Tennis is a
sportSport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome , but the term is also used to include activities such as...
played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a strung
racquetA racquet is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of cord is stretched tightly. It is used for striking a ball in such games as squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton...
to strike a hollow rubber
ballA tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis, approximately 6.7 cm in diameter and is usually yellow, but in recreational play can be virtually any colour. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous fluffy felt which modifies their aerodynamic properties...
covered with felt over a net into the opponent's
courtA tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
.
The modern game of tennis originated in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
in the late 19th century as "
lawn tennis" which has heavy connections to various field/lawn games as well as to the ancient game of
real tennisReal tennis, often called "Royal Tennis" – one of the several sports sometimes called the sport of Kings – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis, is descended...
. After its creation, tennis spread throughout the upper-class English-speaking population before spreading around the world. Tennis is an
OlympicThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
sport and is played at all levels of society at all ages. The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including people
in wheelchairsWheelchair tennis is one of the forms of tennis adapted for those who have disabilities in their lower bodies. The size of courts, balls, and rackets are same, but there are two major differences from pedestrian tennis; they use specially designed wheelchairs and the ball may bounce up to two times...
. In the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, there is a collegiate circuit organized by the
National Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a voluntary association of about 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada...
.
The rules of tennis have changed very little since the 1890s. Two exceptions are that from 1908 to 1960 the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times, and then the adoption of the tie-break in the 1970s. A recent addition to professional tennis has been the adoption of electronic review technology coupled with a point challenge system, which allows a player to challenge the line (or chair) umpire's call of a point.
Tennis enjoys millions of recreational players and is also a hugely popular worldwide spectator sport, especially the four
Grand SlamThe four Grand Slam tournaments, also called the Majors, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are: Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open...
tournaments (sometimes referred to as the "majors"): the
Australian OpenThe Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year. The tournament is held each January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was contested on grass from then up to 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been held on hard...
, the French Open,
WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877...
, and the US Open.
History
Tennis as the modern sport can be dated to two separate roots. Between 1859 and 1863, Major
Harry GemMajor Thomas Henry Gem , known as Harry Gem, was an English lawyer, soldier, writer and sportsman.Alongside his friend Augurio Perera, he is credited as the earliest inventor of the game of lawn tennis.-Biography:...
and his friend
Augurio PereraJuan Bautista Augurio Perera was a Spanish-born, English-based merchant and sportsman, credited alongside his friend Major Harry Gem as the earliest inventor of the game of lawn tennis.-Life:...
developed a game that combined elements of
racketsRackets or Racquets is an indoor racquet sport played in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada...
and the Basque ball game
pelotaPelota can refer to the popular and shortened names for a number of ball games:* Baseball* Basque pelota* Bocce* Jai alai* Valencian pilota...
, which they played on Perera's
croquetCroquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport, which involves hitting wooden or plastic balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
lawn in
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
, United Kingdom. In 1872, along with two local doctors, they founded the world's first tennis club in
Leamington SpaLeamington Spa, properly Royal Leamington Spa, commonly Leamington or "Leam" to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr...
. The Courier of July 23, 1884 recorded one of the first tennis tournaments, held in the grounds of Shrubland Hall.
In December 1873, Major
Walter Clopton WingfieldMajor Walter Clopton Wingfield was a Welsh inventor of lawn tennis , which he called Sphairistikè .-Biography:...
designed and patented a similar game — which he called
sphairistikeStické is a racquet sport invented in the late 19th century merging aspects of real tennis, racquets, and lawn tennis...
, and was soon known simply as "sticky" — for the amusement of his guests at a garden party on his estate of Nantclwyd, in Llanelidan, Wales. He likely based his game on the evolving sport of outdoor tennis including
real tennisReal tennis, often called "Royal Tennis" – one of the several sports sometimes called the sport of Kings – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis, is descended...
. According to some tennis historians, modern tennis terminology also derives from this period, as Wingfield borrowed both the name and much of the French vocabulary of real tennis and applied them to his new game.
The first championships at
WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877...
in London were played in 1877. The first Championships culminated a significant debate on how to standardize the rules.
In America in 1874
Mary Ewing OuterbridgeMary Ewing Outerbridge imported the lawn game tennis to the United States from Bermuda. -Birth and siblings:...
, a young socialite, returned from Bermuda where she met Major Wingfield. She laid out a tennis court at the
Staten Island Cricket ClubThe Staten Island Cricket Club is a cricket club on Staten Island, New York that was incorporated as the Staten Island Cricket and Base Ball Club on March 22, 1872. It became the first tennis venue in the United States.- History :...
in New Brighton Staten Island, New York.
The exact location of the club was under what is now the Staten Island Ferry terminal. The first American National tournament in 1880 was played there. An Englishman named O.E Woodhouse won the singles match. There was also a doubles match which was won by a local pair. There were different rules at each club. The ball in Boston was larger than the one normally used in NY. On May 21, 1881, the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (now the
United States Tennis AssociationThe United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
) was formed to standardize the rules and organize competitions. The U.S. National Men's Singles Championship, now the US Open, was first held in 1881 at
Newport, Rhode IslandNewport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about 30 miles south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States...
. The U.S. National Women's Singles Championships were first held in 1887. Tennis was also popular in France, where the French Open dates to 1891. Thus, Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open, and the
Australian OpenThe Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year. The tournament is held each January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was contested on grass from then up to 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been held on hard...
(dating to 1905) became and have remained the most prestigious events in tennis. Together these four events are called the Majors or
Slams (a term borrowed from
bridgeContract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game of skill and chance . It is played by four players who form two partnerships; the partners sit opposite each other at a table...
rather than
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
).
The comprehensive International Lawn Tennis Federation, now known as the
International Tennis FederationThe International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
, rules promulgated in 1924 have remained remarkably stable in the ensuing eighty years, the one major change being the addition of the
tie-break system designed by
James Van AlenJames Henry Van Alen is best known for being the founder of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the largest tennis museum in the world.-Biography:...
. That same year, tennis withdrew from the Olympics after the 1924 Games but returned 60 years later as a 21-and-under demonstration event in 1984. This reinstatement was credited by the efforts by the then ITF President Philippe Chatrier, ITF General Secretary David Gray and ITF Vice President Pablo Llorens, and support from IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. The success of the event was overwhelming and the IOC decided to reintroduce tennis as a full medal sport at Seoul in 1988.
The
Davis CupThe Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. The largest annual international team competition in sports, the Davis Cup is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition...
, an annual competition between men's national teams, dates to 1900. The analogous competition for women's national teams, the
Fed CupFed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
, was founded as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the ITF.
In 1926, promoter C.C. Pyle established the first professional tennis tour with a group of American and French tennis players playing exhibition matches to paying audiences. The most notable of these early professionals were the American Vinnie Richards and the Frenchwoman
Suzanne LenglenSuzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen was a French tennis player who won 31 Grand Slam titles between 1914 and 1926. A flamboyant, trendsetting athlete, she was the first female tennis celebrity and one of the first international female sport stars, named La Divine by the French press.- Early life :A...
. Once a player
turned pro he or she could not compete in the major (amateur) tournaments.
In 1968, commercial pressures and rumors of some amateurs taking money under the table led to the abandonment of this distinction, inaugurating the
open eraOpen era may refer to:* The Open Era of Tennis* The Glasnost era of the Soviet Union* The Open Era of Galveston, Texas, also known as the Free State era...
, in which all players could compete in all tournaments, and top players were able to make their living from tennis. With the beginning of the open era, the establishment of an international professional tennis circuit, and revenues from the sale of television rights, tennis's popularity has spread worldwide, and the sport has shed its upper/middle-class English-speaking image (although it is acknowledged that this stereotype still exists).
In 1954, Van Alen founded the
International Tennis Hall of FameThe International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit tennis hall of fame and museum at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.- History :...
, a non-profit museum in Newport, Rhode Island. The building contains a large collection of tennis memorabilia as well as a hall of fame honoring prominent members and tennis players from all over the world. Each year, a
grass-courtA grass court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Grass courts are made of rye grass in different compositions depending on the tournament...
tournament and an induction ceremony honoring new Hall of Fame members are hosted on its grounds.
Equipment
Part of the appeal of tennis stems from the simplicity of equipment required for play. Beginners need only a
racquetA racquet is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of cord is stretched tightly. It is used for striking a ball in such games as squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton...
and balls.
