|  | | Last Updated: Wednesday, 18 June, 2003, 08:56 GMT 09:56 UK |
Teach yourself tennis speak
| Do you have a fault when it comes to the language of tennis? Wonder no more with our guide to the jargon.
LOVE
Nil, zip, zilch, nix, nought, diddly squat, or, as they say in Norway, nul points. Anna Kournikova has many admirers, but when her name and love are mentioned in the same sentence it is usually to do with her score.
ACE
A serve that your opponent is unable to get his racquet to. Pete Sampras always used to have one up his sleeve when he needed it most. Played his cards close to his chest, as well.
LEFTY
A left-handed player - has the benefit of being able to put in a wide serve to the advantage court. Not to be confused with London mayor Ken Livingstone, whose serve is not renowned in the tennis world.
SLAM
One of the four major tournaments on the circuit - Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. Any player who wins all four is said to have won the Grand Slam, which could also be applied when Ilie Nastase falls over.
SEED
The leading players in a tournament, who are given the advantage of being drawn apart so they may meet in the latter stages. Everyone else is 'unseeded', but that does not necessarily mean that they are, er, firing blanks.
SMASH
A powerful overhead to finish the point. Not as easy as it looks, and when Goran Ivanisevic gets it wrong, it is usually followed by another smash, this time his racquet on the ground.
FAULT
A serve that fails to land in the intended service box and is therefore not valid. Serve two and you lose the point. Has nothing to do with earthquakes, unless John McEnroe has double-faulted.
LET
A serve that clips the net before landing in the service box. Mistakenly known to anyone under the age of 13 as a 'net' for obvious reasons.
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MMIX
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