GTA 5: How to Play Tennis

Michael and Trevor are out smashing balls when they’re not out stealing from vaults.

There are a ton of activities that players can engage in around Los Santos. There’s Skydiving, Parachuting, Diving, or even running a Triathlon. You might want to try these activities to change scenery quickly when you are not out doing Story Missions or side quests.

Perhaps one of the better activities you can try in-game is playing Tennis – Michael and Amanda’s favorite pastime – which, if you have not played yet in-game before, will surprise you with how fun and challenging it can be right difficulty settings.

We will show you how to unlock Tennis in-game, where the tennis courts are located around Los Santos, and how to play Tennis in GTA 5, so you can smash some balls with Trevor, Amanda, or some random AI in your downtime.

Tennis in GTA 5

Tennis is only one of many real-world activities that Michael and Trevor can try around Los Santos. This activity can be played with a friend (Amanda, Trevor, Michael) or solo against a random AI opponent.

GTA 5 marks the first time Tennis makes an appearance in any Grand Theft Auto game, and Rockstar Games did not disappoint, as the activity’s physics and mechanics make Tennis in-game feel fun and realistic yet challenging.

Playing Tennis in GTA 5 improves Michael or Trevor’s Strength stat, enhancing their ability to play Tennis, and players can also win some cash from winning a Tennis match.

Unlike Golf, Michael and Trevor can head towards the nearest Tennis Court and play any time of the day.

How to Play Tennis in GTA 5

Upon starting a Tennis match in GTA 5, the player will be asked to choose the desired number of Sets or Games they want to play and at what difficulty they would like to play the match.

While in a match, players can employ a host of real-world Tennis moves such as drop shots, base swings, topspins, and backspins shots, which the player can control by pressing the corresponding buttons on their keyboard or controller:

• PC
  • Backspin – Space;
  • Drop Shot – L Shift;
  • Topspin – Right Mouse Button;
  • Base Swing – Left Mouse Button;
• PS3/PS4/PS5
  • Backspin – Square;
  • Drop Shot – Triangle;
  • Topspin – Circle;
  • Base Swing – X;
• Xbox
  • Backspin – X;
  • Drop Shot – Y;
  • Top Spin – B;
  • Base Swing – A;

Scoring is pretty much the same as real-world Tennis, where points are denoted as

• 1 – 15;
• 2 – 30;
• 3- 40;

Whoever scores a point past 40 first wins a Game. In instances where both players reach 40 simultaneously, a Deuce will ensue, and the winner will be decided by whoever wins two consecutive points after 40.

The first player to win six games wins a Set, but they must win against their opponent by two solid games before a Set is awarded to the player.

So cases where the Set scores land at 5-5, the Set will only end when either player scores 7-5. If both players make it to 6 Sets a piece, a tiebreak (whoever wins the set hereafter) will decide the winner of the Set, with the Set ending at 7-6.

How to Unlock Tennis in GTA 5?

You can only start playing Tennis in GTA 5 after you’ve completed the mission named ‘Complications,’ where Simeon sends Franklin to retrieve a Karin BeeJay XL from Michael.

Incidentally, this is the first mission where Franklin and Michael’s paths cross in GTA 5 and is also the first playable mission where you can start controlling Michael in-game.

After completing the mission, you can play Tennis as Michael or Trevor by walking toward any known Tennis Court location around Los Santos.

Tennis Court Locations in GTA 5

There are eight different Tennis Courts around Los Santos. You can find them in the following areas around the map:

• Chumash Hotel Courts (Great Ocean Highway)

• Michael’s Court (Michael’s Mansion)

• Richman Hotel Courts (West Eclipse Boulevard)

• USLA Campus Courts (Picture Perfect Drive)

• Vespucci Apartments Courts (Palomino Avenue)

• Vespucci Courts (Vespucci Beach)

• Vinewood Apartments Courts (Elgin Avenue)

• Weazel Courts (Dorset Drive)

Game, Set, Match!

Tennis in GTA 5 can be surprisingly fun, thanks to the great physics and mechanics that Rockstar Games has added to the in-game activity.

You can play the activity casually at low difficulty and still get a decently challenging tennis experience. However, if you are out for some actual sweats, turn up the difficulty setting and watch as Michael or Trevor sweat like a pig.

If you have not played Tennis in GTA 5, we recommend you try it out. Trust us; you’ll be hooked on the sport in no time and improve Michael and Trevor’s Strength stat as a bonus.

So, there we have it! We hope we have given you a good idea about Tennis in GTA 5 through this guide.

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