Table Tennis, also known as Ping Pong, is a game in which a hollow ball is hit back and forth by players holding paddles on opposite sides of a table. The table is 9 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 2.6 feet high. In the middle of the table, there is a net, which is 15.25 centimeters high.

The international rule for the ball used in Table Tennis is 40 millimeters in diameter and weigh 2.7 grams. The hollow inside of the ball is filed with a pressurized gas and it may be a variety of different colors, the most common being white or orange. The balls tend to have a number of stars on them, which indicate the quality of the ball, 1 star being lowest and 3 stars being the highest.

Players use a paddle that is covered with rubber on one or both sides depending on the ways the player grips their paddle. The quality and type of rubber is very important in the game because it greatly affects the spin and speed of the ball when it comes in contact with a player's paddle. The spin causes the ball to bounce at unexpected angles and better control of acceleration will affect how fast the ball travels.

Work on your physical fitness. Throughout 2007 and 2008, Andy Murray has worked tremendously hard in the gym. From lifting weights, to running miles and miles, it has helped Andy Murray so much. He had also gained mental and physical confidence in his game after working on his physical fitness.

Mix it up. Andy Murray has one of the best set of hands in the game of tennis. He can mix up shots and make it look easy. When he is in danger, you'd except a lob for defense. Instead, Andy Murray rips one right past his opponent. Mixing up Andy's game has helped him by having opponents confused and not knowing where he is going to hit him next shot.

Stick to some classics, serve and volley. Thought the year, Murray had also worked on his serving and volleying. Serve and volleys help Andy Murray when he wants to finish off a point after hitting a hard serve which isn’t that likely that it will be returned.

After reading this article, get onto the court, and play like Andy!                                                                               

and suddenly the base of the cup broke and fell on the player's head...

The crowd and the player didn't realise at first what was going on! Maybe the cup's bottom was not well placed and it was torn apart.

Just look at the face of the person behind the player. The incident was real funny and I think that from back then, they would double check the cups before awarding them to the winning players!

1. First you will need to see which grip you like. After you find the grip that suites you, take the wrapping off the grip. This step is easy although it is redone many, many times because the wrapping is clear therefore you cannot usually see it.
2. Place the edge with the little sticky part covered with paper on the bottom of the racquet handle.
3. Take off the paper covering the little sticky part. That will keep your grip secure while you are playing.
4. Place it as close as you can to the butt cap of the racquet and start to wrap it clock-wise. If you are a lefty, wrap it counter-clock wise.
5. Again, if you like your grip tight feeling, wrap it tighter. If you like it loose, wrap it looser.
6. As you are wrapping, 1/4 of an inch of the width of the grip should be covered.
7. As you are heading for the throat of the racquet, get your handy dandy scissors out and cut the grip shorter if it is too long. Cut it on an angle.
8. Finally, place the tape that comes with the overgrip over the cut end (near the throat) onto your racquet.
9. Throw your racquet into your bag, and go whoop some butt on the court!

      The following tips will help you stay mentally tough through your next tennis tournament!

1. Do not be afraid of your opponents rank. If he is ranked high, maybe that means he just plays a lot of tournaments, but has little talent. Do not overestimate an opponent like that. If he is ranked low, that could mean that he plays little tournaments, or he just cannot afford to play as much as a higher ranked player. Do not underestimate an opponent like that.
2. Do not stick to one type of playing style, mix it up. If you attack all the time, you will deffinatley have a few unforced errors, and your opponent will get used to your style and see the shots comming. If you defend your ground all the time, you will most likley have a lot of winners hit on you, and your opponent will then also know what to do and when.
3. Facing match point isn't the end. The key is to play crucial points aggressively and to try to use your strength against your opponent’s weakness.
4. Loosing isn't terrible. Although you may feel dissapointed and depressed after a loss, there is always something postive comming out of that match. That postive thing is expirence. When you have expirence, the next time you will face an opponent like that, you will be able to use your expirence and win that match!

      Marat Safin, who is a former US Open and Australian Open Champion, is considering retiring from tennis. As time passed, Safin was faced with many injuries which slowed him down to a career low of 104 in the world. After lossing to Juan Monaco in the first round of MS Paris-Bercy, he is thinking about throwing in the towel.

      Marat Safin hasn't won a tournament since 2005, therefore he stated "I need to enjoy my life out of the courts, and see if I want to go on. The last three years have been quite intense for me. I don't feel any pressure right now, I have nothing to show or prove to anyone."