Racquets
The tennis racquet comprises a handle and neck joining a roughly circular frame that holds an array of tightly pulled strings. For the first century of the modern game, racquets were of wood and of standard size, and strings were of animal gut. Laminated wood construction yielded more strength in rackets used through most of the 20th century until first metal and then composites of carbon graphite, ceramics, and lighter metals such as titanium were introduced. These stronger materials enabled the production of oversized rackets that yielded yet more power. Meanwhile technology led to the use of synthetic strings that match the feel of gut yet with added durability.
Balls
Tennis balls are of hollow rubber with a felt coating. Traditionally white, the predominant color was gradually changed to Optic Yellow in the latter part of the twentieth century to allow for improved visibility.
Miscellaneous
Advanced players improve their performance through a number of accoutrements. Vibration dampers may be interlaced in the proximal part of the string array for improved feel. Racket handles may be customized with absorbent materials to improve the players' grip. Players often use sweat bands on their wrists to keep their hands dry as well. Finally, although the game can be played in a variety of shoes, specialized tennis shoes have wide, flat soles for stability and a built-up front structure to avoid excess wear.
Court
Tennis is played on a rectangular, flat surface, usually
grassA grass court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Grass courts are made of rye grass in different compositions depending on the tournament...
,
clayA clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam tournaments.Clay courts are more common...
, a
hardcourtHardcourt or hard court describes a form of surface or floor on which a sport is played. It may refer to an indoor court made from a wood, or more specifically hardwood such as maple, as in basketball or indoor soccer. Alternatively, it may refer to outdoor materials such as asphalt, shale, or clay....
of concrete and/or asphalt and occasionally carpet (indoor). The court is 78 feet (23.77
mThe metre or meter is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units . Historically, the metre was defined by the French Academy of Sciences as the length between two marks on a platinum-iridium bar, which was designed to represent one ten-millionth of the distance from the Equator...
) long, and its width is 27 feet (8.23 m) for singles matches and 36 ft (10.97 m) for doubles matches. Additional clear space around the court is required in order for players to reach overrun balls. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal ends. The net is 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high at the posts and 3 feet (91.4 cm) high in the center.
The modern tennis court owes its design to Major
Walter Clopton WingfieldMajor Walter Clopton Wingfield was a Welsh inventor of lawn tennis , which he called Sphairistikè .-Biography:...
who, in 1873, patented a court much the same as the current one for his
stické tennisStické is a racquet sport invented in the late 19th century merging aspects of real tennis, racquets, and lawn tennis...
(sphairistike). This template was modified in 1875 to the court design that exists today, with markings similar to Wingfield's version, but with the
hourglassAn hourglass, also known as a sandglass, sand timer, sand clock or egg timer, is a device for the measurement of time. It consists of two glass bulbs placed one above the other which are connected by a narrow tube. One of the bulbs is usually filled with fine sand which flows through the narrow...
shape of his court changed to a rectangle.
Lines
The lines that delineate the width of the court are called the baseline (farthest back) and the service line (middle of the court). The short mark in the center of each baseline is referred to as either the hash mark or the center mark. The outermost lines that make up the length are called the doubles sidelines. These are the boundaries used when doubles is being played. The lines to the inside of the doubles sidelines are the singles sidelines and are used as boundaries in singles play. The area between a doubles sideline and the nearest singles sideline is called the doubles alley, which is considered playable in doubles play. The line that runs across the center of a player's side of the court is called the service line because the serve must be delivered into the area between the service line and the net on the receiving side. Despite its name, this is not where a player legally stands when making a serve. The line dividing the service line in two is called the center line or center service line. The boxes this center line creates are called the service boxes; depending on a player's position, he will have to hit the ball into one of these when serving. A ball is out only if none of it has hit the line or the area inside the lines upon its first bounce. All the lines are required to be between 1 and in width. The baseline can be up to wide if so desired.
Play of a single point
The players (or teams) start on opposite sides of the net. One player is designated the
server, and the opposing player, or in doubles one of the opposing players, is the
receiver. Service alternates between the two halves of the court. For each point, the server starts behind his baseline, between the center mark and the sideline. The receiver may start anywhere on their side of the net. When the receiver is ready, the server will
serveA serve in tennis is a shot to start a point. The serve is usually initiated by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it into the diagonally opposite service box without touching the net. Players typically serve overhead, but it may be performed underhand...
, although the receiver must play to the pace of the server.
In a legal service, the ball travels over the net (without touching it) and into the diagonally opposite service box. If the ball hits the net but lands in the service box, this is a
let or
net service, which is void, and the server gets to retake that serve. The player can serve any number of let services in a point and they are always treated as voids and not as faults. A fault is a serve that is long, wide, or not over the net. There is also a "foot fault", which occurs when a player's foot touches the baseline or an extension of the center mark before the ball is hit. If the second service is also faulty, this is a
double fault, and the receiver wins the point. However, if the serve is in, it is considered a legal service.
A legal service starts a
rally, in which the players alternate hitting the ball across the net. A legal return consists of the player or team hitting the ball exactly once before it has bounced twice or hit any fixtures except the net, provided that it still falls in the server's court. The ball then travels back over the net and bounces in the court on the opposite side. The first player or team to fail to make a legal return loses the point.
Scoring
A tennis match is determined through the best of 3 or 5
sets. Typically for both men's and women's matches, the first player to win two sets wins the match. At certain important tennis tournaments for men, including all four
Grand SlamThe four Grand Slam tournaments, also called the Majors, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are: Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open...
tournaments and the final of the
Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
, the first man to win three sets wins the match. A set consists of
games, and games, in turn, consist of
points.
A game consists of a sequence of
pointsA point in tennis is the smallest subdivision of the match, the completion of which changes the score. A point can consist of a double fault by the server, in which case it is won by the receiver; otherwise, it begins with a legal serve by one side's server to the receiver on the other, and...
played with the same player serving. A game is won by the first player to have won at least four points in total and at least two points more than the opponent. The running score of each game is described in a manner peculiar to tennis: scores from zero to three points are described as "
love", "
fifteen", "
thirty", and "
forty" respectively. (See the main article
Tennis scoreA tennis match is composed of points, games, and sets. A match is won as soon as a player or doubles pair wins the majority of prescribed sets, or reaches the prescribed total points in a tiebreak .Traditionally, a match is the best of three sets A tennis match is composed of points, games, and...
for the origin of these words as used in tennis.) If at least three points have been scored by each player, and the scores are equal, the score is "
deuce". If at least three points have been scored by each side and a player has one more point than his opponent, the score of the game is "
advantage" for the player in the lead. During informal games, "advantage" can also be called "ad in" or "ad out", depending on whether the serving player or receiving player is ahead, respectively.
In tournament play, the chair umpire calls the point count (e.g., "
fifteen-love") after each point. The score of a tennis match during play is always read with the serving player's score first. After a match, the score is always read with the winning player's score first. At the end of a game, the chair umpire also announces the winner of the game and the overall score.
A
game point occurs in tennis whenever the player who is in the lead in the game needs only one more point to win the game. The terminology is extended to sets (set point), matches (match point), and even championships (championship point). For example, if the player who is serving has a score of 40-love, the player has a triple game point (triple set point, etc.) as the player has three consecutive chances to win the game. Game points, set points, and match points are not part of official scoring and are not announced by the chair umpire in tournament play.
A
break point occurs if the receiver, not the
serverA serve in tennis is a shot to start a point. The serve is usually initiated by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it into the diagonally opposite service box without touching the net. Players typically serve overhead, but it may be performed underhand...
, has a game point. Break points are of particular importance because
servingA serve in tennis is a shot to start a point. The serve is usually initiated by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it into the diagonally opposite service box without touching the net. Players typically serve overhead, but it may be performed underhand...
is generally advantageous. A receiver who has two (score of 15-40) or three (score of love-40) consecutive chances to win the game has
double break point or
triple break point, respectively. As with game, set, and match points, break points are not announced.
A set consists of a sequence of games played with service alternating between games, ending when the count of games won meets certain criteria. Typically, a player wins a set by winning at least six games and at least two games more than the opponent. If one player has won six games and the opponent five, an additional game is played. If the leading player wins that game, the player wins the set 7–5. If the trailing player wins the game, a
tie-break is played. A tie-break, played under a separate set of rules, allows one player to win one more game and thus the set, to give a final set score of 7–6. Only in the final sets of matches at the
Australian OpenThe Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year. The tournament is held each January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was contested on grass from then up to 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been held on hard...
, the French Open,
WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877...
, the Olympic Games,
Davis CupThe Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. The largest annual international team competition in sports, the Davis Cup is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition...
