Tennis

Managed by: Asif Shaikh

For 2025 – RACQUET SPORTS – MAIN SPORT TENNIS –

NEW FOR 2025 – PICKLEBALL AND BADMINTON

TPS Tennis Team – since 2019 :

Brief Description How tennis league is managed currently: I took over as Sports Chair in 2019 I believe and have been running it as follows.  I arrange monthly meets throughout the Winter and Summer months in the East end clubs for those that can attend and have encouraged other team members to hold meets in Central Toronto and West End clubs and send me the receipts for reimbursement.

As well I do my best to hold two tournaments in the Summer at U of T grounds in Scarborough for members to play against U of T students and Club members.

This year there will be one tournament in the summer as the second tournament funds I have promised to New Badminton team members to use for a badminton tournament.

Open house for new members to join – As summer approaches there will be more public courts available so anyone interested can contact me and I will arrange a date in July OR August in East end accordingly when we have at least 10 members committed to attend.

Hopefully, I can get Wilson Canada Community representatives to attend so members can try out the New Wilson racquets and test their speed.

Basic Description of Tennis: Tennis is a racket sport played either individually (singles) or between two teams of two players (doubles) on a rectangular court divided by a net, where players use rackets to hit a ball over the net and into the opponent’s court. 

Here’s a more detailed description of tennis:

Gameplay:

Players stand on opposite sides of the net and use a stringed racquet to hit the ball back and forth to each other. 

Objective:

The goal is to hit the ball in such a way that the opponent cannot return it successfully, thus scoring a point. 

Court:

The tennis court is a rectangular surface, with a net stretched across the center, dividing it into two halves. 

Formats:

Tennis can be played in singles (two players) or doubles (two teams of two players). 

Scoring:

Points are awarded when a player or team fails to return the ball successfully, and games, sets, and matches are won based on specific point and game counts. 

Surfaces:

Tennis can be played on various surfaces, including hard courts, clay courts, and grass courts, each with unique characteristics that affect the ball’s bounce and speed.

History:

The game of tennis has roots in the Middle Ages, with the game of jeu de paume or “game of palm,” played in France, and evolved into the modern game we know today. 

Governing Body:

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the world governing body of the sport, overseeing rules and regulations. 

Tennis team Pictures / Video footage for Banquet and Website:  To be sent within next few months BEFORE September 2025.

TPS Badminton Team – 2025 :

Brief Description How Badminton league is managed currently:  Interest was shown by Maya, Srisatgurunathan and Asif Rehman in December 2024, and they gathered a list of members interested to be part of the team for this year and have made basic Badminton team t-shirt Logos,

  I have promised them $ 800 for Badminton budget and we are in process of arranging their first Badminton meet In Upcoming months.  Separate Budget to be requested in Next years Racquet sports budget – DEPENDENT on member response.

Open house for new members to join:   Possible locations in West End – Toronto police College in East end – various Scarborough badminton locations, Date to be determined.

Basic Description of Badminton:       

Let’s break down the absolute basics. Badminton is a sport that is played between two player (singles) or four players (doubles). The idea is for a player to score by points against his opponent by hitting a great shot or by forcing his/her opponent to make errors. Once the shuttle falls on the floor of the player, he/she loses the point.

Typically, each match lasts 21 points. In a professional/ tournament setting a best of 3 matches is played.

Service:

Detailed description of Badminton:

A game starts with a service. Hence, it becomes one of the most important shots in Badminton. But there are some rules a player must follow before serving. These rules are:

• The service starts from the even side of the court (that is the right side of the court).
• While serving, the player needs to make sure that no part of his leg/shoe is touch any of the lines.
• Serving above the waist is considered a fault.
• In singles, a service till second base line is allowed, whereas in doubles, anything beyond the first base line is considered out.
• While serving, the player must serve in one smooth action. He/she can’t stop his/her service mid way.
• If the shuttle hits the net and falls on the opponent’s side of the court but before the service line, the opponent gets the point.
• During the entirety of the service, the server’s legs must be planted on the ground. The server may lift just his/her heel or ankle during serve, but cannot drags his/her feet.
•  

Receiving:

To start the rally, a good return of service is expected. There are some things a receiver should keep in mind while receiving service:

• He/she can’t move before the server contacts the shuttle.
• He/she can’t make gestures to distract the server.
• The shuttle should not touch any part of the receiver’s body before he/she hits the shuttle

Scoring:

• Each match should consist of 21 points
• Every time a service ends, the player/ his opponent gets a point
• In the event the score reaches 20 all, a difference of 2 points is played.
• If the score reaches 29-29, then the player(s) to reach 30 first, win.

Basic singles rules:

There are some rules in singles that differ from doubles. The main difference is area of play. Let’s look at the basic rules of singles:

• The side lines in singles is out at all times; even during service.
• The back box is considered in during service, i.e in-between the two base lines.
• Besides the above service rules and area of play rules, all rules listed above apply.

Basic doubles rules:

As mentioned earlier there are just a few differences in the singles and doubles rules. They are:

• Area of play for doubles is the full court.
• However, for service, the back box, i.e in between the two baselines is considered out.
• You can serve within the sidelines as well.
• If the server’s side loses the point, the service will get transferred to the opponents. There is no second serve.
• Besides the above service rules and area of play rules, all rules listed above apply.

Faults:

Faults are errors in a game that are not allowed. If a player makes a fault, he/she will lose the point. The opponent will gain a point and the service. Besides the service faults listed above, some of the faults are:

• At any time during play a person hits the net, he/she will lose the point.
• If during play, the shuttle hits OR touches a player’s body, they will lose the point.
• Hitting the shuttle twice is not allowed
• Once the shuttle has landed on the ground, it cannot be played. The point will be given to the winning side.
• If the shuttle hits the ceiling, it is a fault.
• In doubles, if the shuttle nicks/ slightly touches the racket/ body of one player, his/her partner cannot attempt to send the shuttle back. This is considered a fault.

Badminton team Pictures / Video footage for Banquet and Website:   Pictures to be submitted once first meet date is arranged and held and T-shirts are ordered, hopefully well before September 2025.

TPS Pickleball Team :

Brief Description How Pickleball league is managed currently: Currently in process of organizing team / design for T-shirts and holding a meet as a new addition this year with help from TPAAA president Johanna.

Separate Budget to be requested in Next years Racquet sports budget – DEPENDENT on member response.

Open house for new members to join: Date to be determined once member list made to be held in East End at Audley Recreation centre OR Toronto police college in West end.

Basic Description of Pickleball:           Pickleball is a paddle sport combining elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, played with a paddle and a perforated plastic ball over a low net, on a badminton-sized court, and can be played in singles or doubles. 

More detailed breakdown of Pickleball:        

Court:   Played on a badminton-sized court (20 feet by 44 feet) with a net height of 36 inches on the ends and 34 inches in the center. 

Equipment:       Players use paddles (like oversized ping-pong paddles) and a perforated plastic ball (like a wiffle ball). 

Objective:          Players hit the ball back and forth across the net, trying to win points by forcing the opposing team to make an error or fail to return the ball. 

Serving:               The serve must be underhand, and the ball must land beyond the “kitchen” (the non-volley zone). 

Two-Bounce Rule:          After the serve, the ball must bounce once on each side of the net before players can volley (hit the ball out of the air). 

Scoring:               Points are only scored by the serving team. Games are typically played to 11 points, win by 2. 

Social   Aspect:                Pickleball is known for being a social and engaging sport, with its small court size encouraging interaction between players. 

Pickleball team Pictures / Video footage for Banquet and Website:   To be provided once team list is made and first meet is held – hopefully prior to September 2025.