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Learning Vocabulary: Fitness and Tennis

Learning Vocabulary: Fitness and Tennis

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Rich, Jack and Rowan go for a game of tennis. The language focus is on words and phrases to talk about the sport of tennis. In this week's task, we want you to tell us about tennis in your country and give tennis a Premier Skills English fitness score. Don't forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess.

Transcript

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Learning Vocabulary: Fitness & Tennis
Introduction

Jack: Hello my name’s Jack

Rich: My name’s Rich

Rowan: and I’m Rowan 

Rich: And welcome to the Premier Skills English podcast ...

Jack: ... where we talk about football and English.

Rich: In the Premier Skills English podcast, we talk about football and help you with your English. 

Rowan: Don’t forget you can find the transcript for all our podcasts with examples and activities to help you understand the language and a task for you to complete on the Premier Skills English website.

Jack: In this Premier Skills English course, we’re looking at the different ways people stay fit and healthy.

Rich: We’re talking about lots of different sports and activities and will focus on language related to fitness and some words and phrases connected to a specific sport. 

Rowan: This lesson is all about tennis. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to look at lots of different sports and activities.

Jack: We’re going to do a roleplay. The three of us are going for a game of tennis and we’re going to use lots of words and phrases connected to the sport of tennis and fitness more generally.

Rich: In the roleplay, we’ll also tell you about the Premier Skills English fitness challenge that we’re doing.

Rowan: We’re going to give a fitness score and a fun score for each of the sports and activities we look at.

Jack: And in the task we have for you later in the podcast, we want you to give your own fitness and fun scores.  We’ll have more about that later.

Last week’s Football Phrase 

Jack: Before we start this week’s roleplay we need to look back at last week’s football phrase.

Rich: OK, our football phrase. If you’ve not listened to the podcast before, every week we set our listeners a language challenge. We explain a football phrase or word and you have to guess what it is.

Rowan: When you know the answer, go to the Premier Skills English website and write the word or phrase in the comments section for this podcast. If you’re correct we’ll announce your name on next week’s podcast.

Jack: We had lots of correct answers last week but a special congratulations to Sabanoleg from Ukraine who was the first with the right answer.

Rich: And a big well done to the following listeners who also got the right answer: Marco Zapien from Mexico, MoBeckham from Turkey, Gabriela C from Chile, Max Alex from Vietnam, HSN from Turkey, Hayato from Japan, Jacek from Poland, Elghoul from Algeria, Cira from Hong Kong, Emmanuel from France, Daniel4 from Italy and Luibomyr from Ukraine.

Jack: The new football phrase is at the end of this podcast but we’re going to give you one more chance to guess last week’s football phrase. Are you ready?

Rowan: The phrase was to **** ** **** *****. It’s an idiom which means to retire from playing football. You don’t need what you wear on your feet to play football anymore so you can put them away forever. It’s a strange phrase because I would never **** ** ** *****. I would put them on the floor in a wardrobe or something.

Rich: We’ll give you the answer and a new football phrase at the end of this podcast.

Rowan: If you remember, last week’s podcast was all about running and we asked you how you felt about running and your experiences of running

Jack: Max Alex from Vietnam is a big fan and regularly does 10k runs. Good for you Max Alex!

Rich: Elghoul from Algeria runs for fitness and told us about a half-marathon he ran once. He was in full military gear. Sounds like hard work, Elghoul!

Rowan: HSN from Turkey and Yosichika from Japan are also regular runners but some of you prefer other activities. Marynchukdenys1984 from Ukraine prefers football, Vic from Mexico prefers cycling and Lucaly from Italy prefers tennis so I hope you enjoy this podcast Lucaly and thanks for your email!

Jack: If you haven’t heard this podcast it’s called Learning Vocabulary: Fitness and Running and you can find it on the Premier Skills English website or on Apple Podcasts.

Introduction to roleplay: Fitness Challenge

Rowan: In our roleplay, I’m going for a game of tennis with Jack and Rich. It’s the second activity in our Premier Skills English fitness challenge which we started last week.

Jack: Our fitness challenge is a little competition between the three of us. We are trying out a few different sports and activities and we decide which is the best for us.

Rich: We’re going to go running, cycling, swimming, to the gym, to do some sport and we might even play football.

Rowan: We’re going to decide what are the advantages and the disadvantages of each sport, what we like and dislike about each activity, and we’re going to give each activity or sport a Premier Skills English fitness challenge score.

Jack: It’s all a bit of fun but it should help all of us think more about keeping fit and healthy.

Rich: But as always the main focus is the language and in each roleplay, we’ll use lots of vocabulary connected to tennis.

Rowan: We’ll use vocabulary and phrasal verbs about fitness in general and we’ll also look at words and phrases connected to the specific sports we look at.