, and
Fed CupFed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
are tie-breaks not played. In these cases, sets are played indefinitely until one player has a two-game lead. A "love" set means that the loser of the set won zero games. In tournament play, the chair umpire announces the winner of the set and the overall score.
In tournament play, the chair umpire announces the end of the match with the well-known phrase "
Game, set, match" followed by the winning person's or team's name.
Rules variations
Variations
| Name |
Description |
| No-ad |
The first player or doubles team to win four points wins the game, regardless of whether the player or team is ahead by two points. When the game score reaches three points each, the receiver chooses which side of the court (advantage court or deuce court) the service is to be delivered on the seventh and game-deciding point. |
| Pro set |
Instead of playing multiple sets, players may play one "pro set". A pro set is first to 8 (or 10) games by a margin of two games, instead of first to 6 games. A 12-point tie-break is usually played when the score is 8-8 (or 10-10). These are often played with no-ad scoring. |
| Match tiebreak |
This is sometimes played instead of a third set. This is played like a regular tiebreak, but the winner must win ten points instead of seven. Match tiebreaks are used in the Hopman Cup The Hopman Cup is an annual international team tennis tournament founded by Paul McNamee and Charlie Fancutt, and held in Perth, Western Australia in early January each year, which plays mixed teams on a country by country basis.-Format:Unlike other major international team tennis tournaments like...
for mixed doubles, on the ATPThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the principal worldwide tennis tour for men, the ATP Tour, which was renamed in January 2009 and is now known as the ATP World Tour...
and WTAThe Women's Tennis Association, formed in 1973, is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It organizes the WTA Tour, the worldwide professional tennis tour for women, which has for sponsorship reasons been known since 2005 as The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour...
tours for doubles and as a player's choice in USTA league play. |
Another, however informal, tennis format is called "Kiwi doubles", "Canadian doubles" or "cut-throat". This involves three players, with one person playing a doubles team. The single player gets to utilize the alleys normally reserved only for a doubles team. Conversely, the doubles team does not use the alleys when executing a shot. The scoring is the same as a regular game. This format is not sanctioned by any official body.
"Australian doubles", another informal and unsanctioned form of tennis, is played with similar rules to the "Kiwi" style, only in this version, players rotate court position after each game. As such, each player plays doubles and singles over the course of a match, with the singles player always serving. Scoring styles vary, but one popular method is to assign a value of 2 points to each game, with the server taking both points if he or she holds serve and the doubles team each taking one if they break serve.
Wheelchair tennisWheelchair tennis is one of the forms of tennis adapted for those who have disabilities in their lower bodies. The size of courts, balls, and rackets are same, but there are two major differences from pedestrian tennis; they use specially designed wheelchairs and the ball may bounce up to two times...
can be played by able-bodied players as well as people who require a wheelchair for mobility. An extra bounce is permitted. This rule makes it possible to have mixed wheelchair and able-bodied matches. It is possible for a doubles team to consist of a wheelchair player and an able-bodied player (referred to as "one-up, one-down"), or for a wheelchair player to play against an able-bodied player. In such cases, the extra bounce is permitted for the wheelchair users only.
Surface
There are four main types of court surface, each different in the speed and bounce of the ball:
| Name |
Description |
ClayA clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam tournaments.Clay courts are more common...
|
Examples are red clay (used at the French Open and many other tournaments, especially in Europe and Latin America) and green clay (an example of which is Har-Tru and used mainly in the U.S.). Clay courts normally have a slower paced ball and a fairly true bounce with more spin. |
| Hard |
Examples are acrylic Acrylic may refer to:* chemical compounds that contain the acryl group derived from acrylic acid* Acrylic fiber, a synthetic polymer fiber that contains at least 85% acrylonitrile...
(e.g. PlexicushionPlexicushion is a tennis surface system made by Plexipave, a company based in Massachusetts, USA.- Description :According to the Plexipave website there are four different types of Plexicushion...
used at the Australian OpenThe Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year. The tournament is held each January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was contested on grass from then up to 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been held on hard...
, DecoTurfDecoTurf is a tennis hardcourt comprising layers of acrylic, rubber, silica, and other materials on top of an asphalt or concrete base. It is manufactured by Decosystems, which is a division of California Products Corporation which also manufactures Plexipave), and is based in Andover,...
used at the US Open), asphalt, and concrete. Hardcourts typically have a faster-paced ball with a very true bounce. |
| Grass A grass court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Grass courts are made of rye grass in different compositions depending on the tournament...
|
Used at WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877...
. Grass courts usually have a faster-paced ball, and a more erratic bounce. Wimbledon has slowed its courts over the years. (see the cited main article, Grass courts). |
| Indoor |
Examples are carpetA carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene, and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their structure.- Etymology :The...
and very rarely, wood. Carpet courts typically have a very fast-paced ball with a true but low bounce. |
Officials
In most professional play and some amateur competition, there is an officiating head judge or chair umpire (usually referred to as the umpire), who sits in a raised chair to one side of the court. The umpire has absolute authority to make factual determinations. The umpire may be assisted by line judges, who determine whether the ball has landed within the required part of the court and who also call foot faults. There also may be a net judge who determines whether the ball has touched the net during service. In some tournaments, certain line judges, usually those who would be calling the serve, are replaced by electronic sensors that beep when an out call would have been made. In some tournaments, electric line calls aren't made, but rather are used to assist the linespeople. When a ball lands in a spot where the linesperson isn't sure if the ball was in or out, a noise is made that only linespeople can hear (because they are wearing headsets), and helps them to make the call. In some open-tournament matches, players are allowed to challenge a limited number of close calls by means of
electronic reviewInstant replay is a technology that allows broadcast of a previously occurring event using recorded video. This is most commonly used in sports; by on television to replay previous plays for the viewer, often from other angles than shown in the main broadcast, and also on video screens at live events...
. The US Open, the NASDAQ-100 Open in
Key Biscayne, FloridaKey Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324....
, the
US Open SeriesThe US Open Series is the six-week summer tennis "season" linking 10 ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments together. The Series leads to the US Open. It is often referred to as the U.S. or North American hard court season....
, and
World Team TennisWorld TeamTennis is a Professional Tennis league played with a unique team format in the United States. The league has been opened for international teams.-First league:...
started using a "challenge" system in 2006 and the
Australian OpenThe Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year. The tournament is held each January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was contested on grass from then up to 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been held on hard...
and
WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877...
introduced the system in 2007. This used the
Hawk-EyeHawk-Eye is a computer system used in cricket, tennis and other sports to visually track the path of the ball and display a record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image . In some sports, like tennis, it is now part of the adjudication process. It is also used in some instances to...
system and the rules were similar to those used in the
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
, where a player gets a limited number of opportunities to challenge per match/set. More recently, a player may use unlimited challenges in a set, provided that he or she is not incorrect more than three times. In clay-court matches, such as at the French Open, a call may be questioned by reference to the mark left by the ball's impact on the court surface.
The referee, who is usually located off the court, is the final authority about tennis rules. When called to the court by a player or team captain, the referee may overrule the umpire's decision if the tennis rules were violated (question of law) but may not change the umpire's decision on a question of fact. If, however, the referee is on the court during play, the referee may overrule the umpire's decision.
Ball boys and girlsBall Boy is a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano and also the name of the main character. It first appeared in issue 1735, dated 18 October 1975. It features a five-a-side football team that includes:* Ball Boy - the captain of the team, Ball Boy bears resemblances to The Dandy's Owen Goal...
may be employed to retrieve balls, pass them to the players, and hand players their towels. They have no adjudicative role. In rare events (e.g., if they are hurt or if they have caused a hindrance), the umpire may ask them for a statement of what actually happened. The umpire may consider their statements when making a decision. In some leagues, especially junior leagues, players make their own calls, trusting each other to be honest. This is the case for many school and university level matches. The referee or referee's assistant, however, can be called on court at a player's request, and the referee or assistant may change a player's call. In unofficiated matches, a ball is out only if the player entitled to make the call is sure that the ball is out.
Juniors
In tennis, a junior is a player under the age of 18 who is still legally protected by a parent or guardian. Players on the main adult tour who are under 18 must have documents signed by a parent or guardian. These players, however, are still eligible to play in junior tournaments.
The
International Tennis FederationThe International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
(ITF) conducts a junior tour that allows juniors to establish a world ranking and an
Association of Tennis ProfessionalsThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the principal worldwide tennis tour for men, the ATP Tour, which was renamed in January 2009 and is now known as the ATP World Tour...
(ATP) or
Women's Tennis AssociationThe Women's Tennis Association, formed in 1973, is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It organizes the WTA Tour, the worldwide professional tennis tour for women, which has for sponsorship reasons been known since 2005 as The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour...
