Tennis

What is Tennis?

Tennis is the racket sport played across a net on a long rectangular court: two players hit a felt ball back and forth, and each shot must clear the net and land inside the lines on the other side, and every ball must be returned before it bounces twice. The scoring is famous for its odd steps (15, 30, 40, game), for deuce and advantage, and for sets decided by two clear games or a tiebreak.

Here you play singles against the computer, seen from behind your baseline: you are the player in red at the near end, the computer plays in navy at the far end, in front of the stands. Your player runs to the ball by himself, so your whole job is the stroke, played with one finger. Each match is drawn onto a hard court, clay or grass, and every surface bounces differently. Three opponents are on offer, and every day brings a Daily match on the same court against the same computer for everyone.

How to play Tennis

Touch the court to start. You serve first.

• The serve. Tap to toss the ball, then swipe up through it. Or just swipe up: the toss comes with the stroke and the ball is struck at the top. Angle the swipe left or right to serve wide or down the middle. The ball must land in the service box diagonally across from you. A full, very hard swipe can land long; the second serve is played a little safer.
• Running. Your player reads the ball the moment the computer strikes it and runs to where it will be met. He runs at a person's speed, so a sharp angle can still beat him.
• Timing. As the ball comes, a ring closes round it. Swipe when the ring turns green. An early swipe pulls the ball across the court, a late one pushes it out, and one that comes far too late misses the ball.
• The strokes. Swipe up for a topspin drive: the harder the swipe, the faster and deeper the ball, and the very hardest go long. Push up slowly for a high lob. Swipe down for a low slice, pull down slowly for a drop shot, and tap to block the ball back.
• The line. The angle of the swipe sets where the ball goes: straight up is the middle, a diagonal swipe goes toward the side line, and a swipe that is too flat lands wide.
• At the net. When your player has come in close to the net, he volleys the ball before it bounces. Swipe up to punch a volley, down for a drop volley.
• Scoring. Points go 15, 30, 40 and game. At 40 all it is deuce: the next point gives advantage, and the game needs two points in a row. A serve that touches the net and lands in is a let and is played again; two faults in a row lose the point.
• The match. Easy and medium are one set to 6 games, won by two clear games, with a tiebreak at 6 all (first to 7 points, two clear). Hard is the best of three short sets to 4 games, with a tiebreak at 4 all.
• The surfaces. Clay grips the ball and throws it up high and slow, grass lets it skid through low and fast, and a hard court sits between the two.
• On a phone held sideways the camera stands lower so the whole court fits, and the score and the levels move to the side.

Tips and strategy

1. Do not swipe as hard as you can. A firm swipe lands deep and safe; the hardest swipes carry past the baseline.
2. Wait for green. The ring tells you exactly when the ball arrives. A clean, on-time swipe goes where you aimed it.
3. Move the computer around. Aim diagonally to the side the computer has left open. The easy computer is slow to react, and even the hard one has to cover the whole width of the court.
4. Lob a net player. When the computer comes to the net, a slow push up sends a lob over its head, and it has to turn and run.
5. Use the drop shot sparingly. A slow pull down drops the ball short over the net, which wins points against a computer standing deep, but gives it an easy ball when it is already close.
6. Play to the surface. On grass a slice stays low and skids; on clay topspin kicks up high and the rallies last longer.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tennis free?

Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account.

Why does my player run by himself?

So the game fits one thumb. In tennis the choice of shot matters most, so your finger plays the strokes and your player does the running, at a person's speed: balls angled far enough away still get past him.

Why did my shot go long or wide?

Long: the swipe was very hard, or it came early. Wide: the swipe was angled too flat, or it came late. A firm swipe, angled no more than a diagonal, on the green ring lands in.

How is my score worked out?

10 points for every point you win (at most 5 of them count in a game and 8 in a tiebreak), 60 for every game you win, 250 for every set and 500 for winning the match. A one set match is worth up to about 1,850; the best of three on hard up to about 3,280.

What is the Daily match?

Every day everyone plays the same medium computer on the same court, started from the same seed, so the scores compare on the leaderboard.

Can I play with a mouse or a keyboard?

Yes. With a mouse, drag across the court the way you would swipe. On a keyboard, the up arrow plays a drive, the down arrow a slice, with Shift held they play a lob or a drop shot, holding the left or right arrow aims, and Space tosses the ball or blocks.