Jack: In this roleplay, we’re playing tennis so you’ll hear lots of words and phrases connected to this sport so listen out for them.

Rich: While you listen we want you to answer two questions:

Rowan: Question one: Who’s the best tennis player?

Jack: Question two: Who complains about being injured?

Roleplay - Tennis

Rowan: Thanks for the lift, Jack. I never even knew there was a tennis club around here.

Jack: No? I thought everyone knew about it. Look there’s Rich.

Rich: Hey, guys. I remember coming here as a kid. It’s not changed much.

Jack: Did you use the same tennis racket? You can’t play with that. It’s made of wood!

Rich: What do you mean? I was like Roger Federer with this in my hand.

Jack: I said to Rowan that I’d lend her a racket. I’ve got a couple of extras in the boot.

Rowan: Look at all this tennis equipment! 

Jack: It’s only a tennis bag with a few rackets and tennis balls.

Rich: Very professional. I’ll have that blue racket.

Jack: Come on! I’ve booked the tennis court for 1100. We’ve got an hour.

Rowan: You have to book?

Jack: If you need to change, there’s a changing room with a few lockers over there.

Rowan: Who’s that?

Jack: Who?

Rowan: Him over there waving. 

Geoff: Have we got a tennis lesson this morning?

Jack: Hold on a sec.

Rich: Did he say lesson? I thought we were just going to have a knock around.

Rowan: Do you think Jack’s been having some tennis lessons?

Rich: Everything all right, Jack.

Jack: Fine. Just someone asking about ... erm ... English lessons. OK, let’s warm up then we’ll knock up.

Rich: Knock up?

Jack: Practice before we start the match.

Rowan: We’re going to play a match? Doubles or singles?

Jack: I’ll take you two on.

Jack: OK, me to serve … ace, 15-0.

Rich: Good serve. That was quick.

Jack: Ready Rowan?

Rowan: Ready.

Jack: Good effort, Rowan. 30-0. 

Rich: We’re not going to get it back over the net at this rate.

Jack: Ready Rich?

Rich: Yep.

Jack: Better. Good return Rich and that was a nice forehand, Rowan. 30-15.

Rowan: A rally at last. 

Jack: We’ll just play one set and see how it goes. 

....

Jack: Game, set, match, Radford!

Rich: Okay, okay. You’ve been having a few lessons, haven’t you?

Jack: Yeah, for a few months now. A private tennis coach.

Rowan: A few months? No wonder you’re so good. We got to deuce in one game though.

Jack: Why don’t you two have a game? I’ll be the umpire.

Rich: You can be the umpire and the ballboy!


Rowan: OK, tennis was our second activity for our Premier Skills English fitness challenge. We need to give our opinions and scores. Jack?

Jack: Well, I’ve been having tennis lessons for a while and while I don’t think I get the same exercise as a workout at the gym or going for a run it’s still good - especially for my arms and legs.

Rowan: And a score?

Jack: I’m going to give tennis a fitness score of seven out of ten and a fun score of eight out of ten.

Rowan: Rich?

Rich: Well, playing you wasn’t much fun - watching the ball fly past us and it wasn’t much good for my fitness either apart from going to fetch the ball!

Jack: But what about when you played Rowan?

Rich: Yes, that was much better. We had some good rallies and it was a better workout. I’ve actually got a bit of tennis elbow - I haven’t played for a while.

Jack: Complaining about injuries again, Rich. Score?

Rich: I think it would be about a three for fitness and fun when playing you Jack but against Rowan, I’m going to go for a fitness score of five and a fun score of six.

Jack: And what about you, Rowan?

Rowan: I agree with Rich. You need to play against someone who is about the same level as you. I’m going to give tennis a fitness score of six and a fun score of six.

Jack: OK, so our final Premier Skills English Fitness challenge score is … 38. That means running is still our top Premier Skills English activity. 

LANGUAGE FOCUS

Rowan: Before the roleplay, we asked you two questions. The first question was: Who was the best tennis player?

Rich: The answer is Jack is the best tennis player. He cheated a little bit though. He’s been having lessons for months and didn’t tell me or Rowan.

Jack: What’s wrong with a few tennis lessons?  The second question we gave you was Who is complaining about being injured again?

Rowan: The answer of course is Rich. Last week he was complaining about blisters on his foot and this week it’s tennis elbow.

Rich: I wouldn’t say I was complaining …

Jack: Let’s look at some language. We’re going to start off with the easier words and phrases.

Rowan: In the roleplay, you may have heard lots of collocations with tennis so we’re going to start with a little quiz and look at six collocations that start with the word tennis.

Rich: Our listeners have to try to get the answer before we do. Ready guys?

