platform tennis

noun

1. a variation of tennis played on a wooden platform enclosed with chicken wire in which the players hit a rubber ball with wooden paddles following the same basic rules as tennis except that only one serve is permitted and balls can be played off the back and side fences.

Word History and Origins

Origin of platform tennis¹

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55

Example Sentences

Today, at 17, she also wants to use the platform tennis gives her to advocate for justice on racial and social inequity.

From Washington Post

Televised live sports have all but vanished in the age of coronavirus, but an unlikely exception emerged recently on ESPN3: the “2020 Platform Tennis World Championships.”

From New York Times

To avoid coming within six feet of each other, they played singles instead of doubles — the more customary platform tennis game.

From New York Times

Platform tennis — played outdoors, even in subzero temperatures, on a scaled-down tennis court inside fences that feel more like a cage — was a new entry in a strange and sensitive era for live competitions.

From New York Times

Platform tennis has had hardly any mainstream exposure, but last week it was the only live event on ESPN3 that was played on a physical court or a field.

From New York Times