(WTA) ranking. Most juniors who enter the international circuit do so by progressing through ITF, Satellite, Future, and Challenger tournaments before entering the main circuit. The latter three circuits also have adults competing in them. Some juniors, however, such as Australian
Lleyton HewittLleyton Glynn Hewitt is a professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1 ranked player, from Australia. In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked number one at age 20...
and Frenchman
Gaël MonfilsGaël Monfils is a French professional male tennis player. He is currently the third highest ranked French tennis player, and number 13 in the world....
, have catapulted directly from the junior tour to the ATP tour by dominating the junior scene or by taking advantage of opportunities given to them to participate in professional tournaments.
In 2004, the ITF implemented a new rankings scheme to encourage greater participation in doubles, by combining two rankings (singles and doubles) into one combined tally. Junior tournaments do not offer prize money except for the
Grand SlamsThe four Grand Slam tournaments, also called the Majors, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are: Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open...
, which are the most prestigious junior events. Juniors may earn income from tennis by participating in the Future, Satellite, or Challenger tours. Tournaments are broken up into different tiers offering different amounts of ranking points, culminating with Grade A.
Leading juniors are allowed to participate for their nation in the
Junior Fed Cup and Davis CupJunior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup is the international team event in junior tennis.The senior's equivalent of the Junior Davis and Fed Cup is the Davis Cup and Fed Cup.- Junior Davis Cup :*1985: Australia*1986: Australia*1987: Australia...
competitions as well. To succeed in tennis often means having to begin playing at a young age. To facilitate and nurture a junior's growth in tennis, almost all tennis playing nations have developed a junior development system. Juniors develop their play through a range of tournaments on all surfaces, accommodating all different standards of play. Talented juniors may also receive sponsorships from governing bodies or private institutions.
Match play
A tennis match is intended to be continuous. Because stamina is a relevant factor, arbitrary delays are not permitted. In most cases, service is required to occur no more than 20 seconds after the end of the previous point. This is increased to 90 seconds when the players change ends (after every odd-numbered game), and a 120 second break is permitted between sets. Other than this, breaks are permitted only when forced by events beyond the players' control, such as rain, damaged footwear, damaged racquet, or the need to retrieve an errant ball. Should a player be determined to be stalling repeatedly, the chair umpire may initially give a warning followed by subsequent penalties of "point", "game", and default of the match for the player who is consistently taking longer than the allowed time limit.
In the event of a rain delay, darkness or other external conditions halting play, the match is resumed at a later time, with the same score as at the time of the delay, and the players at the same end of the court when rain halted play, or at the same position (north or south) if play is resumed on a different court.
Balls wear out quickly in serious play and, therefore, in
ATPThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the principal worldwide tennis tour for men, the ATP Tour, which was renamed in January 2009 and is now known as the ATP World Tour...
and
WTAThe Women's Tennis Association, formed in 1973, is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It organizes the WTA Tour, the worldwide professional tennis tour for women, which has for sponsorship reasons been known since 2005 as The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour...
tournaments, they are changed after every nine games with the first change occurring after only seven games, because the first set of balls is also used for the pre-match warm-up. As a courtesy to the receiver, the server will often signal to the receiver before the first serve of the game in which new balls are used as a reminder that they are using new balls. However, in
ITFThe International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
tournaments like
Fed CupFed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
, the balls are changed in a 9-11 style. Continuity of the balls' condition is considered part of the game, so if a re-warm-up is required after an extended break in play (usually due to rain), then the re-warm-up is done using a separate set of balls, and use of the match balls is resumed only when play resumes.
A recent proposed rules change is to allow coaching on court during a match on a limited basis, and this has, in fact, been instituted for WTA Tour events.
Shots
A competent tennis player has eight basic shots in his or her repertoire: the serve, forehand, backhand, volley, half-volley, overhead smash, drop shot, and lob.
Serve
A serve (or, more formally, a "service") in tennis is a shot to start a point. The serve is initiated by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it (usually near the apex of its trajectory) into the diagonally opposite service box without touching the net. The serve may be hit under- or overhand.
Experienced players strive to master the conventional overhand serve to maximize its power and placement. The server may employ different types of serve including flat serve, topspin serve, slice serve, and kick (American twist) serve. A reverse type of spin serve is hit in a manner that spins the ball opposite the natural spin of the server, the spin direction depending upon right- or left-handedness. If the ball is spinning counterclockwise, it will curve right from the hitter's point of view and curve left if spinning clockwise.
Some servers are content to use the serve simply to initiate the point; however, advanced players often try to hit a winning shot with their serve. A winning serve that is not touched by the opponent is called an "ace". If the receiver manages to touch it but fails to successfully return it, it is called a "service winner".
Grips
Players use various grips during play, including the continental, eastern, and western grips. Different grips generally are used for different types of spin and shots.
Forehand
For a right-handed player, the forehand is a stroke that begins on the right side of the body, continues across the body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the left side of the body. There are various
gripsIn tennis, a grip is a way of holding the racquet in order to hit shots during a match. The six most commonly used conventional grips are: the Continental , the Eastern Forehand , the Semi-Western, the Western, the Eastern Backhand, and the Two-Handed Backhand...
for executing the forehand, and their popularity has fluctuated over the years. The most important ones are the
continental, the
eastern, the
semi-western, and the
western. For a number of years, the small, apparently frail 1920s player
Bill JohnstonWilliam Johnston was an American tennis champion. He was the co-World No. 1 player in 1919 and in 1922 respectively along with Gerald Patterson and Bill Tilden. He won the U.S...
was considered by many to have had the best forehand of all time, a stroke that he hit shoulder-high using a
western grip. Few top players used the
western grip after the 1920s, but in the latter part of the 20th century, as shot-making techniques and equipment changed radically, the
western forehand made a strong comeback and is now used by many modern players. No matter which grip is used, most forehands are generally executed with one hand holding the racquet, but there have been fine players with two-handed forehands. In the 1940s and 50s, the Ecuadorian/American player
Pancho SeguraPancho Segura, born Francisco Olegario Segura , was a leading tennis player of the 1940s and 1950s, both as an amateur and as a professional. In 1950 and 1952, as a professional, he was the World Co-No. 1 player...
used a two-handed forehand to achieve a devastating effect against larger, more powerful players. Currently, France's
Fabrice SantoroFabrice Vetea Santoro is a French professional male tennis player from Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia, located in the Pacific Ocean....
uses a two-handed forehand. Some females such as
Monica SelesMonica Seles is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia to Hungarian parents and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994...
and France's
Marion BartoliMarion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French No. 1. She has won five Women's Tennis Association titles, and was runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships. As of October 12 2009, Bartoli is ranked World No.12.-Early Life and Personal Life:Bartoli was born on 2...
also use a two-handed forehand.
Backhand
For right-handed players, the backhand is a stroke that begins on the left side of their body, continues across their body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the right side of their body. It can be executed with either one hand or with both and is generally considered more difficult to master than the forehand. For most of the 20th century, the backhand was performed with one hand, using either an
eastern or a
continental grip. The first notable players to use two hands were the 1930s Australians
Vivian McGrathVivian Erzerum Bede "Viv" McGrath was an Australian tennis champion of the 1930s. Along with John Bromwich, he was one of the first great players to use a two-handed backhand. His name was pronounced "McGraw"....
and
John BromwichJohn Edward Bromwich was a male tennis player from Australia who, along with his countryman Vivian McGrath, was one of the first great players to use a two-handed forehand....
, but they were lonely exceptions. The two-handed grip gained popularity in the 1970s as
Björn BorgBjörn Borg is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden regarded by some observers and tennis players as the greatest player in the sport's history....
,
Chris EvertChristine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former world number 1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. According to the Women's Tennis...
,
Jimmy ConnorsJames Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former World No. 1 tennis player. Connors is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time...
, and later
Mats WilanderMats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title...
and
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a former World No. 1 professional American tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. He is generally considered by critics and fellow players to be among the greatest tennis players of all time, and has been called the...
used it to great effect, and it is now used by a large number of the world's best players, including
Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a former World No. 1 Spanish professional tennis player, currently ranked #2. Nadal has won six Grand Slam singles titles, and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles....
and
Serena WilliamsSerena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and current World No. 1. She has been ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association on four separate occasions...
.