Jack/Rowan: We’re ready.


Rich: Question one: What tennis is what the game is played on?

Rowan: Easy. Court. Tennis court.

Rich: Correct. Question two. Jack has been a member of this tennis for months.

Rowan: Tennis club. He’s a member of a tennis club.

Rich: Good. Question three. You need this tennis to hit the ball.

Rowan: Racket. Tennis racket. Jack lent me a nice tennis racket in the roleplay.

Rich: Correct. Are you playing, Jack?

Jack: Yes, Rowan’s too quick.

Rich: Question four. Jack has been having these for the last few months.

Rowan: Tennis lessons.

Jack: Yes, my tennis coach is very good.

Rich: You’re not getting a point for tennis coach. Question five: our tennis racket, tennis balls, tennis shoes all go in your …

Rowan: Tennis bag.

Rich: Correct. Yes, all your tennis equipment goes in your tennis bag. Final question: A pain in the middle of your arm caused by using it too much.

Rowan: Tennis elbow!

Rich: Correct. I got a bit of tennis elbow in the roleplay. That’s six-nil to Rowan. Game, set, match!


Jack: We’ve looked at a few basic tennis collocations. Let’s look at some vocabulary we use to talk about playing tennis.

Rowan: We were playing for fun but when professionals play they have an umpire and ball boys or ball girls.

Rich: Football has referees but tennis has umpires. They do the same job but some sports like football, rugby and boxing have referees while other sports like tennis, cricket and baseball have umpires.

Jack: In the roleplay, I said I’d be the umpire while Rich and Rowan play each other but Rich said I should be the ball boy. 

Rowan: In tennis, ball boys and ball girls are the people who fetch the balls when they go out of play. They are usually children or teenagers.

Rich: When you play tennis you can play either a singles match or a doubles match. Rowan said ‘singles or doubles’ in the roleplay. It’s not necessary to say match.

Jack: Singles is when there is a total of two players on the tennis court and they play each other. Rich and Rowan played singles.

Rowan: Doubles is when there are four players on the court at the same time. Two teams of two.

Rich: In the roleplay, Jack served first. The serve starts every point in a tennis match. The player throws the ball above their head and hits the ball over the net.

Rowan: Serve can be a noun or a verb. In the roleplay, Jack served very well. He hit some good serves. Some of them were aces.

Jack: An ace is when you serve and your opponent doesn’t touch the ball and you win the point. I hit a couple of aces in the roleplay.

Rich: Yes, we found it difficult to return Jack’s serve. The return is the first shot after the serve. The other player tries to return the serve. Again this can be used as a noun or a verb.

Rowan: There are different types of shots in tennis. A volley is when you hit the ball before it touches the ground and a smash is when you hit the ball when it’s above your head.

Jack: I told Rowan that she hit a nice forehand shot in the roleplay. The forehand and the backhand are the two ways we hold a tennis racket and are used to describe how we hit the ball.

Rich: A forehand or forehand shot is when the palm of our hand faces the ball as we hit it. If you are right-handed, your racket will be to your right when you hit the ball.

Rowan: A backhand or backhand shot is when the back of our hand faces the ball as we hit it. If you are right-handed, your racket will be to your left when you hit the ball.

Jack: The last word in this section is rally. When Rich and Rowan played they had some nice rallies probably because they had a similar level of ability.

Rich: A rally is the series of shots that start with serving the ball and end when the ball goes out of play.

Rowan: When we played Jack the rallies were very short - he’d serve and we couldn’t return it, but when I played Rich the rallies were much longer - and more fun.


Jack: Our final bit of language looks at scoring in tennis because there are a few unusual words that we use.

Rich: When one player wins the umpire says game, set, match followed by the player’s surname.

Rowan: Professional matches are usually played over three or five sets. This means that a player needs to win two or three sets to win the match.

Jack: To win a set, a player needs to win six games but the player needs to win by two clear games or there is a tie-break. A tie-break is a sudden death game where the first player to reach six points wins the set.

Rich: But again you need to win by two clear points.

Rowan: To win a game, you need to win four points or four rallies but again it’s not as simple as that.

Jack: If you win four points you have won the game. The umpire would say 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game. 

Rich: When scores are level the umpire will say 15-all and 30-all but when both players have 40 points the umpire will say deuce.

Rowan: When a game reaches deuce, a player once again needs to win by two clear points. If a player wins a point at deuce, the umpire will say advantage followed by the player’s surname. That player then needs to win another point to win the game.

Jack: If not the game will go back to deuce and again one player needs to win by two clear points.

Rich: OK, there are two words that are a bit different there: love and deuce. Why do you think we use them in tennis?

