Spanish Tennis Vocabulary: Complete Guide to Tennis Terms

“Tenis” is the word for tennis in all Spanish-speaking countries. Example: “Me gusta jugar al tenis” (I like to play tennis). In Spain, you say “jugar al tenis.” In Latin America, “jugar tenis” (without “al”) is more common. For more tennis terms, check out our Complete Spanish Tennis Vocabulary Guide.

“Derecha” is forehand. Example: “Su derecha es muy potente” (His forehand is very powerful). “Revés” is backhand. Example: “El revés a dos manos es más estable” (The two-handed backhand is more stable). In Argentina, you might hear “drive” for forehand.

“Saque” is the word for serve. Example: “El saque de Nadal es muy fuerte” (Nadal’s serve is very powerful). The verb is “sacar”. Example: “Le toca sacar a Alcaraz” (It’s Alcaraz’s turn to serve). An ace is “ace” or “saque directo”.

Zero/love is “cero”. 15 is “quince”, 30 is “treinta”, 40 is “cuarenta”. Deuce is “iguales” (literally “equals”). Advantage is “ventaja”. Example: “El marcador es quince a cero” (The score is fifteen-love). “El juego está en iguales” (The game is at deuce).

“Volea” is volley. Example: “Hizo una volea perfecta en la red” (He made a perfect volley at the net). “Remate” is smash. Example: “El remate fue imparable” (The smash was unstoppable). The verb for smash is “rematar”.

“Dejada” is drop shot. Example: “La dejada sorprendió al rival” (The drop shot surprised the opponent). “Globo” is lob. Example: “El globo pasó por encima del rival” (The lob went over the opponent). The verb for lob is “globar”.

In Spain, “pista” is the most common word for tennis court. In Latin America, “cancha” is more common. Example Spain: “La pista central es la más grande” (Center court is the biggest). Example Latin America: “La cancha de tierra batida es lenta” (The clay court is slow).

“Tierra batida” or “arcilla” = clay court. Example: “Rafael Nadal es el rey de la tierra batida” (Rafael Nadal is the king of clay). “Hierba” or “césped” = grass court. Example: “Wimbledon se juega en hierba” (Wimbledon is played on grass). “Pista dura” or “cemento” = hard court. Example: “El Abierto de Estados Unidos es en pista dura” (The US Open is on hard court).

“Punto de quiebre” or “bola de break” = break point. Example: “Tiene punto de quiebre para ganar el set” (He has break point to win the set). “Punto de partido” = match point. Example: “¡Punto de partido para Alcaraz!” (Match point for Alcaraz!). “Punto de set” = set point.

Abierto de Australia = Australian Open. Roland Garros (same name) or Abierto de Francia = French Open. Wimbledon (same name) = Wimbledon. Abierto de Estados Unidos = US Open. Example: “Rafa Nadal ha ganado Roland Garros catorce veces” (Rafa Nadal has won Roland Garros fourteen times).

“Raqueta” is racket. Example: “Necesito una raqueta nueva” (I need a new racket). “Encordado” or “cuerdas” are strings. Example: “El encordado está gastado” (The strings are worn out). “Empuñadura” or “mango” is grip. Example: “La empuñadura es demasiado pequeña” (The grip is too small).

“Juez de silla” = chair umpire (literally “chair judge”). Example: “El juez de silla anunció el marcador” (The chair umpire announced the score). “Juez de línea” = linesman/lineswoman. Example: “El juez de línea señaló la bola mala” (The linesman called the ball out). “Recogepelotas” = ball boys/ball girls. Example: “Los recogepelotas corren rápido” (The ball boys run fast).

“¡Vamos!” means “Come on!” or “Let’s go!” It is the most common encouragement yelled by Spanish players and fans after winning a big point. Rafael Nadal is famous for yelling “¡Vamos!” after important points. Other common cheers include “¡Dale!” (Go for it! – common in Argentina) and “¡Ánimo!” (Cheer up / Keep going).

“Efecto liftado” or simply “liftado” is topspin. Example: “Nadal le da mucho liftado a la bola” (Nadal puts a lot of topspin on the ball). “Corte” or “efecto cortado” is slice/backspin. Example: “Federer usaba mucho el corte en su revés” (Federer used a lot of slice on his backhand).

“Doble falta” is double fault. Example: “Hizo una doble falta en el punto más importante” (He made a double fault on the most important point). The verb is “hacer doble falta”. First serve is “primer saque”, second serve is “segundo saque”.

“Dentro” or “buena” means “in.” Example: “¡La bola es buena! Está dentro” (The ball is good! It’s in). “Fuera” or “mala” means “out.” Example: “El juez de línea gritó ‘¡fuera!'” (The linesman yelled “out!”). Players sometimes say “¡Bola mala!” to claim a ball was out.

“Codo de tenista” is tennis elbow. Example: “Tuve que parar de jugar por el codo de tenista” (I had to stop playing because of tennis elbow). “Lesión” is injury. “Calentamiento” is warm-up. “Estiramiento” is stretching.

“Tie-break” is used universally. You can also say “muerte súbita” (sudden death) or “juego de desempate” (tiebreaker game). Example: “El tie-break fue muy emocionante” (The tiebreak was very exciting). “Ganó el tie-break por 7 a 3” (He won the tiebreak 7-3).

With Hawk-Eye challenges: “Reto la decisión” or “Pido el desafío” (I challenge the call). Example: “El jugador pidió el desafío y la repetición mostró que la bola era buena” (The player challenged the call and the replay showed the ball was good). “Repetición” is replay. “Ojo de halcón” is Hawk-Eye.

The best ways: 1) Watch ATP and WTA matches with Spanish commentary (ESPN Deportes, Movistar+, or YouTube). 2) Follow Spanish tennis players on social media (Rafa Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz). 3) Read tennis news on Spanish sports sites like Marca.com or Puntodebreak.com. 4) Listen to Spanish tennis podcasts. 5) Play tennis video games in Spanish. 6) Take our Spanish Tennis Vocabulary Quiz to test your knowledge!