Tennis is one of the games played in the Olympics and one of the most popular. The word tennis alone would automatically refer to lawn tennis while the table tennis is referred as is it is or ping pong. The difference between the two is implied in their names: lawn tennis is played on the lawn/grass while the table tennis is played in the table and uses a much smaller racket.
Both games of tennis are played by either two people (called singles) or two teams with two people each (doubles) with each holding a racket. The objective of the game is simple: to pass the ball successfully to the opponents side without breaking the rules.
Before playing tennis, it is important to know the rules first. You may ignore its history, its origin, or whatever, but never skip the rules. So, here are the basic rules that a beginner would need to know.
Lets talk about scoring first. The scoring does not begin with 1; it begins with 15, then 30, 40, then game. So basically, a player just needs to win 4 rounds to win the match. However, the game may extend when the scores are tied at 40-40 which is called a deuce.
In this case, the one who scores next will only have the advantage and would not yet win. It is called advantage-in if the server was the one who scored and advantage-out if its the receiver. If the player has the advantage and scores again, he wins the match. Otherwise, the scores are back to deuce.
The game starts when the server serves the ball from the deuce court and diagonally to the opponents deuce court. The deuce court is the box to the right of each player. After the first point, the server will then serve the ball from the advantage court, which is the box to the left of each player. Players will alternate between these courts after a point has been made.
The point is lost when the ball exceeds the line or if the ball does not make it to the opponents side and if a player breaks one of the other rules.
There are other important rules but these are just the basics. The rules are pretty simple but playing tennis itself is complex. You need a lot of stamina and strength to be able to play this game.