Rowan: One theory is that it comes from the French ‘l’oeuf’, or ‘the egg’ because the shape of the zero looks like an egg.

Jack: And deuce?

Rich: Well, again it comes from French, most people believe that the game was originally invented in France and the word is connected to deux the number two in French.

Rowan: More specifically it comes from the phrase a deux le jeu which can be translated to mean two players with an equal chance of winning.

Jack: My French is not really that good but I do have a joke: Why do French people never have two eggs for breakfast?

TASK

Rowan: Our task for you is to give us a Premier Skills English Fitness Challenge score for tennis and to tell us whether you have ever played tennis and what you know about the game.

Jack: Have you ever had tennis lessons like me or did you play at school like Rich? 

Rich: Tell us where you can play tennis where you live. Is tennis popular in your country? Are there any famous tennis players?

Jack: Is tennis a good way of keeping fit? 

Rich: Tell us about your experiences of tennis and then give us a Premier Skills English Fitness Challenge score for this activity.

Rowan: Give us a score out of ten for fitness and a score out of ten for fun - just like we did in the roleplay.

Jack: Write all your answers in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website and try to use some of the words and phrases we introduced in this podcast.

FOOTBALL PHRASE 

Rowan: It’s Rich’s turn with the football phrase this week.

Rich: This week’s football phrase is **** *** **** and I’ve chosen the phrase because you can use it in football and tennis. A football player might hit a ball **** *** **** for a winger to run on to. It means a long pass near the edge of the pitch. A tennis player that hits a shot **** *** **** describes a ball that travels parallel to and along the sideline of the tennis court.

Jack: That’s a difficult one. Let’s see if anyone gets it right.

Rowan: If you are still wondering what the answer was to last week’s football phrase it was to hang up your boots.

Rich: Right, that’s all we have time for this week! Don’t forget to write your answers to our questions and make a guess at our football phrase in the comments below. If you get it right, we’ll announce your name on next week’s show. 

Jack: If you have a question for us about football or English you can email us at premierskills@britishcouncil.org

Rowan: or you can leave your questions and comments on the website in the comments section or on our Facebook page.

Rich: or you could give us a rating and a fantastic review on Apple Podcasts.

Jack: Bye for now and enjoy your football!

Vocabulary

How much did you understand?

Here is the vocabulary you saw at the top of this page and how Rowan, Rich and Jack used it in the roleplay. Do you know the words in bold?

If you need to change, there’s a changing room with a few lockers over there.

OK, let’s warm up then we’ll knock up.

I’ll take you two on.

We’re not going to get it back over the net at this rate.

I didn't like going to fetch the ball!

Listen to the roleplays again to hear how Rich, Rowan and Jack used these words and phrases.

Rafa Nadal is one of the world's best ever tennis players.

Vocabulary

Tennis Collocations

In the podcast, Rich, Jack and Rowan were playing tennis. They used quite a few collocations with tennis in the roleplay. Here are some of the words and phrases that were used. Do you know the phrases in bold?

I never even knew there was a tennis club around here.

I’ve got a couple of extra tennis rackets in the boot.

I’ve booked the tennis court for 1100.

I’ve actually got a bit of tennis elbow - I haven’t played for a while.

Listen to the quiz in the podcast again to check your understanding of all the collocations with tennis that were used in the roleplay. 

Do you know these tennis players?

Vocabulary

Tennis Language

There are quite a few words and phrases that are specific to tennis and similar sports. Do you know the phrases in bold we used in the roleplay?

We’re going to play a match? Doubles or singles?

OK, me to serveace, 15-0.

Good return Rich and that was a nice forehand, Rowan. 30-15.

A rally at last. 

You can be the umpire and the ballboy!

Serena Williams has won more grand slam tournaments than any other tennis player.

Vocabulary

Tennis Scoring

The scoring system in tennis is quite complicated and there are some unusual words and phrases. Do you know the phrases in bold that were used in the podcast?

Good effort, Rowan. Thirty - love.

Game, set, match, Radford.

We got to deuce in one game though.

You need to win by two clear games or there is a tie-break

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have been two of the greatest players in recent years.

Activity 2

Activity 2: In this activity, type the words from the roleplay to complete the sentences.
Can you write the correct word in each gap?

Quiz

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Task

Anyone for tennis?

I'm not sure that Jack could do this!

Our task for you is to give us a Premier Skills English Fitness Challenge score for tennis and tell us about tennis in your country.

  • Have you ever had tennis lessons like Jack or did you play at school like Rich?
  • Tell us where you can play tennis where you live. Is tennis popular in your country? Are there any famous tennis players?
  • Is tennis a good way of keeping fit? 

Tell us about your experiences of tennis and then give us a Premier Skills English fitness challenge score for this sport.

