| Lawn tennis |
The original name for modern tennis, based on the fact that it's played on grass, to distinguish it from court tennis. |
| Left court |
Same as advantage court. |
| Let |
A stroke that doesn't count and must be replayed. This most commonly happens when a serve touches the net before entering the proper service court. It's also a let if the serve is delivered before the receiver is ready, if play is interrupted by some unusual occurrence (such as an animal running onto the court), or if a linesman's decision that resulted in stoppage of play is reversed by the umpire. |
| Line judge |
An official who is responsible for determining whether or not a shot landed in the court. They include the baseline judges, service line judges, and sideline judges. |
| Lob |
A shot that is hit in a high arc, usually over the opponent's head. See defensive lob; offensive lob. |
| Long |
Descriptive of a shot that is out because it hits the court beyond the opponent's baseline. |
| Love |
Zero; no points. For example, a score of 40-love means that the server has scored three points and the receiver hasn't scored any. In a set score, it means that the player hasn't won any games. Probably derived from the old French word for egg, l'ove, because a zero is egg-shaped. |
| Love game |
A game in which the loser scored no points. |
| Love set |
A set in which the loser won no games. |
| Lucky Loser |
A player who lost in the last round of the qualifying tournament, but got into the tournament's main draw after a player dropped out due to injury. |