Most people are perplexed by this and are unsure if they are the same or different.
Tennis, every now and then called garden tennis, is a game wherein players (singles) or pairs of players (doubles) use tautly strung rackets to destroy a ball of a particular size, weight and soar over the internet on a square court. When an opponent fails to return the ball accurately inside the court’s permitted dimensions, a player or team is rewarded points. Tennis is organized and played according to regulations set by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the sport’s global governing body.
Here’s what I discovered based on my expertise and research into the regulations that govern each of these racket games:
“The playing surface is the main distinction between long tennis and lawn tennis. Lawn tennis is normally played on grass courts, although it can also be played on hard courts or clay courts. On a concrete surface, long tennis may be played. Both games are now often referred to as “tennis.”
Long tennis and grass tennis are no longer used since people just refer to them as tennis.
The dispute remains, however, whether long tennis is the same as lawn tennis or not. Continue reading if you’re also curious about the topic.
Long tennis and lawn tennis are essentially the same game, with the exception of a minor variance in methods and practices.
Game surface: Where long Tennis and Lawn Tennis Are Played?
The surface on which the games are played is one of the contrasts between them. The more traditional game, lawn tennis, is played on a grass surface or maintained lawns — lawn + tennis. The contemporary form of the game, long tennis (also known as plain tennis), is played on a hard or clay court.
We may infer that lawn tennis and long tennis are now the same game since contemporary people have discovered a superior alternative to the conventional grass surface that was utilized for most games in the past. In this day and age, no one would limit the tennis game to the “lawn” only to keep the “lawn” in the name.
That is why, regardless of the surface on which they are played, both games are now usually known as “Tennis.”
Croquet, an earlier game, was surpassed in popularity by modern-day tennis (lawn tennis and long tennis). Croquet influenced the form and size of the lawn (or court) in both lawn tennis and long tennis. In reality, croquet and earlier racket sports inspired the first “lawn” tennis game, which was played in Birmingham, England between 1859 and 1865. The ancient tennis sport began as court tennis and was played in the courtyards of great castles throughout Europe.
When court tennis became popular in England and across the world in the 1870s, it was transported to the field and given the name “Lawn tennis.” Tennis was recently relocated back to the court due to development and was dubbed “long tennis.” As a result, lengthy tennis is also known as true tennis.
Other names for attachments, such as “grass, real, court, long,” have been phased out in favor of “tennis.”
Scoring System Of Long Tennis vs. Lawn Tennis
The scoring systems used in real tennis and lawn tennis are also different. The two-game buffer rule that exists in lawn tennis does not exist in actual tennis.
Both games, however, require six-game victories to win a set, and both games use the same scoring increments. However, in certain genuine tennis games, nine-game wins are required to win a set.
When errors are committed, such as hitting the tennis ball into the net or out of the lines, points are gained or lost in both games. The tennis ball can also be struck into the winning openings – winning gallery, grille, dedans – or bounced twice on the ground between the service line and the end wall at the hazard end to earn points.
A chase is termed to be set/laid when the tennis ball bounces for a second time anyplace else on the court or into any other gallery before the opponent touches it. When a pursuit is established, the score does not change, but the chase is registered and held in abeyance until it is played off.
The tennis players switch ends when two chases are established, or if one pursuit is outstanding and the score is at game point.
When the player change is complete, the chase(s) are played in the order that they were sent, and the receiving player (or server if it was a hazard chase) must play his or her strokes so that their second bounce is closer to the back wall than the chase that is now being played.
For example, if the pursuit is approximately six yards, the receiving player must only play to a maximum of five yards or the point would be forfeited. A shot is not required if the tennis ball falls short of six yards on the second bounce, and the point is gained by the receiving player (or server).
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Long Tennis vs. Lawn Tennis: Playing Equipment
The equipment utilized in both games is another distinction. Both games employ equipment that is very different. Real tennis (long tennis) balls, for example, are heavier than grass tennis balls. Long tennis balls are also created by hand.
Long tennis balls feature a cork core that is wrapped with 10 meters of tightly woven tape and battered into form, rather than being hollow. A crisscrossed string lattice is also wrapped over the taped long tennis ball. After that, a dense Melton wool fabric with two figure-of-eight knot portions is hand-stitched together to produce a cover.
These long tennis balls are substantial and robust, with a lower bounce than grass tennis balls. On the gleaming court surface, long tennis balls have a tendency to slide.
Playing Rackets
Aside from the various balls, the long tennis game employs rackets that are slightly distinguishable from those used in lawn tennis. The lengthy tennis racquet is unfamiliar to most current tennis players.
Long tennis rackets are generally composed of wood and feature asymmetrical, smaller heads.
Long tennis racket heads cannot exceed 912 in. (about 241 mm) in length and 7 in. (about 178 mm) in breadth in terms of measurements. The overall length of the racket must not exceed 27 inches (about 68 cm). Long tennis rackets are slightly heavier and longer than grass tennis rackets, as can be observed from this measurement.
This is because the long tennis game’s technique is less reliant on wrist motion, and spin production isn’t a big problem.
Another distinction between the two sports is the court on which they are played. Long tennis courts are surrounded by walls, are inside, and have no common standardization.
The walls have a big impact on the game since they change the length of time it takes to play tennis and the regulations it follows. The long tennis ball, for example, is permitted to bounce against the walls. Long tennis courts, as previously established, do not have “standard proportions.”
The majority of long tennis courts are 110 by 39 ft. (34 m by 12 m) above the penthouses and 96 by 32 ft. (29.3 m by 9.8 m) on the playing surface. Per the court, this measurement varies by a foot or two.
Long tennis courts are similarly asymmetrical on both sides. In that instance, the form of one end of the court differs from the other. The left and right sides of the court are likewise distinct from each other.
On the other hand, lawn tennis courts may be found both indoors and outside.
The Professional Players
Different tennis pros may be found in both long tennis and lawn tennis games. While Roger Federer and Serena Williams are two of the most popular lawn tennis players, Robert Fahey and Bryn Sayers are two of the most popular long tennis players.
In 2018, Robert Fahey was crowned global champion. Despite being over 50 years old, he is still one of the most well-known figures in the industry.
Conclusion
Long tennis and lawn tennis are slightly different from one other in terms of equipment, technique, and court, as shown in the previous section. Lawn tennis was designed to be a more contemporary version of the sport (real tennis).
Tennis, on the other hand, may now be played both indoors and outdoors, and does not require the use of a lawn. As a result, “lawn tennis” is currently played on a court that resembles “long tennis.” As a result, the game is now known simply as “tennis.” If you’re a pro at lawn tennis, it doesn’t imply you can’t play long tennis as well.
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