ABSTRACT
The single ball-hitting movement in tennis has the character of sequential movements and consists of four separate, sequentially performed phases: split-step, displacement (locomotion) to hit the ball, ball-hitting proper and displacement after ball-hitting. The split-step prepares the muscles to move the body towards the ball as quickly as possible. The displacement to hit the ball is directed towards moving the body as fast as possible to the place where the ball is flying. The purpose of the ball-hitting proper is to hit the ball to the opposite side of the court to score a point or cause the opponent to miss-hit the return. The purpose of displacement after the ball has been hit is to reach as quickly as possible the best position on the playing court to cover the possible lines (directions) of flight of the returning ball.
