There is nothing quite like the joy of serving a can-opener that curves away from your opponent as it drags them off-court. Or the thrill of seeing someone completely bamboozled by your kick-serve as it swerves one way and then the other. But the sad truth is the serve in tennis is responsible for an extraordinary amount of standing around. Half the time the first serve is out. And half the time the return is out! It’s no surprise in a recent match Nadal played the ball was in play for just 15% of the duration. Given court rental fees and how quickly a winter chill can set in at this time of year, for those less tethered to tradition but still determined to do battle, I cannot recommend playing this 21 game enough.
Here’s how it works:
- There are NO SERVES
- The format follows table tennis – Player A feeds the first 5 points, Player B feeds the second 5 points and so on…
- Player A starts by feeding the ball into the Deuce court (anywhere in that half – ie. not restricted to the service box)
- If Player B successfully returns the ball cross-court then the point starts and both players can hit the ball anywhere (the feed needs to be reasonable though – if it’s too difficult then play it again)
- To start the second point, Player A moves along the baseline and feeds into the Ad court half this time
- After alternating sides twice more, Player A feeds the final ball of his ‘set’ to the Duece court
- Then it’s player B’s turn to feed 5 points. Note that player B starts feeding to the Ad court
- The first player to reach 21 points wins the game
- If it’s 20-all you have to win by 2
- From 20-all onwards, instead of 5 feeds in a row you have 2 before switching feeder
- It works for doubles too
If it’s windy or the sun is in someone’s eyes, it’s nice to switch sides after 20 points to keep it fair. This is often also a wonderful opportunity for a little gossip, gloating …or gamesmanship?
I absolutely LOVE this game. It can carry the same excitement of regular tennis but with none of the hanging around. The set-up is cross-court so simulates a serve-start and it also allows players to consider risk-reward trade-offs – stay in the safer cross-court pattern or change direction (shorter court, higher net)? It takes a good 15 minutes to play and keeps your heart rate high and your body warm. It takes about 15 minutes to play one round. And it keeps your heart rate high, your body warm and your spirits up. Winter tennis at its best!