  • Give us a score out of ten for fitness and a score out of ten for fun - just like Rowan, RIch and Jack did in the podcast.

Write all your answers in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website and try to use some of the words and phrases we introduced in this podcast and don't forget to have a guess at this week's football phrase.

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Comments

elghoul's picture
elghoul
18/12/2020
DZ
3988
points

I never had tennis lessons nor played tennis in a court.

Tennis is not popular in Algeria. I lived for thirty years in Algiers where there are tennis courts since colonial years. In the sixties people used to play tennis especially French people in two courts, Bachdjarah or Benaknoun. Nowadays there is not any competition in Algeria since the red years. When we are engaged in any official show, rulers look for player in foreign championships.

Tennis which needs grounds and individual equipments is as good as any other outdoor sports.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
18/12/2020 12:10
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

I never had tennis lessons nor played tennis in a court.

Tennis is not popular in Algeria. I lived for thirty years in Algiers where there are tennis courts since colonial years. In the sixties people used to play tennis especially French people in two courts, Bachdjarah or Benaknoun. Nowadays there is not any competition in Algeria since the red years. When we are engaged in any official show, rulers look for player in foreign championships.

Tennis which needs grounds and individual equipments is as good as any other outdoor sports.

sabanoleg
17/12/2020
UA
2337
points

I hope the phrase is"down the line".


sabanoleg
17/12/2020 21:54
Ukraine
Arsenal
2337

I hope the phrase is"down the line".

Guilherme Souza's picture
Guilherme Souza
16/12/2020
BR
9
points

Tennis scores
Fitness (9/10)
Fun (7/10)

Tennis is not a popular sport in Brazil, because is a very expensive sport to practice here.

Brazil had a number one tennis player of the world about in 2000. Gustavo Kuerten was a fantastic tennis player, he won 3 times the French open.

My favorite tennis player is Roger Federer, his forehand is amazing. I hope a day I can see Roger Federer playing at the court.


Guilherme Souza's picture
Guilherme Souza
16/12/2020 20:35
Brazil
Liverpool
9

Tennis scores
Fitness (9/10)
Fun (7/10)

Tennis is not a popular sport in Brazil, because is a very expensive sport to practice here.

Brazil had a number one tennis player of the world about in 2000. Gustavo Kuerten was a fantastic tennis player, he won 3 times the French open.

My favorite tennis player is Roger Federer, his forehand is amazing. I hope a day I can see Roger Federer playing at the court.

Vic
15/12/2020
MX
817
points

I think nine out of ten for fitness, because you nedd a very good condition for play tennis, and a mental agility, for repond in every single hit, especialy the mental force from recovery in a match.

For fun six out of ten, Its a competitive sport, not for fun.

Well, this episode, has me a very special, because when a has eleven years old, my mom gave me a tennis racket and a tennis ball, this gift make too happy, because was a way to free litlle steam of the schools, in this time a has a scholcar ship and I must gain great note to continue my basically education, so I parctice teennis like a self education, in a garden of the neighbordhood, practice my tennis alone, but funny, I can´t continue lear about the tennis, because the scholarship needs all my time. but its great to remember this episode.
About tennis, this episode rememberme a Ph Dr. who studien in France, he shared with me the moment when he understood the french language, with the expression one egg, two eggs, an eff, due eff, I don´t know this expression use in tennis match, so dear speaker make too happy with this lesson.

Tennis is not popular in my country, but I like me, in special the old player like Agassi, awesome player.

Well, its a dream, but I want to take tennis lesson like Jack, and buy my profesional equipmente of tennis, the racket, ball, suit for tennis, and I want a member ship of Chapultepec country club for practice tennis.

Why?, because tennis is a great sport, keep strong muscles, your legs and you arms, but specially give a mental health, you need to control your emotios in the match ans stay focus for win a match.


Vic
15/12/2020 17:37
Mexico
Liverpool
817

I think nine out of ten for fitness, because you nedd a very good condition for play tennis, and a mental agility, for repond in every single hit, especialy the mental force from recovery in a match.

For fun six out of ten, Its a competitive sport, not for fun.

Well, this episode, has me a very special, because when a has eleven years old, my mom gave me a tennis racket and a tennis ball, this gift make too happy, because was a way to free litlle steam of the schools, in this time a has a scholcar ship and I must gain great note to continue my basically education, so I parctice teennis like a self education, in a garden of the neighbordhood, practice my tennis alone, but funny, I can´t continue lear about the tennis, because the scholarship needs all my time. but its great to remember this episode.
About tennis, this episode rememberme a Ph Dr. who studien in France, he shared with me the moment when he understood the french language, with the expression one egg, two eggs, an eff, due eff, I don´t know this expression use in tennis match, so dear speaker make too happy with this lesson.

