Justin Potwin

The Worldwide Tennis Discourse Community

Tennis is one of the most famous sports in the world. Many different countries are
represented when it comes to the tennis discourse community. The tennis discourse community
is one of the largest sports discourse communities in the world. Skill levels within the

Commented [JP1]: A little confusing

community vary widely from beginner to professional. The most important thing in being in the
tennis discourse community is communication, getting feedback, knowing the lexis, knowing the
different levels of players, and having fun of course.
The goal of being part of tennis discourse community is playing tennis at a high level
either for fun or competitive. Being part of the tennis discourse community requires skill,
communication, knowledge, and the will to learn. Every player in the world started as a beginner
and with practice they became a professional.
Feedback is an important feature in any discourse community and coaching gives plyers

Commented [JP2]: players

feedback on skills they can improve on. Feedback from players who have a higher level of
proficiency in tennis will help beginners get to a high level. Feedback is the most important thing
in tennis. Negative feedback and positive feedback will develop very good players that can
become professional.
There are many different writings or genres that are in the discourse community of
tennis. These include texts such as the rulebook of tennis, tournament schedules, match
calendars, etc. These texts provide players with a universal text on how to play the game. Since
there is a universal rule book, everybody in the world will play by the same rules. This creates a
discourse community around the entire world which is very rare in todays world.

Commented [JP3]: confusing

Justin Potwin

In tennis, there is a specific lexis players need to know that describes a match. Words in
the tennis community such as match, point, fault, player, official, love, racket, ball, net, serve,
forehand, backhand are all important to the game of tennis. A match would describe the game the
players are playing against one another. There is a singles match which describes when one
player plays one other player. A doubles match is when two players play two other players in a
match. A point is gained when a player hits the ball with their racket over the net inside the
boundaries once then hitting the round again. Another way a player can get a point is if the
opposing player hits the ball outside of the boundaries on the first bounce. To start off a match a
player will serve the ball. Serving the ball is starting behind the backline and hitting the ball to
the opposite side square on the court. If the ball misses the opposite square in any way, it is
called a fault. Two faults in a row is called a double fault and causes a point for the opposing
team. The scoring in tennis is different than most sports, the points go fifteen, thirty, forty, and
sixty. So basically the first player to get four points, but a player must win by two. If it is tied
forty to forty, then it is called a deuce which would require one of those players to score two
straight points to win the set. A match consists of three to five sets usually, requiring the majority
to be one to win a match.

Commented [JP4]: good paragraph

Commented [JP5]: good detail

A tennis community must have a certain amount of members to survive as a community.

There must be at least three members in the tennis community. That would involve two players
and a scorekeeper. Although tennis can survive on only two players, the sport is much better with
the millions that play around the world. Different levels of players dictate where players play and
who they play against. For example, the best players in the world will play professional tennis
against other professionals. If a player is a beginner, they will practice more than play until they
get the basic mechanics down. Also, most of the time professional players will hold clinics

Justin Potwin

teaching younger players how to play tennis. Sometimes former professionals become tennis
coaches after their professional career is over. Having different levels of players in the tennis
community helps the entire community become connected and better at the sport. The beginners
will become better and some will become professionals, it is a never ending circle.
In conclusion, the tennis discourse community is a worldwide community that many
players connect through playing the game. The community involves communication, feedback,
genres, different levels of members, and having fun. Players of every skill level can be a
successful member of this discourse community through working hard and having fun playing
the game.

Commented [JP6]: maybe more detail