Andy RoddickAndrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. His best surfaces are hard court and grass....
uses the
extreme western grip to create massive amounts of top spin. It is difficult to do this and could possibly cause injury if done incorrectly. Two hands give the player more control, while one hand can generate a slice shot, applying backspin on the ball to produce a low trajectory bounce. Reach is also limited with the two-handed shot. The player long considered to have had the best backhand of all time,
Don BudgeJohn Donald Budge was an American tennis champion who was a World No. 1 player for five years, first as an amateur and then as a professional. He is most famous as the first man to win in a single year the four tournaments that comprise the Grand Slam of tennis...
, had a powerful one-handed stroke in the 1930s and 1940s that imparted topspin onto the ball.
Ken RosewallKenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player who won Grand Slam singles titles in Australia, the United States, and France. He is considered to be one of the top male tennis players of all time...
, another player noted for his one-handed backhand, used a very accurate slice backhand through the 1950s and 1960s. A small number of players, notably
Monica SelesMonica Seles is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia to Hungarian parents and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994...
, use two hands on both the backhand and forehand sides.
Other shots
A
volleyA volley in tennis is a shot that is hit before the ball bounces on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net, although there are instances where it is executed farther back, in the middle of the tennis court or even near the baseline.The primary objective of the...
is made in the air before the ball bounces, generally near the net, and is usually made with a stiff-wristed punching motion to hit the ball into an open area of the opponent's court. The
half volleyA half volley in tennis is a shot that is hit immediately after the ball bounces. The player who is hitting the half volley should not take a full backswing, but should still follow through. It is sometimes called an "on the rise shot". The grip for this shot is a standard continental. Also,...
is made by hitting the ball on the rise just after it has bounced, once again generally in the vicinity of the net. The
swinging volley is hit out of the air as the player approaches the net. It is an offensive shot used to take preparation time away from the opponent. From a poor defensive position on the baseline, the
lobA lob in tennis is hitting the ball high and deep into the opponent's court. It can be used as an offensive or defensive weapon depending on the situation....
can be used as either an offensive or defensive weapon, hitting the ball high and deep into the opponent's court to either enable the lobber to get into better defensive position or to win the point outright by hitting it over the opponent's head. If the lob is not hit deeply enough into the other court, however, the opponent may then hit an
overhead smashA smash in tennis is a shot that is hit above the head with a serve-like motion. A smash can usually be hit with great force relatively safely and is often a shot that ends the point. Most smashes are hit fairly near the net or in mid-court before the ball bounces, generally against lobs that have...
, a hard, serve-like shot, to try to end the point. Finally, if an opponent is deep in his court, a player may suddenly employ an unexpected
drop shotA drop shot in tennis is slicing, putting a backspin on the ball just over the net. A good drop shot travels such that the opponent is unable to run fast enough to retrieve it....
, softly tapping the ball just over the net so that the opponent is unable to run in fast enough to retrieve it.
Tournaments
Tournaments are often organized by gender and number of players. Common tournament configurations include men's singles, women's singles, and doubles, where two players play on each side of the net. Tournaments may be arranged for specific age groups, with upper age limits for youth and lower age limits for senior players. Example of this include the
Orange BowlThe Orange Bowl is an ITF World Junior championships event, and is widely recognized as one of the most important junior tennis championships in the world. Established in 1962, the tournament consists of Boys' and Girls' 12 and 14-year-old age divisions, and takes place during December in varying...
and Les Petits As. There are also tournaments for players with disabilities, such as
wheelchair tennisWheelchair tennis is one of the forms of tennis adapted for those who have disabilities in their lower bodies. The size of courts, balls, and rackets are same, but there are two major differences from pedestrian tennis; they use specially designed wheelchairs and the ball may bounce up to two times...
and deaf tennis. In the four
Grand SlamThe four Grand Slam tournaments, also called the Majors, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are: Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open...
tournaments, the singles draws are limited to 128 people for each gender.
Players may also be matched by their skill level. According to how well a person does in sanctioned play, a player is given a rating that is adjusted periodically to maintain competitive matches. For example, the
United States Tennis AssociationThe United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
administers the National Tennis Rating Program, which rates players between 1.0 and 7.0 in 1/2 point increments. Average club players under this system would rate 3.0-4.5 while world class players would be 7.0 on this scale.
Grand Slam tournaments
The four
Grand SlamThe four Grand Slam tournaments, also called the Majors, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are: Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open...
tournaments are considered to be the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world. They are held annually and include, in chronological order, the
Australian OpenThe Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year. The tournament is held each January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was contested on grass from then up to 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been held on hard...
, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Apart from the
Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
,
Davis CupThe Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. The largest annual international team competition in sports, the Davis Cup is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition...
,
Fed CupFed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
, and
Hopman CupThe Hopman Cup is an annual international team tennis tournament founded by Paul McNamee and Charlie Fancutt, and held in Perth, Western Australia in early January each year, which plays mixed teams on a country by country basis.-Format:Unlike other major international team tennis tournaments like...
, they are the only tournaments regulated by the
International Tennis FederationThe International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
(ITF). The ITF's national associations,
Tennis AustraliaTennis Australia is the governing body for the sport of tennis in Australia. The organisation exists to promote tennis and conduct domestic and international tournaments on behalf of Australia, including the Australian Open and the Davis Cup for the Australian Davis Cup Team...
(Australian Open), the French Tennis Federation (French Open), the
United States Tennis AssociationThe United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
(US Open), and the
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet ClubThe All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club , also known as the All-England Club, based at Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass...
and
Lawn Tennis AssociationThe Lawn Tennis Association is the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Its objects are to prevent students from playing tennis and to develop tennis among the elite exclusively. it is renowned for basing 96% of its funding towards the...
(Wimbledon), are delegated the responsibility to organize these events.
Aside from the historical significance of these events, they also carry larger prize funds than any other tour event and are worth double the number of ranking points to the champion than in the next echelon of tournaments, the Masters 1000 (men) and Premier events (women). Another distinguishing feature is the number of players in the singles draw, 128, more than any other professional tennis tournament. This draw is composed of 32 seeded players, other players ranked in the world's top 100, qualifiers, and players who receive invitations through
wild cardsThe term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
. Grand Slam men's tournaments have best-of-five set matches throughout. Grand Slam tournaments are among the small number of events that last two weeks, the others being the BNP Paribas Open in
Indian Wells, CaliforniaIndian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2007 census, the city population was 4,865....
and the Sony Ericsson Open in
Key Biscayne, FloridaKey Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324....
. Currently, the Grand Slam tournaments are the only tour events that have mixed doubles contests. Grand Slam tournaments are held in conjunction with wheelchair tennis tournaments (with the exception being Wimbledon, where the
grassA grass court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Grass courts are made of rye grass in different compositions depending on the tournament...
surface prevents this) and
junior tennisJunior Tennis refers to tennis games where the participants are under the age of 18 and under the care of a parent or guardian. Some players who qualify as "junior tennis" players also play in main adult tours, though forms signed by their parent or guardian are required for this.-The ITF:The ITF...
competitions. Grand Slam tournaments are often seen as the culmination of a particular season, such as the US Open Series. These tournaments also contain their own idiosyncrasies. For example, players at Wimbledon are required to wear predominantly white, a rule that has motivated certain players, such as
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a former World No. 1 professional American tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. He is generally considered by critics and fellow players to be among the greatest tennis players of all time, and has been called the...
, to skip the tournament. Wimbledon also has its own particular methods for disseminating tickets, often leading tennis fans to follow complex procedures to obtain tickets.
Grand Slam
| Period |
Tournament |
Location |
Surface |
| January |
Australian OpenThe Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year. The tournament is held each January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was contested on grass from then up to 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been held on hard...
|
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
|
Hard (Plexicushion Plexicushion is a tennis surface system made by Plexipave, a company based in Massachusetts, USA.- Description :According to the Plexipave website there are four different types of Plexicushion...
) |
| May-June |
French Open |
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
|
ClayA clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam tournaments.Clay courts are more common...
|
| June-July |
Wimbledon |
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
|
Grass |
| August-September |
US Open |
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
|
Hard (DecoTurf DecoTurf is a tennis hardcourt comprising layers of acrylic, rubber, silica, and other materials on top of an asphalt or concrete base. It is manufactured by Decosystems, which is a division of California Products Corporation which also manufactures Plexipave), and is based in Andover,...
) |
Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a group of nine tournaments that form the second-highest echelon in men's tennis. Each event is held annually, and a win at one of these events is currently worth 1000 ranking points. When the
Association of Tennis ProfessionalsThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the principal worldwide tennis tour for men, the ATP Tour, which was renamed in January 2009 and is now known as the ATP World Tour...