      "I'll take a break, relax and enjoy a couple of months to then see what haapens with me. If I feel like I want to keep playing, I'll do it. Otherwise, it's over" he added.

Known for his behavior on court, many fans and players will miss the 28 year old if he happens to retire.

Usually, the opportunity for hitting an overhead smash comes when you're at the net, and your opponent tries to lob the ball over your head. The overhead smash can be played out of the air, or sometimes, off the bounce.

There are appropriate times for doing either. For example, if you can manage to hit the ball out of the air, do so, because you'll be taking court away form your opponent giving him/her less time to react. On the other hand, there are times when you should let the ball bounce in order to get into a better position to hit an overhead. Shuffle or cross-step back and let it bounce, giving yourself more time to get into position. In either situation, when you see that your opponent has hit a lob, your first instinct should be to get back into position and keep the ball in front of you. Decide whether you can hit the smash out of the air, or let it bounce, and try not to let the ball get behind you. It's a good idea to point at the oncoming ball with your free hand and arm as you bring your racquet back with a shoulder turn. Keep your head up and move your feet.

Mechanics and technique

Ready - You're at the net. Be prepared to hit a volley or an overhead. You won't know until your opponent hits a lob that you need to get back for an overhead smash. Stand with your weight slightly forward, poised on the balls of your feet with your racquet held up in front you.

Get Sideways - When you see that your opponent has just hit a lob, your first move is to get sideways. Turn your shoulders and begin to get your racquet back.

Shuffle & Point - Keeping the ball in front of you, use shuffle steps to get into position while pointing at the oncoming ball. Try to get back quickly enough so that you don't have to leap into the air to make contact with the ball.

Adjust & Swing - Establish a foundation to hit from by adjusting your feet. Plant your body weight on your rear foot while completing your backswing. To begin your forward swing, transfer your weight forward by stepping into your shot with your lead foot, and bring your racquet up from a back-scratching position upward to make contact with the ball out in front.

Follow-Through - Keep your head up during the follow-through. Many club players bring their heads down, causing them to miss-hit the shot. During the follow-through, like the serve, get full extension out toward the target, keeping the ball on the strings longer for more control. To complete the follow-through, allow your racquet to travel down by your legs.

Recover - During follow-through, allow your rear leg to come around to facilitate your recovery process back into a ready-stance.

Pace, direction, placement, and spin are all variables that give the server the advantage when beginning a point. The receiver is left wondering about all these variables when you step up to service line and begin to set up to hit your serve.

When serving, it is always a good tactic to keep your opponent guessing.

Mix it up a little. Change the speed of your serve from time to time, as well as the placement and spin. In general, try to serve to your opponent's weaknesses.

There are actually two steps in this lesson. The first step of the lesson is the act of tossing the ball in the air consistently in the contact zone - the ball toss. You might ask yourself, “What's so hard about tossing a ball in the air, and then hitting hit?” Nothing really. You just have to serve the ball in a way that not going to leave you vulnerable. There's nothing worse than hitting a cream puff serve, and watching your opponent wind up to annihilate it. This is just one of the reasons why I recommend that you develop a consistent ball toss before you move to the second part of this lesson.

Step 1 - The Toss

Start out by stepping up to the service line and stand predominately perpendicular to the net, then place the ball in the fingertips of your non-dominant hand, and practice tossing the ball in the air. Get your arm moving and extend your arm upward to release the ball. Create some momentum with your movement. Without letting the ball roll off the end of your fingers, just extend your arm upward and open you're your hand, releasing the ball.

The toss should be out over the court and a little to the right. Toss the ball high enough to get full extension at impact. Practice this before attempting a full serve.

Step 2 - The Serve

Ready - For a consistent serve, the first thing you should do when you step up to service line is to get comfortable. Take a deep breath and think about what your doing. Begin by getting your feet aligned properly. Standing with your feet about shoulder width apart, place your lead foot at a 45degree angle to the baseline, and your rear foot should be parallel to the baseline. You should be sideways to the net with both arms out in front of you.

Open- With your body weight resting on your rear foot. Begin by opening your arms and shifting your weight forward. Bring the racquet down and by your legs as you begin to move your ball arm upward for the toss.

Back-Scratch- As the ball leaves your hand, continue shifting your weight forward as you bring the racquet to a “back-scratching position”.

Extend to release the ball and keep your head up.

