View cart     Print

Tennis

Click here to view our US Open Tennis Packages

Tennis is a game played between either two players which are known as singles or two teams of two players which are known as doubles. Players use stringed racquets to strike a rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court.

Originating in England in the late 19th century, tennis spread first throughout the English-speaking world, particularly among the upper classes. Tennis is now played at all levels of society, by all ages, and in many countries around the world. Except for the adoption of the tie-breaker in the 1970s, its rules have remained remarkably unchanged since the 1890s. Along with its millions of players, millions of people follow tennis as a spectator sport, especially the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Tennis is played on a rectangular, flat surface, usually grass, clay, or a hard-court of concrete and/or asphalt. The court is 78 feet long, and its width is 27 feet for singles matches and 36 feet for doubles matches. Additional clear space around the court is required in order for players to reach overrun balls. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal ends. The net is 3 feet 6 inches high at the posts and 3 feet high in the center.

A tennis match usually comprises one to five sets and a set consists of a number of games, and games, in turn, consist of points. In tennis matches also consist of an odd number of sets, the match winner being the player who wins more than half of the sets. The match ends as soon as this winning condition is met. Some matches may consist of five sets which the winner is being the first to win three sets. A set in tennis consists of a sequence of games played with service alternating between games, ending when the count of games won meets certain criteria.

Typically, a player wins a set in tennis when he wins at least six games and at least two games more than his opponent. It has become common, however, to play a "twelve-point tiebreak" or "tiebreaker" when each player has won six games. A tiebreaker in tennis, played under a separate set of rules, allows one player to win one more game and thus the set, to give a final set score of 7-6. A game point in tennis occurs in tennis whenever the player who is in the lead in the game needs only one more point to win the game. The terminology is extended to sets, matches, and even championships. For example, if the player who is serving has a score of 40-love, he has a triple game point. In serious play in tennis, there is an officiating chair umpire which is usually referred to as the umpire, sits in a raised chair to one side of the court.

The umpire in tennis has absolute authority to make factual determinations. The umpire may be assisted by line judges, who determine whether the ball has landed within the required part of the court and who also call foot faults. There also may be a net judge in tennis who determines whether the ball has touched the net during service. In some tournaments, certain line judges, usually those who would be calling the serve, are replaced by electronic sensors that beep when an out call would have been made. In some open-tournament matches, players are allowed to challenge a limited number of close calls by means of instant replay.

On Point is an independent US Open Tennis travel package and ticket broker that specializes in sports travel packages and tickets to high demand events worldwide. The sports travel packages we offer can be catered to your individual desires and are sure to be an unforgettable experience. Though we offer pre-planned US Open Tennis travel packages, with the many options we have available, On Point can arrange customized US Open Tennis packages that no one else in the industry can provide.

To request a quote for an US Open Tennis package or to discover more of what On Point can do for you and your private party, contact us today at 713-227-8888 to speak with one of our executive travel consultants. You can also call our Travel Agent Hotline at 800-809-1277 or e-mail us at info@onpointevents.com.