, led by
Hamilton JordanWilliam Hamilton McWhorter Jordan was Chief of Staff to President of the United States Jimmy Carter.-Early life:...
, began running the men's tour in 1990, the directors designated the top nine tournaments, outside of the
Grand SlamThe four Grand Slam tournaments, also called the Majors, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are: Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open...
events, as "Super Nine" events. These eventually became the Tennis Masters Series. In November at the end of the tennis year, the world's top eight players compete in the ATP World Tour Finals, a tournament with a rotating locale. It is currently held in London, England.
On August 31, 2007 the ATP announced that major changes will take place in 2009. The Masters Series will be renamed to the “Masters 1000”, with the addition of the number 1000 referring to the number of ranking points earned by the winner of each tournament. Contrary to earlier plans, the number of tournaments will not be reduced from nine to eight and the
Monte Carlo MastersThe Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, a commune that borders on Monaco, of which Monte Carlo is the most famous ward. The event is part of the ATP Masters Series on the Association of Tennis Professionals ...
will remain part of the series although, unlike the other events, it will not have a mandatory player commitment. The
Hamburg MastersThe German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. The tournament is played on clay courts at the tennis center Am Rothenbaum. It used to be played in May, as...
event will be downgraded to a 500 point event. The
Madrid MastersThe Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open is a tournament for male and female professional tennis players, currently held in Madrid, Spain. The event is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the Women's Tennis...
will move to May and onto clay courts, and a new tournament in
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level...
will take over Madrid's former indoor October slot. In 2011 six of the nine “1000” level tournaments will be combined ATP and
WTAThe Women's Tennis Association, formed in 1973, is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It organizes the WTA Tour, the worldwide professional tennis tour for women, which has for sponsorship reasons been known since 2005 as The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour...
events.
Current Masters 1000 tournaments (2009)
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| March |
BNP Paribas Open The BNP Paribas Open is an annual tennis tournament held in the small city of Indian Wells, California.The tournament is a Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and is a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour. The event, held in March, is one of two tour events in which main draw play extends...
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Indian Wells Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2007 census, the city population was 4,865....
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Sony Ericsson Open The Sony Ericsson Open is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Florida. The event is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour. The tournament is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park...
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Miami[Actually in the adjacent suburb of Key Biscayne, Florida]Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324....
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| April |
Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters The Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, a commune that borders on Monaco, of which Monte Carlo is the most famous ward. The event is part of the ATP Masters Series on the Association of Tennis Professionals ...
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Monte-Carlo[Actually in the adjacent French]France , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
commune of Roquebrune-Cap-MartinRoquebrune-Cap-Martin is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in south-eastern France between Monaco and Menton. The name was changed from Roquebrune due to increasing urbanization in the French Riviera.-History:In pre-Roman times the area was settled by the Ligurians...
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Internazionali BNL d'Italia The Internazionali BNL d'Italia is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. The men's competition is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 event on the Women's Tennis Association tour. The two...
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RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
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| May |
Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid The Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open is a tournament for male and female professional tennis players, currently held in Madrid, Spain. The event is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the Women's Tennis...
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Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It is the third-most populous municipality in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-most populous city by urban area in the European Union after Paris and London.The city is located on the river...
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| August |
Rogers CupThe Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier Tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour...
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MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
,TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
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Western & Southern Financial Group Masters & Women's OpenThe Cincinnati Masters is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is today the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city....
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Cincinnati[Actually in the suburb of Mason, Ohio]Mason is a city in southwestern Warren County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, Mason's population was 22,016. It was the fastest-growing and most populous city in the county...
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| October |
Shanghai Masters 1000 presented by RolexThe Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 presented by Rolex is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It will be held annually in October at the Qizhong Forest Sports City...
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ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level...
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| November |
BNP Paribas Masters The BNP Paribas Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Many people consider the...
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ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
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250 and 500 Series
The International Series for men is split into two categories, both run by the ATPThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the principal worldwide tennis tour for men, the ATP Tour, which was renamed in January 2009 and is now known as the ATP World Tour...
: the 250 SeriesThe ATP World Tour 250 series is a new series for tennis tournaments of the Association of Tennis Professionals from the 2009 ATP World Tour...
and 500 SeriesThe ATP World Tour 500 series is a new series for tennis tournaments of the Association of Tennis Professionals from the 2009 ATP World Tour, replacing the ATP International Series Gold, and incorporating many of the same events...
. Like the Masters 1000, these events offer various amounts of prize money, and some regular International Series events offer larger prize monies than 500 Series tournaments. The Barclays Dubai Tennis ChampionshipsThe Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships is a professional tennis tournament owned and organized by Dubai Duty Free and held annually in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on outdoor hardcourts. The tournament organizes both a men's and women's event. The tournament takes place under the patronage of H.H...
offer the largest financial incentive to players, with total prize money of US$1,426,000.
Challenger Tour and Futures Tournaments
The Challenger Tour for men is the lowest level of tournament administered by the ATPThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the principal worldwide tennis tour for men, the ATP Tour, which was renamed in January 2009 and is now known as the ATP World Tour...
. It is composed of roughly 160 events and, as a result, features a more diverse range of countries hosting events. The majority of players use the Challenger Series to work their way up the rankings, including World No. 1s Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former World No. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles, and had a 203–38 win-loss record over 52 Grand Slam singles tournament appearances....
, Marcelo RíosMarcelo Andrés Ríos Mayorga is a retired and former World No. 1 tennis player from Chile. Nicknamed El Chino and El zurdo de Vitacura , he became the first Latin American player to reach the top position on the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings in 1998. He held the World No...
, Patrick RafterPatrick "Pat" Michael Rafter is a retired Australian former World No. 1 tennis player. He twice won the men's singles title at the US Open and was twice the runner-up at Wimbledon. Rafter was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006...
, and Gustavo KuertenGustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000...
. Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a former World No. 1 professional American tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. He is generally considered by critics and fellow players to be among the greatest tennis players of all time, and has been called the...
, between winning Grand Slam titles, plummeted to World No. 141 and used Challenger Series events for match experience and to progress back up the rankings. The Challenger Series offers prize funds of between US$25,000 and US$150,000.
Below the Challenger Series are the Futures TournamentsFutures tournaments are tennis tournaments held by the ITF Men's Circuit. They allow for players to win career titles and improve their rankings. Futures are held in both singles and doubles, and last only one week. They contain qualifying rounds so that players who are not ranked can gain ATP...
, the main events on the ITF Men's CircuitTHe ITF Men's Circuit is a series of professional tennis tournaments held around the world that are organized by the International Tennis Federation. The ITF Men's Circuit represents the lowest rung of the men's professional tennis ladder...
. These tournaments also contribute towards a player's ATP rankings points. Futures Tournaments offer prize funds of between US$10,000 and US$15,000; however, futures status is granted only to events offering a total of US$30,000, meaning that two or three tournaments are played. Approximately 400 Futures Tournaments are played each year.
Premier events
PremierPremier Tournaments is the new category for tennis tournaments of Women's Tennis Association from the 2009 WTA Tour. Tournaments are replacing Tier I and Tier II events, but also reducing number of tournaments to 20...
events for women form the most prestigious level of events on the Women's Tennis Association Tour after the Grand SlamThe four Grand Slam tournaments, also called the Majors, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are: Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open...
tournaments. These events offer the largest rewards in terms of points and prize money. Within the Premier category are Premier Mandatory, Premier 5, and Premier tournaments. The tiering system in women's tennis was introduced in 1988. At the time of its creation, only two tournaments, the Lipton International Players Championships in FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
and the German Open in Berlin, comprised the Tier I category. In 2009, four tournaments are Premier Mandatory, five tournaments are Premier 5, and ten tournaments are Premier.
Players
Professional tennis players enjoy the same relative perks as most top sports personalities; clothing, equipment and endorsements. As an individual sport, like Golf, they are not salaried, but must play and place highly in tournaments to obtain money.
Grand Slam winners
Male players who have played at least part of their careers during the open eraOpen era may refer to:* The Open Era of Tennis* The Glasnost era of the Soviet Union* The Open Era of Galveston, Texas, also known as the Free State era...
and who have won at least two Grand SlamThe four Grand Slam tournaments, also called the Majors, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are: Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open...
singles titles are as follows: Roger FedererRoger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player. As of October 2009, he is ranked world number 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals , having previously held the number one position for a record 237 consecutive weeks...
(15), Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former World No. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles, and had a 203–38 win-loss record over 52 Grand Slam singles tournament appearances....
(14), Roy EmersonRoy Stanley Emerson is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He is the only male player to have won singles and doubles titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. His 28 Grand Slam titles are an all-time record for a male...
