| Pace | The speed at which the ball is hit. It's commonly used to mean a great deal of speed, but in fact a well-paced shot may be hit rather slowly. A common tactic against a hard-hitting opponent is to vary the pace from one shot to the next. |
| Pair | A doubles team. |
| Partner | One of the two players on a doubles team. |
| Pass | To hit a shot that goes past the opponent, usually when the opponent is at or near the net. |
| Passing shot | A shot that passes the opponent. |
| Penalty point | See point penalty. |
| Pickup shot | Another name for a half volley. |
| Placement | A shot hit to an area where the opponent cannot reach it. |
| Poach | In doubles, to hit a ball, usually with a volley, that would ordinarily have been played by the partner. |
| Point | The basic scoring unit in tennis. The points are numbered "fifteen," "thirty," "forty," and "game." One player serves throughout a game and the first player to win four points wins the game, with the provision that the margin of victory must be at least two points. See advantage; deuce; game; match; set, scoring system. |
| Point penalty | A penalty which costs the player a point in the current game. The umpire may assess a point penalty for various kinds of unsportsmanlike conduct, such as verbal or physical abuse of an official, using obscenity, or delaying a game through incessant argument of a call. |
| Puddler | A player who hits a lot of chip shots and drop shots. |
| Punch volley | A volley hit with a very short, punching stroke. |
| Put away | Same as kill. |