Contact - Use your legs to push off, and try to get fully extended at impact. Snap your wrist a little and rotate your shoulders to get more power on your serve. The contact zone should be out over the court as high as you can reach.

Follow-Through - During the follow-through, allow the racquet to come across your body down by your legs to insure a complete stroke. Keep your head up throughout the entire stroke.

Recover - To recover, continue your follow-through all the way across your body to facilitate the recovery process. You should end up in a ready stance.

Putting under-spin on your drop shot will cause the ball to bite the court a little and stop the forward momentum of the flight of the ball. But be careful, attempting to apply too much under-spin can cause your shot to pop up giving your opponent plenty of time to run down your drop shot putting yourself in a vulnerable position. Choosing the right time to attempt a drop shot is crucial. You should only try hitting the drop shot from inside the baseline. All to often, I see club players attempting drop shots from behind the baseline. This is difficult to accomplish for two reasons. The first being that you are to far away from the net making it a difficult shot to execute.

Secondly, the ball has to travel too far, giving your opponent time to read the shot, enabling him/her to effectively retrieve your shot. The best time to attempt a drop shot is when you're inside the baseline, and your opponent is behind the baseline. The drop shot is another one of those shots that players neglect to practice. To practice drop shots, start out hitting them from about the service line. As you develop some confidence, you can move further back and bounce the ball shorter in your opponent's court.

Mechanics and technique:

DISGUISE - Set up as if you were hitting a ground stroke. I recommend that you set up your attempts by hitting some slice forehands and backhands during and at the beginning of the match. Doing this will help disguise the fact that you plan to use some drop shots in your repertoire of shots.

STEP FORWARD - It's important that your drop shot resemble the look of a normal ground stroke. As if you were hitting a forehand or backhand slice, swing on a downward plane to meet the ball as you step forward into your shot.

CONTACT - While focusing on the point of contact, meet the ball with your racquet head tilted a little to impart under-spin on you shot. So the ball doesn't pop off your strings, push the racquet through as if you were hitting a volley. Doing this will give you more control of your shot.

FOLLOW-THROUGH - Keep the follow-through short, but longer than that of a volley. Allow the racquet to continue out toward the target area. Remember that you are drawing your opponent closer in, so begin your recovery as soon as you can.

RECOVER - Once you hit your drop shot, you may choose to follow to the net to cut-off your opponents reply, or you may choose to backpedal into a better position. Don't just hang around to see if your opponent gets to your drop shot; take advantage of your situation.

Since the ball is literally at your feet, you have to get the racquet down to the level of the ball. This means you have to bend your knees and upper body to get the racquet head low enough to make solid contact. If you just stick the racquet head down there to make contact, it'll be difficult to control the shot. So bend down far enough to get your racquet hand and the racquet itself on the same horizontal plane. There's virtually no backswing with the half-volley. Get down, take the racquet to either the forehand or backhand side, keep the racquet in a parallel position to the court and simple block the ball with a firm grip and wrist. For a good solid half-volley, try to make contact with the ball immediately after the bounce. Keep moving after you hit the ball.

Although the half-volley is often a defensive shot that you are forced to use because you haven't had enough time to get close enough to hit a real volley, don't let that keep you from taking the offensive. After the half-volley, you should continue up toward the net so that your next shot will be a conventional volley. If you've hit a good half-volley, your body momentum will be moving forward after you've hit the ball.

Even the fastest players can be under pressure when forced to hit the half-volley. When you are under pressure to hit a half-volley, concentrate on getting your hand down by bending your knees and keeping your racquet head up. Be sure to grip the racquet tightly and keep a firm wrist to hit the ball firmly. The sooner you can take the ball off the bounce - the better your half-volley will be.

Mechanics and Technique

• COMMIT 

  Once you've made a commitment to get to the net, don't stop your forward movement to get back when you see that your opponent has hit a ball that's going to be at your feet, keep moving and while getting down to the level of the oncoming ball.

• SHORT BACKSWING

  The ball is going to be at your feet very quickly, so keep your backswing very short. Simply get the racquet to the appropriate side, firm up your grip and get ready to punch the ball as soon as it bounces in front of you.

• CONTACT 

  At impact, your racquet should be tilted a little to lift the ball over the net. The point of contact should be just in front of your lead knee. Keep moving forward as you make contact.

• FOLLOW-THROUGH

  The follow-through for the half-volley is essentially the same as the follow-through for a conventional volley. Remember, you're on your way to the net, so keep the follow-through short and keep moving.