(12), Rod LaverRodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is a former tennis player from Australia who was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970. He is the only tennis player to have twice won all four Grand Slam singles titles in the same year — first as an amateur in 1962 and second as a...
(11), Björn BorgBjörn Borg is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden regarded by some observers and tennis players as the greatest player in the sport's history....
(11), Ken RosewallKenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player who won Grand Slam singles titles in Australia, the United States, and France. He is considered to be one of the top male tennis players of all time...
(8), Jimmy ConnorsJames Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former World No. 1 tennis player. Connors is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time...
(8), Ivan LendlIvan Lendl is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl later became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s...
(8), Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a former World No. 1 professional American tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. He is generally considered by critics and fellow players to be among the greatest tennis players of all time, and has been called the...
(8), John NewcombeJohn David Newcombe, AO OBE, is a former World No. 1 tennis champion.-Biography:A natural athlete, as a boy Newcombe played several sports until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962 and 1963 and became a member of Australia's Davis Cup winning team in 1964...
(7), John McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is an American former World No. 1 professional tennis player. McEnroe won seven Grand Slam singles titles—three at Wimbledon and four at the US Open—nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
(7), Mats WilanderMats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title...
(7), Boris BeckerBoris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17. Tennis Magazine put Becker in 18th place on its list of...
(6), Stefan EdbergStefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles.-Career:Edberg first came to the tennis world's attention as a junior player...
(6), Rafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a former World No. 1 Spanish professional tennis player, currently ranked #2. Nadal has won six Grand Slam singles titles, and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles....
(6), Jim CourierJames Spencer "Jim" Courier, Jr. is a former world number one professional tennis player from the United States...
(4), Guillermo VilasGuillermo Apolinario Vilas is a retired professional tennis player from Argentina.-Career:...
(4), Arthur AsheArthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the U.S...
(3), Jan KodešJan Kodeš is a right-handed Czech former tennis player who won three Grand Slam events in the early-1970s....
(3), Gustavo KuertenGustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000...
(3), Stan SmithStanley Roger Smith is a former American tennis player who, with his partner Bob Lutz, was one of the most successful doubles teams of all time. Together, they won many major titles all over the world. Smith also won many singles titles, including the Wimbledon championship once and the US Open...
(2), Ilie NăstaseIlie Năstase is a former Romanian professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 in 1973 according to the Association of Tennis Professionals ranking system, which placed him first from August 23, 1973 to June 2, 1974...
(2), Johan KriekJohan Kriek is a South African / American professional male tennis player and founder of the Global Water Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to delivering clean water to the world's neediest communities. He also had an academy that was called Kriek Eagelton, partnered with his friend...
(2), Lleyton HewittLleyton Glynn Hewitt is a professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1 ranked player, from Australia. In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked number one at age 20...
(2), Yevgeny KafelnikovYevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a retired and former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002...
(2), Patrick RafterPatrick "Pat" Michael Rafter is a retired Australian former World No. 1 tennis player. He twice won the men's singles title at the US Open and was twice the runner-up at Wimbledon. Rafter was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006...
(2), Sergi BrugueraSergi Bruguera Torner is a retired professional tennis player from Spain. He is best remembered for winning consecutive men's singles titles at the French Open in 1993 and 1994.-Career:...
(2), and Marat SafinMarat Mikhailovich Safin is a former World No. 1 Russian ATP tennis player. He is the older brother of current World No. 2 WTA player Dinara Safina. They are the first brother-sister tandem in tennis history to both achieve No. 1 rankings.Safin began his professional career in 1997, and held the No...
(2).
Female players who have played at least part of their careers during the open era and who have won at least two Grand Slam singles titles are as follows: Margaret Court (24), Steffi GrafStefanie Maria Graf is a former World No. 1 female tennis player from Germany.Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Court's 24...
(22), Chris EvertChristine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former world number 1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. According to the Women's Tennis...
(18), Martina NavrátilováMartina Navrátilová is a Czech-American tennis player. A former World No. 1...
(18), Billie Jean KingBillie Jean King is a tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...
(12), Serena WilliamsSerena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and current World No. 1. She has been ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association on four separate occasions...
(11), Monica SelesMonica Seles is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia to Hungarian parents and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994...
(9), Justine Henin (7), Evonne Goolagong Cawley (7), Venus WilliamsVenus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate occasions; as of October 19, 2009, she is ranked World No. 4...
(7), Martina HingisMartina Hingis is a retired professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...
(5), Hana MandlíkováHana Mandlíková is a former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. During her career, she won four Grand Slam singles titles – two at the Australian Open, one at the French Open, and one at the US Open...
(4), Arantxa Sánchez VicarioAránzazu Arantxa Isabel Maria Sánchez Vicario is a Spanish former professional tennis player...
(4), Maria SharapovaMaria Yuryevna Sharapova is a former World No. 1 Russian professional tennis player and three time Grand Slam singles champion...
(3), Virginia WadeSarah Virginia Wade, OBE is an English former tennis player. She won three Grand Slam singles titles and four Grand Slam doubles titles. She won the women's singles title at Wimbledon in the tournament's centenary year on 1 July 1977, the last time a Briton has won a singles title at the tournament...
(3), Lindsay DavenportLindsay Ann Davenport is a former World No. 1 American professional tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. In 2005, TENNIS Magazine ranked her as the 29th-best player of the preceding forty years...
(3), Jennifer CapriatiJennifer Marie Capriati is a former World No. 1 women's tennis player from the United States. She has won three Grand Slam singles titles and the women's singles gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games...
(3), Nancy Richey Gunter (2), Tracy AustinTracy Ann Austin Holt is a former World No. 1 women's professional tennis player from the United States who won the women's singles title at the US Open in 1979 and 1981 and the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 1980, before a series of injuries cut short her career.-To 1980:Austin won 21...
(2), Mary PierceMary Pierce is a tennis professional playing on the Women's Tennis Association tour. She is a citizen of France, Canada, and the United States but plays for France in team competitions and the Olympics....
(2), Amélie MauresmoAmélie Simone Mauresmo ; born 5 July 1979) is a French professional tennis player. She is a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles in 2006, at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon....
(2), Svetlana KuznetsovaSvetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova is a Russian professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 3. She won the 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open singles titles...
(2) and Kim ClijstersKim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian tennis player. She is a former World No. 1 ranked player in singles and in doubles. As of September 28, 2009, she is ranked World No. 17....
(2).
Greatest male players
Lawn Tennis has churned out more legends than any other sports in history. A frequent topic of discussion among tennis fans and commentators is who was the greatest male singles player of all time. No consensus has ever existed, however. By a large margin, an Associated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
poll in 1950 named Bill TildenWilliam Tatem Tilden II , nicknamed "Big Bill," is often considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. An American tennis player who was the World No...
as the greatest player of the first half of the 20th century. From 1920-1930, Tilden won singles titles at WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877...
three times and the U.S. Championships seven times. In 1938, however, Donald Budge became the first person to win all four Grand SlamThe four Grand Slam tournaments, also called the Majors, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, and public attention. They are: Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open...
singles titles during the same calendar year and won six consecutive Grand Slam singles titles in 1937 and 1938. Tilden called Budge "the finest player 365 days a year that ever lived." And in his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer said that, based on consistent play, Budge was the greatest player ever. Some observers, however, also felt that Kramer deserved consideration for the title. Kramer was among the few who dominated amateur and professional tennis during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Tony TrabertMarion Anthony Trabert is a retired American tennis champion and long-time tennis author, TV commentator, instructor, and motivation speaker...
has said that of the players he saw before the start of the open eraOpen era may refer to:* The Open Era of Tennis* The Glasnost era of the Soviet Union* The Open Era of Galveston, Texas, also known as the Free State era...
, Kramer was the best male champion. By the latter half of the 1950s and 1960s, Budge and others had added Pancho GonzalesRicardo Alonso González or Richard Gonzalez, , who was generally known as Pancho Gonzales or, less often, as Pancho Gonzalez, was the World No. 1 tennis player for an unequalled 8 years in the 1950s and early 1960s. During that period, he played as a professional...
and Lew HoadLewis Alan Hoad was a champion tennis player. In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, ranks Hoad as one of the 21 best players of all time...
to the list of contenders. Budge reportedly believed that Gonzales was the greatest player ever. Gonzales said about Hoad, "When Lew's game was at its peak nobody could touch him. ... I think his game was the best game ever. Better than mine. He was capable of making more shots than anybody. His two volleys were great. His overhead was enormous. He had the most natural tennis mind with the most natural tennis physique."
