Talking Trash - Tennis Slang

sandbagger or bandit - one who impersonates a lower level player; e.g. a 4.5 playing in a 3.5 league.

tweener - trick shot hit between the legs.

tube - deliberately target an opponent with a shot.

sledgehammer - a two-hander winner down the line.

hooked - cheated (intentionally). One who hooks is a 'hooker'.

greaser - a pro who does something that is consistent with the rulebook but not considered fair, like calling a foot fault on your opponent.

poaching - in doubles, stepping in and taking a ball hit at your partner. Up to level 3.5 this is pejorative as in "You poached my volley you rapacious reptile!!" but at the 4.5 level or above it is compulsory as in "What the hell are you waiting for...poach already...get in the game!"

taped - what you have been when you hit the line.

dirtballer - a clay court specialist.

banger - a power hitter.

pusher or dinker - a player who hits with no pace, usually scary steady.

moonball - a lob or high looping topspin shot. Also a doubles strategy of lobbing your opponents even unto death.

megalob - a lob that is hit straight up 2-3 stories.

bagel and a bread-stick - a 6-0, 6-1 score.

slop-spin - a mis-hit topspin shot.

tubing - to hit your opponent in the stomach with the wall.

smoked - passed at net.

jamming - so serve into your opponent's body.

California Tennis - it a big serve then put the ball away with a big forehand groundstroke - aka 'Surf and Turf'.

DNR - a near ace, from 'Did-Not-Return'.

in the Zone - playing your best with tunnel vision, scary calm...all of that good stuff.

walkabout - completely discombobulated - can't get out of your own way. The opposite of being 'In the Zone'.

Sloppy! - what you say instead of 'Let!' on the serve.

fuzz sandwich - what you get if you follow a weak approach shot to net.

yips - When you are beset by random, weird unforced errors you have the 'yips'.

taking gas - Making a stupid, senseless error for no particular reason.

paint the lines - hit every line on the court.

puss ball or junk ball or dink - an intentional weak, short, low ball that bounces in the middle of the court.

flatliner - a low, flat ball hitter e.g. Jimmy Conners.

taking gas - what you do most times when called upon to hit a backhand overhead.

shank To hit the ball off the frame of the racket - especially over the fence and into the woods.

frame To hit the ball off the frame of the racket - same as "shank".

power zone - the spot relative to your body that you can best produce a shot - a.k.a. your 'strike zone' or 'the pocket'.

spank the ball - This describes any stroke wherein the racket face, direction of travel of the racket head and intended flight path of the ball all are pointing in the same direction which is always bad.

netstrap - hitting a ball into the top part of the net often with a sickening 'thwap'.