Here are four unique aspects of court tennis that make it so complex:
- Asymmetry: The serving end of the court and the receiving end of the court are fundamentally different. This is different than in any other racquet sport commonly played. When on the receiving end of the court, not only do you have to deal with returning the serves, but you must remember that the floor markings and the walls around you are very different than they are on the serving end.
- Half-Played Points: In court tennis, when the ball bounces twice, the point isn't usually over. Instead, the point is only half over. You mark where on the court the second bounce occurs, and that location (called 'the chase') is very important later when you play the second half of the point.
In short, some exchanges end not in a point being scored, or in anyone winning the point, or in the point needing to be replayed, but in a half-point being completed. This is different than in squash, racquetball, or badminton where there is no such concept as a half-played point. - Relative Scoring: When the score is announced, the score called first is always that of the player who won the most recent point. In regular (lawn) tennis, you always announce the server's score first. In court tennis, you announce first the score of the player who won the most recent point. So you really need to pay attention, because the announced score is relative to what just happened!
- Changing Targets: Unlike in squash, racquetball, and badminton, in court tennis you can hit the ball to the exact same spot on the court during different times of the game or set and get entirely different results. A shot ending up in the exact same spot might be a winner during one exchange, a loser on another exchange, and the first part of a 'half-point' on another exchange. Therefore, your targets need to vary significantly depending on the situation of the particular point.