During the open era, first Rod LaverRodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is a former tennis player from Australia who was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970. He is the only tennis player to have twice won all four Grand Slam singles titles in the same year — first as an amateur in 1962 and second as a...
and then more recently Björn BorgBjörn Borg is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden regarded by some observers and tennis players as the greatest player in the sport's history....
and Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former World No. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles, and had a 203–38 win-loss record over 52 Grand Slam singles tournament appearances....
were regarded by many of their contemporaries as among the greatest ever. Roger FedererRoger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player. As of October 2009, he is ranked world number 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals , having previously held the number one position for a record 237 consecutive weeks...
is now considered by many observers to have the most "complete" game in modern tennis. Many experts of tennis, former tennis players and his own tennis peers believe Federer is the greatest player in the history of the game.
Greatest female players
Popular Culture
- David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace was an American author of novels, essays and short-stories, and a professor at Pomona College in Claremont, California...
, an amateur tennis player himself at Urbana High School in IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
, included tennis in many of his works of nonfiction and fiction including "Tennis Player Michael Joyce's Professional Artistry as a Paradigm of Certain Stuff about Choice, Freedom, Discipline, Joy, Grotesquerie, and Human Completeness,"A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again is the title of a 1997 collection of non-fiction writing by David Foster Wallace.In the title essay, originally published as "Shipping Out" in Harper's, Wallace describes what he sees as the middlebrow excesses exhibited during his one week trip aboard a...
the autobiographical piece "Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley,"A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again is the title of a 1997 collection of non-fiction writing by David Foster Wallace.In the title essay, originally published as "Shipping Out" in Harper's, Wallace describes what he sees as the middlebrow excesses exhibited during his one week trip aboard a...
and Infinite JestInfinite Jest is a 1996 novel written by David Foster Wallace. The lengthy and complex work takes place in a semi-parodic future version of North America...
, which is partially set at the fictional "Enfield Tennis Academy" in MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
.
- The Royal Tennenbaums (2001) features Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson
Luke Cunningham Wilson is an American film actor. He is the younger brother of Owen and Andrew Wilson.-Early life:...
), a tennis pro who suffers from depression and has a breakdown on court in front of thousands of fans.
- Wimbledon
Wimbledon is a 2004 romantic comedy film directed by Richard Loncraine. The film centers on a washed-up tennis pro named Peter Colt and an up-and-coming tennis star named Lizzie Bradbury during the Wimbledon Championships.The movie was dedicated to Mark McCormack, who died on May 16, 2003 after...
(2004) is a film about a discouraged pro tennis player (Paul BettanyPaul Bettany is an English actor who has starred as a wide range of characters in several diverse film genres. He has been nominated for BAFTA- and Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as numerous critics and film circle awards.-Early life:...
) who meets a young woman on the women's tennis circuit (Kirsten DunstKirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, model, and singer. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories . At the age of 12, Dunst gained widespread recognition playing the role of vampire Claudia in Interview with the...
) who helps him find his drive to go and win WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is generally considered the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon since 1877...
.
- In The Squid and the Whale
The Squid and the Whale is a 2005 dramatic film written and directed by Noah Baumbach and produced by Wes Anderson. It tells the semi-autobiographical story of two boys in Brooklyn dealing with their parents' divorce in the 1980s. The film is named after a giant squid and sperm whale diorama found...
(2005), Joan (Laura LinneyLaura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for the Academy Award three times and once for the BAFTA Award.-Personal life:Linney was born in New York City...
) has an affair with her kids' tennis coach, Ivan (William BaldwinWilliam Joseph "Billy" Baldwin is an American actor, known for his starring roles in such films as Backdraft and Flatliners .-Early life:...
). In a symbolic scene, Joan's ex-husband, Bernard (Jeff DanielsJeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan. He has performed in a number of stage productions, both on and off-Broadway...
), loses a tennis match against Ivan in front of the kids.
- Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, comedian, writer, musician, and playwright....
's Match PointMatch Point is a dramatic thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox and Penelope Wilton.-Synopsis:...
(2005) features a love affair between a former tennis pro (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who falls in love with his best friend's fiance (Scarlett JohanssonScarlett I. Johansson is an American actress and singer. Johansson made her film debut in the 1994 film North and was subsequently nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female for her performance in 1996's Manny & Lo...
).
- Confetti
Confetti is a multitude of pieces of paper or metallic material which is usually thrown at celebrations, especially weddings . Confetti is made in a variety of colors, and commercially available confetti is available in imaginative shapes...
(2006) is a mockumentaryMockumentary or mock documentary is a genre of film and television, or a single work of the genre. Although a mockumentary may be one of the comedy genres, serious mockumentaries also exist. The mockumentary is presented as a documentary recording real life, but is actually fictional. It is a...
which sees three couples competing to win the title of "Most Original Wedding of the Year". One competing couple (Meredith MacNeillMeredith MacNeill is an actress originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, but now lives in the United Kingdom. She studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
and Stephen ManganStephen Mangan is an English actor, best known for his roles as Guy Secretan in the television series Green Wing, and Dan Moody in I'm Alan Partridge.-Biography:...
) are a pair of hyper-competitive professional tennis players holding a tennis-themed wedding.
- There are several tennis video games including Mario Tennis
Throughout its life, Nintendo has released many titles in the Mario series in various sports genres.-Mario Baseball:The following list lists playable characters in alphabetical order.*1 Unlockable character-Mario Golf:...
, the TopSpin series, and Wii Sportsis a sports game developed and produced by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console. It was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month...
.
General
- Tennis strategy
In tennis, a player uses different strategies that both enhance his own strengths and exploit his opponent's weaknesses in order to gain the advantage and win more points. Players commonly specialize in a certain style of play, focusing on what they do best as a means of beating their opponents...
- Tennis games
Tennis games are often used to help players of all abilities to practice the different strokes involved in tennis. The number of participants needed varies from as few as two players to as many players as can fit on a tennis court...
- Glossary of tennis
- Tennis technology
Tennis can be dated back to at least as early as 16th century England; moreover, from 17th century Scotland there are original courts extant at Falkland Palace. The object of the game was to hit the ball over the net into the opponent's side of the court to score a point. As the popularity of...
Other forms
- Paddle tennis
Paddle tennis is a game adapted from tennis and played for over a century. Compared to tennis, the court is smaller and has no doubles lanes, and the net is lower. Paddle tennis is played with a solid paddle as opposed to a strung racquet, and a depressurized tennis ball is used along with an...
- Real tennis
Real tennis, often called "Royal Tennis" – one of the several sports sometimes called the sport of Kings – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis, is descended...
- Soft tennis
Soft tennis is a racket game played on a court of two halves, separated by a net. Like regular tennis, it is played by individuals or pairs , whose object is to hit the ball over the net, landing within the confines of the court, with the aim of preventing one's opponent from being able to hit it...
- Turbo tennis
Turbo extra Tennis is a shortened form of tennis in which players play in a fast knockout tournament which consists of five matches of 30 minutes each, taking place over the course of a single afternoon...
- Types of tennis match
Statistics
- Tennis statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing tennis performance and evaluating players in the sport, both present and past. While not all statistics are known, this article tries to be comprehensive on major tournament wins for singles, same-sex doubles, and mixed doubles as well as pointing...
- Tennis male players statistics
- Professional tennis before the start of the open era :Before the start of the open era in 1968, the professional circuit was much less popular than the traditional amateur circuit. For example, Wimbledon in 1957 was a success despite its being an amateur-only tournament and exclusion of Pancho...
- Major professional tennis tournaments before the Open Era (1927-1999)
- World number one male tennis player rankings (1913-2007)
- List of ATP number 1 ranked players (1973-2007)
- List of WTA number 1 ranked players (1975-2007)
- Tennis players with most titles since 1968
- Tennis performance timeline comparison (men)
This article compares the Grand Slam tournament results of male tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final. The Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open...
- Tennis performance timeline comparison (women)
When completed, this article will present in a tabular form the career tennis Grand Slam, World Hard Court Championships and Olympic singles results of every woman who has reached the singles final of at least one Grand Slam, World Hard Court Championships or Olympic tournament during her career...
Further reading
- We Have Come a Long Way. King, Billie Jean and Starr, Cynthia. (1998) McGraw-Hill
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are education, publishing, broadcasting, and financial and business services...
ISBN 0-07024-625-9
- The Tennis Junkie's Guide (To Serious Humor). Whitehead, Dave. (2002) iUniverse ISBN 0-595-65364-2
External links