Tennis is not popular in my country, but I like me, in special the old player like Agassi, awesome player.

Well, its a dream, but I want to take tennis lesson like Jack, and buy my profesional equipmente of tennis, the racket, ball, suit for tennis, and I want a member ship of Chapultepec country club for practice tennis.

Why?, because tennis is a great sport, keep strong muscles, your legs and you arms, but specially give a mental health, you need to control your emotios in the match ans stay focus for win a match.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
15/12/2020
TR
6510
points

MY TENNIS SCORES :

Five out of ten for fitness (5/10)
Three out of ten for fun (3/10)


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
15/12/2020 08:10
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

MY TENNIS SCORES :

Five out of ten for fitness (5/10)
Three out of ten for fun (3/10)

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
15/12/2020
TR
6510
points

Good morning beautiful people

Well , I have never had any tennis lessons or played tennis at school before because this sport is not famous neither in Egypt nor in Turkey.

There are a few tennis courts in the city but they are a bit faraway from my neighbourhood. I have a football pitch and a basketball court in front of my building because as I have mentioned that tennis isn't very popular in Turkey.

I have played tennis twice or three times in my whole life so I am not sure about its benefits regarding fitness whereas I'm quite sure that it helps in growing muscles in arms and legs like biceps and triceps.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
15/12/2020 08:08
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

Good morning beautiful people

Well , I have never had any tennis lessons or played tennis at school before because this sport is not famous neither in Egypt nor in Turkey.

There are a few tennis courts in the city but they are a bit faraway from my neighbourhood. I have a football pitch and a basketball court in front of my building because as I have mentioned that tennis isn't very popular in Turkey.

I have played tennis twice or three times in my whole life so I am not sure about its benefits regarding fitness whereas I'm quite sure that it helps in growing muscles in arms and legs like biceps and triceps.

Yoshichika's picture
Yoshichika
14/12/2020
JP
76
points

Hi, all

Unfortunately, I have never had tennis lessons.
So, I don't know that tennis is a good way of keeping fit.

Tennis is popular sports in Japan.
There are many public tennis courts in my city or entire Japan.

There are many famous tennis players in Japan.
For example, Kei Nishikori and Naomi Osaka, they are very famous tennis players.


Yoshichika's picture
Yoshichika
14/12/2020 07:45
Japan
Liverpool
76

Hi, all

Unfortunately, I have never had tennis lessons.
So, I don't know that tennis is a good way of keeping fit.

Tennis is popular sports in Japan.
There are many public tennis courts in my city or entire Japan.

There are many famous tennis players in Japan.
For example, Kei Nishikori and Naomi Osaka, they are very famous tennis players.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
13/12/2020
UA
6278
points

 Tennis is definitely a good way of keeping fit, its only minus is its expensiveness.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
13/12/2020 03:22
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

 Tennis is definitely a good way of keeping fit, its only minus is its expensiveness.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
13/12/2020
UA
6278
points

My all-time favourites are Russian Maria Sharapova and Swede Bjorn Borg.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
13/12/2020 03:19
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

My all-time favourites are Russian Maria Sharapova and Swede Bjorn Borg.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
13/12/2020
UA
6278
points

I give tennis ten out of ten for fitness and eight out of ten for fun. 


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
13/12/2020 03:17
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

I give tennis ten out of ten for fitness and eight out of ten for fun. 

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
13/12/2020
UA
6278
points

In the photo, we can see Rafael Nadal, Serena and Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, and someone else.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
13/12/2020 03:15
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

In the photo, we can see Rafael Nadal, Serena and Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, and someone else.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
13/12/2020
UA
6278
points

I'm quite good at table tennis and I have only once played "French" tennis - it was in 1988, when a friend of mine, who played the game rather well, invited me to the university gym to have a play. I understood then how much one needs to get stamina and needed skills for decent playing. 


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
13/12/2020 03:04
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

I'm quite good at table tennis and I have only once played "French" tennis - it was in 1988, when a friend of mine, who played the game rather well, invited me to the university gym to have a play. I understood then how much one needs to get stamina and needed skills for decent playing. 

hsn's picture
hsn
12/12/2020
TR
5525
points

TASK
I used to play table-tennis at university. I liked it. I’m a left-hand player, it give me advantage against rivals. I didn’t get table-tennis lessons. I've learned it myself. I've never tried out tennis.Maybe in the future.

I live in Ankara the capital city of Turkey. There are many state/private owned tennis courts to play as well as tenis clubs.. In last two decade tenis sport is getting more popular in my country. Especially new generation interested in this sport. Many colleges provide tennis lessons and tennis facilities to their students.

