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Games and sports often use jargon and non-technical words which might seem confusing to any common man. Say, in the famous game tennis, there are hundreds of terms for every swing and score, but all aren’t technical. Check out the top 10 amazing tennis terms that actually spell as common words but have quite interesting meanings!
1. Ace
It’s a score point for the server when the receiver fails to strike the ball with the racquet. It means the same as its literal meaning, which indicates advancing up. Here the senders usually try it for the first shot to get good points with rapid strikes.
2. Deuce
In literal terms, deuce is an exclamation remark to show surprise, which is the exact situation it describes in tennis. When both the opponent players or teams have three tie scores or 40 points each, it’s a deuce.
3. Alley
As the meaning suggests, the alley here is also a small band of court area defined for special use. It is the region between singles and doubles sidelines on both sides of the court. Doubles players can use this portion but for single players, it is considered a zero score.
4. Bagel
It is a rare yet golden term for any tennis player, as it is referred to as a score of 6-0 for any player. As 0 (no points lost against the opponent) looks like a bagel, the term came about in its use.
5. Poaching
Illegal animal hunting is what we know as poaching. But how come a game has this term? Even if tennis doesn’t have any animals, the illegally snatching of the partner’s strike is called poaching. Players commonly use it in the doubles game.
6. Banana Shot
You might have heard about Nadal’s famous banana shot, which is more prominent due to his flexible wrist with more lasso. The banana shot is a forehand serving shot where the player swings his/her hand more like flipping the ball outside the court, but it actually lands just inside. It’s a tricky strategy that usually bags a sticking point if the opponent undermines the shot!
7. Breadstick
It is usually used when the score is 6-1 in any singles game. Since the number 1 resembles a breadstick like how 0 looked like a bagel, the terminology came about.
8. Dig
If the player strikes the ball just before it takes a second bounce, it’s called a dig. Since the player has to bend low and almost take the racquet down to the ground, the action resembles digging. However, as the players save the ball from touching the court, it surely grants them a point.
9. Goat
Not to be surprised, it is actually the abbreviation for Greatest Of All Time. It is generally designated to the players who have a global record of winning notable awards and playing prominently.
10. Love
It actually represents the score zero and is taken from the French word l’oeuf, which means nothing. However, if the score is X-0, the winning player would definitely love to celebrate the golden success!
