To hit a winner
What does it mean “to hit a winner”?
When does a winner occur?
In tennis, a winner occurs when a player is unable to touch the ball with their racquet before it bounces twice during a match. This results in a point for the opponent who hit it, and is deemed a winner for them.
Winners can occur many times throughout tennis matches. A winner does not happen on every point in tennis, despite a point being won by a player after each volley. If a player manages to hit the ball with their racquet in return, but either sends it out of play or into the net, it is not counted as a winner for the opponent, even though they are awarded the point.
Winners can sometimes occur on serves as well. A winner that happens on a serve is most commonly referred to as an ‘ace’, but it technically counts as a winner, too, as long as the opponent was unable to touch the ball with their racquet before it bounces twice. However, not all aces are winners, as a serve could be hit by the opponent either out of play or into the net.