Mrs.Pemra Özgen is one of our famous tennis player. According to WTA- Women's Tennis Association^s last ranking of the world, she is in the 194th row.
Tennis is better way to lose weight and to keep fit.

SCORE: Fitness (8/10) and Fun (8/10)

I think football phrase.-- **** *** ****

P.S.
• Last week football phrase-A similiar Turkish idiom for referee who retired from football career. We say “The referee hung (her/his) whistle up on the wall”

• I’ve read that, categorically football isn’t accepted as a sports branch and named “entertainment” like theater,cinema in U.K. Therefore stands are very close to the pitch in the football grounds . I’m not sure whether it’s correct or not.


hsn's picture
hsn
12/12/2020 17:49
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5525

TASK
I used to play table-tennis at university. I liked it. I’m a left-hand player, it give me advantage against rivals. I didn’t get table-tennis lessons. I've learned it myself. I've never tried out tennis.Maybe in the future.

I live in Ankara the capital city of Turkey. There are many state/private owned tennis courts to play as well as tenis clubs.. In last two decade tenis sport is getting more popular in my country. Especially new generation interested in this sport. Many colleges provide tennis lessons and tennis facilities to their students.

Mrs.Pemra Özgen is one of our famous tennis player. According to WTA- Women's Tennis Association^s last ranking of the world, she is in the 194th row.
Tennis is better way to lose weight and to keep fit.

SCORE: Fitness (8/10) and Fun (8/10)

I think football phrase.-- **** *** ****

P.S.
• Last week football phrase-A similiar Turkish idiom for referee who retired from football career. We say “The referee hung (her/his) whistle up on the wall”

• I’ve read that, categorically football isn’t accepted as a sports branch and named “entertainment” like theater,cinema in U.K. Therefore stands are very close to the pitch in the football grounds . I’m not sure whether it’s correct or not.

Emmanuel's picture
Emmanuel
12/12/2020
FR
91
points

Hi everyone,
The phrase is **** *** **** . I'm a big tennis fan. French players are good but are not GOAT... A new one should be the best in few years ; remember his name : Hugo Gaston. This year, in Roland-Garros tournement, he lost against Dominic Thiem in 5 sets in last 32. Before, he won Stan the Man !
Have a good day


Emmanuel's picture
Emmanuel
12/12/2020 14:45
France
Manchester City
91

Hi everyone,
The phrase is **** *** **** . I'm a big tennis fan. French players are good but are not GOAT... A new one should be the best in few years ; remember his name : Hugo Gaston. This year, in Roland-Garros tournement, he lost against Dominic Thiem in 5 sets in last 32. Before, he won Stan the Man !
Have a good day

Lucaly
12/12/2020
IT
2
points

Thanks for the podcast :)

I usually play tennis twice a week, with a tennis coach; sometimes I like playing singles or doubles with my friends.

I still enjoy tennis as the first time that I tried out it.

In my opinion tennis is a good way of keeping fit because it requires strenght (both mental and physical), balance, movements with arms and legs, technique and self-control.

I think that here in Italy tennis is quite popular, with famous players like Fognini and Sinner, for example. There is also the famous ATP Masters 1000 in Rome at the Foro Italico.

My scores are: 8 for fitness and 9 for fun (but maybe I'm biased xD).

Bye! :)


Lucaly
12/12/2020 10:38
Italy
Manchester United
2

Thanks for the podcast :)

I usually play tennis twice a week, with a tennis coach; sometimes I like playing singles or doubles with my friends.

I still enjoy tennis as the first time that I tried out it.

In my opinion tennis is a good way of keeping fit because it requires strenght (both mental and physical), balance, movements with arms and legs, technique and self-control.

I think that here in Italy tennis is quite popular, with famous players like Fognini and Sinner, for example. There is also the famous ATP Masters 1000 in Rome at the Foro Italico.

My scores are: 8 for fitness and 9 for fun (but maybe I'm biased xD).

Bye! :)

wsanta's picture
wsanta
12/12/2020
AR
5086
points

The most important tennis player in my country was Guillermo Vilas, he was the creator of the "gran Willy" shot. Only once I went to a tennis class and the teacher was Vilas, I am not a tennis fan but I wanted to meet him and it was also free :).


wsanta's picture
wsanta
12/12/2020 05:21
Argentina
Leeds United
5086

The most important tennis player in my country was Guillermo Vilas, he was the creator of the "gran Willy" shot. Only once I went to a tennis class and the teacher was Vilas, I am not a tennis fan but I wanted to meet him and it was also free :).

