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So, you'd love to play tennis with your newfound friends, but ssshhh! don't tell anyone: you don't know the first thing about the game. Here are some quick basics to get you started before you run to the bookstore and get the complete rules!
The first thing you'll need to take care of is equipment. A good racquet is not inexpensive, so it is preferable to borrow some racquets of different weights and play with them before actually purchasing one. (Many of the better tennis stores loan racquets as a matter of course.) Although heavier-weight racquets are more powerful, they can get awfully heavy on the wrist and arm, making the last three-quarters of the game very difficult.
Buy a few cans of name-brand tennis balls, and don't open a can until the moment you are going to use it. You'll be using good tennis manners to bring a new can to each match you play.
Many tennis players have moved away from the "white on the court" mode of dress, but if you are playing in the hot sun, it is probably wiser to stick to light colors. Make sure your clothes are not restricting, and that you can move well in what you have on. Women should wear shorts or a skirt, or a tennis dress, and men should wear shorts. Long pants are never worn on the court.
Ready to play? Notice how the court is divided in half by a net. Take a side of the court, and stand behind the line in the box to your left. Serve (toss the ball into the air and hit it) into the box on the right, vertically away from you. With luck, your opponent will return it to you. Make sure it bounces first before you attempt to hit it back. If it bounces outside of the rectangular lines around the court, it is considered "out" and unplayable. You'll serve the first game, and then your opponent will serve the next.
Serving of the games will go back and forth.
Remember to make your return hits easy ones, and not slams across the court. You are trying to hit it over the net, but you are also trying to "volley" with the opposing player, that is, hit the ball back and forth.
Scoring can get a bit tricky. Instead of awarding points as 1-2-3-4, tennis scores points as 15-30-40-Game. If two players are tied at 40, it is called Deuce. The next point awarded is called an Advantage. If that player wins the next point, he wins the game. If the opposing player wins the next point, it is again called Deuce. You might want to get a friend to score the first few games, until you get the hang of it.
Enjoy the game, but be forewarned that it is addicting! (Soon, you'll be armchair-coaching the athletes in the big matches on television.)
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