someone's ahead by 2.
*Note: in Grand Slam final sets, you play to 10 instead of 7
Match
To win the whole match, you need to win a certain number of sets (^ remember?).
Women play best of 3 sets (first to win 2 sets wins the match)
Men at major tournaments (like the US Open or Wimbledon) play best of 5 sets (first to win 3 sets wins)
Court and Shot Terms
Standing at the baseline means you are standing at the white line at the back of the court
Let: when a player serves the ball, it touches the net, but still lands in the right square on the other side of the court
Unforced error: when you do something like hit the ball into the net or hit it out on the other side of the court
Ace: when you serve the ball and the other player's racket doesn’t hit the ball –– aka they can’t return it!