Groundstroke

A groundstroke or ground stroke in tennis is a forehand or backhand shot that is executed after the ball bounces once on the court. It is usually hit from the back of the tennis court, around the baseline.

A tennis player whose strategy is to trade groundstrokes with the opponent is termed a baseliner, as opposed to volleyers who prefers to hit volleys near the net.

There are many factors that may define a good groundstroke. For example, one groundstroke may use topspin and another backspin. Both can be effective for different reasons having to do with depth, opponent's strength or weaknesses, etc. Some characteristics of groundstrokes are: depth (how close the ball lands to the opponent's baseline), speed (how fast it travels in the air), pace (the ball's behavior after it bounces on the opponent's side), trajectory, and placement. If a "good groundstroke" is to be played, it would generally have a combination of the above characteristics to produce a shot that is difficult for the opponent to return. Generally, a groundstroke that lands deep and in the corner of the opponent's court will make it more difficult for the opponent to return the ball. However, this is somewhat arbitrary and depends on the opponent and stage of the point being played. For example, a short angled shot, a moon ball (very high trajectory), an off pace shot, etc., may prove effective against opponent A but not opponent B.

• Outline
  

  SPORTS WORLD

  Tennis

  Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court. The object of the game is to play the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. The player who is unable to return the ball will not gain a point, while the opposite player will.

  History: Historians believe that the game's ancient origin lay in 12th century northern France, where a ball was struck with the palm of the hand.

  Equipment: Part of the appeal of tennis stems from the simplicity of equipment required for play. Beginners need only a racket and balls.

  Court: A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center.

  Manner of Play: The players (or teams) start on opposite sides of the net. One player is designated the server, and the opposing player is the receiver.

  Point: A point in tennis is the smallest subdivision of the match, the completion of which changes the score.

  Official: In tennis, an official is a person who ensures that a match or tournament is conducted according to the International Tennis Federation Rules of Tennis and other competition regulations.

  Shots: A competent tennis player has eight basic shots in his or her repertoire: the serve, forehand, backhand, volley, half-volley, overhead smash, drop shot, and lob.

  Grips of Racket: A grip is a way of holding the racquet in order to hit shots during a match. Most players change grips during a match depending on what shot they are hitting.

  Strategy: Players use different tennis strategies to enhance their own strengths and exploit their opponent's weaknesses in order to gain the advantage and win more points.

RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Tennis" and "Groundstroke", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.