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
12/12/2020
UA
6278
points

**** *** **** is the Phrase.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
12/12/2020 05:15
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

**** *** **** is the Phrase.

wsanta's picture
wsanta
12/12/2020
AR
5086
points

The phrase could be **** *** **** .


wsanta's picture
wsanta
12/12/2020 05:04
Argentina
Leeds United
5086

The phrase could be **** *** **** .

erickpgd
12/12/2020
MX
21
points

Hi everyone
I think the week's phrase is **** *** **** .
Greetings


erickpgd
12/12/2020 02:03
Mexico
Manchester City
21

Hi everyone
I think the week's phrase is **** *** **** .
Greetings

Marco Zapien's picture
Marco Zapien
11/12/2020
MX
79
points

I reckon is: **** *** ****


Marco Zapien's picture
Marco Zapien
11/12/2020 17:25
Mexico
Wolverhampton Wanderers
79

I reckon is: **** *** ****

Daniel4's picture
Daniel4
11/12/2020
IT
5
points

This week's football phrase is **** *** ****


Daniel4's picture
Daniel4
11/12/2020 17:14
Italy
Liverpool
5

This week's football phrase is **** *** ****

Max Alex's picture
Max Alex
11/12/2020
VN
438
points

Thank you, Rowan, Jack, and Rich for this podcast.
A tennis player that hits a shot **** *** **** describes a ball that travels parallel to and along the sideline of the tennis court.
My answer is: "**** *** ****".
I am certain of this week's phrase because I am a huge fan of tennis.
My favorite tennis player Novak Djokovic executes this back-hand shot regularly. This is one of the most outrageous weapons of him besides his return of serve and flexibility. He could be able to slide on all surfaces even hard court. Sometimes, they consider him an elastic man by this ability.
The match that made me a fan of him was the Australian Open semifinal in 2012 with Andy Murray. He had an outstanding performance in that match. That win made him go to the final match with Rafael Nadal which was the longest Grand Slam final match so far.
It took place on the day which was a holiday in our country. I left home to hang out with my buddies when it was second set. But when I came home, I did not believe with my bare eyes that they were still playing the final match. It was the final set at that time and Nadal got a break. Nadal led 4 games to 2. Spaniard was on serve but Novak with his fighter spirit and mental strength broke back and managed to win the match. The image of him tearing his shirt to celebrate his winning was etched in my memory for a long time after that. The match was too long that both players nearly collapsed in the trophy ceremony. It pushed them to the ultimate limitation in physical and emotional.


Max Alex's picture
Max Alex
11/12/2020 14:58
Vietnam
Tottenham Hotspur
438

Thank you, Rowan, Jack, and Rich for this podcast.
A tennis player that hits a shot **** *** **** describes a ball that travels parallel to and along the sideline of the tennis court.
My answer is: "**** *** ****".
I am certain of this week's phrase because I am a huge fan of tennis.
My favorite tennis player Novak Djokovic executes this back-hand shot regularly. This is one of the most outrageous weapons of him besides his return of serve and flexibility. He could be able to slide on all surfaces even hard court. Sometimes, they consider him an elastic man by this ability.
The match that made me a fan of him was the Australian Open semifinal in 2012 with Andy Murray. He had an outstanding performance in that match. That win made him go to the final match with Rafael Nadal which was the longest Grand Slam final match so far.
It took place on the day which was a holiday in our country. I left home to hang out with my buddies when it was second set. But when I came home, I did not believe with my bare eyes that they were still playing the final match. It was the final set at that time and Nadal got a break. Nadal led 4 games to 2. Spaniard was on serve but Novak with his fighter spirit and mental strength broke back and managed to win the match. The image of him tearing his shirt to celebrate his winning was etched in my memory for a long time after that. The match was too long that both players nearly collapsed in the trophy ceremony. It pushed them to the ultimate limitation in physical and emotional.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
11/12/2020
TR
6510
points

I think this week's football phrase is ( **** *** **** )


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
11/12/2020 14:27
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

I think this week's football phrase is ( **** *** **** )

Daniel_Baron1503's picture
Daniel_Baron1503
11/12/2020
CO
119
points

Hi all
The phrase is **** *** ****


Daniel_Baron1503's picture
Daniel_Baron1503
11/12/2020 13:43
Colombia
Chelsea
119

Hi all
The phrase is **** *** ****

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1mobeckham6510
2Alex_from_Ukraine6278
3hsn5525
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4768
6Liubomyr4408
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia71478
2Ukraine33300
3Spain28277
4Serbia27289
5Brazil23896
6Albania20578
7Vietnam19939
8Turkey19810
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United141846
2Liverpool110282
3Chelsea88559
4Arsenal85717
5Manchester City56951
6Tottenham Hotspur19169
7Newcastle United10457
8West Ham United7454
9AFC Bournemouth4454
10Crystal Palace4240

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Skills: Listening

Vocabulary: Tennis

Vocabulary: Fitness

Task: Talk about tennis