page_title: Glossary of tennis terms
section_title: D
hierarchical_section_title: Glossary of tennis terms / D
caption_attribution_description: English: tennis Español: tenis
context_page_description: This page is a glossary of tennis terminology.
context_section_description: Dampener A small rubber device affixed to the strings of the racket to absorb some of the vibration caused by hitting the ball.
   Davis Cup: International, annual men's tennis competition in which teams from participating countries compete in a single-elimination format, with matches occurring at several stages during the year.
   Dead net (or dead net cord): Situation in which a player scores by inadvertently hitting the ball in such a way that it touches the upper cord of the net and rolls over to the other side; the player is said to have "gotten (caught) a dead net (dead net cord)" and considered to be lucky.
   Dead rubber: Davis/Fed Cup match which is played after the victor of the tie has already been decided. Dead rubbers may or may not be played, depending on the coaches' agreement to do so, and are usually best of three, instead of five, sets. Typically, players who play the dead rubber are lower-ranked members of the team looking to gain Davis/Fed Cup match experience.
   Deciding point: In doubles, the point played when the game score reaches deuce and there is no ad play; the game is decided in favor of whichever team wins the deuce point.
   Deep shot: Shot that lands near the baseline, as opposed to near the net or mid-court.
   Default: Disqualification of a player in a match by the chair umpire after the player has received four code violation warnings, generally for his/her conduct on court. A double default occurs when both players are disqualified. Defaults also occur when a player misses a match with no valid excuse. Defaults are considered losses.
   deuce court: Right side of the court of each player, so called because it is the area into which the ball is served when the score is deuce.
   Deuce: Score of 40–40 in a game. A player must win two consecutive points from a deuce to win the game, unless the tournament employs deciding points, as in the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals. A player who has won one point after deuce is said to have the advantage.
   Dink: Onomatopoetic term for a shot with little pace, usually hit close to the net.
   Dirtballer: Colloquial term for a clay court specialist.
   Disadvantage: Player or team which is 40-advantage down.
   Double bagel: Two sets won to love; see bagel.
   Double fault: Two serving faults in a row in one point, causing the player serving to lose the point.
   Doubles: Match played by four players, two per side of the court. A doubles court is 9 ft (2.97m) wider than a singles court.
   Down the line: Ball hit straight along the sideline to the opponent's side of the court.
   Draw: The schedule of matches in a tennis tournament. The starting fixtures are determined by a combined process of player seeding and random selection, and may or may not involve a public draw ceremony. A qualifying draw is set up to arrange the starting lineup of the qualifying competition (qualies), from where unseeded players qualify for a place in the starting lineup or the main draw of the tournament.
   Drive volley (or swing volley): a tennis volley executed with full swing or topspin drive, thus with pace and conventionally at shoulder height; in the manner of a forehand or backhand swing.
   Drop shot: Play in which the player hits the ball lightly enough to just go over the net, usually with backspin; designed to catch a player who is away from the net off guard.
   Drop volley: Drop shot executed from a volley position.
caption: An example of a dead net cord
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