Portal:Tennis

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

Welcome to the Tennis Portal

Panoramic view of Stadium Court in Tennis Center at Crandon Park, Key Biscayne, Florida, United States. Taken during the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open.

Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket strung with a cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court. The object is to manoeuvre the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. If a player is unable to return the ball successfully, the opponent scores a point.

Playable at all levels of society and at all ages, tennis can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including wheelchair users. The original forms of tennis developed in France during the late Middle Ages. The modern form of tennis originated in Birmingham, England, in the late 19th century as lawn tennis. It had close connections to various field (lawn) games such as croquet and bowls as well as to the older racket sport today called real tennis.

The rules of modern tennis have changed little since the 1890s. Two exceptions are that until 1961 the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times, and the adoption of the tiebreak 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 contest the line call of a point, a system known as Hawk-Eye. (Full article...)

More about Tennis history, glossary, equipment, courts, scores, types of matches, officials, shots, tournaments, and statistics

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Selected articles - load new batch

Image 1
The Hungarian Tennis Championships (in Hungarian:Nemzeti Teniszbajnokság, Magyar Országos Teniszbajnokság or abbreviated to tenisz ob) also known as the Hungarian National Championships or the Hungarian Closed Championships is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It is currently part of the official Tennis Calendar of Hungary of the Hungarian Tennis Association and is a gentlemen's and ladies' event. (Full article...)
Image 2
The Sydney International (formerly known as the Championship of New South Wales and New South Wales Open, with various title sponsors), formerly sponsored as the Apia International Sydney from 2012 to 2017, was a professional tennis tournament in Sydney, Australia. The tournament was played annually at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre in Sydney Olympic Park. It is one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world, dating to 1885. In 2020 and 2021, the tournament was briefly replaced by the ATP Cup, before briefly returning in 2022 and has since been replaced in both men's and women's calendars by the United Cup.

The Sydney International was most recently held in 2022 as an ATP 250 event on the men's tour and a WTA 500 event on the women's tour. The tournament is held annually in January immediately prior to the Australian Open as a lead up tournament as part of the Australian Open Series. (Full article...)
Image 3

The WTA Finals (formerly known as the WTA Tour Championships or WTA Championships) is the season-ending championship of the WTA Tour. It is the most significant tennis event in the women's annual calendar after the four majors, as it features the top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams based on their results throughout the season.

The tournament predates the WTA Tour and started in 1972 as the championship tournament of the Tour's predecessor: the Virginia Slims Circuit. Since 2003, the tournament has used a unique format not seen in other WTA Tour events: the players are separated into two groups of four, within which they each play three round-robin matches. The top two players or teams from each group after the round-robin stage move on to a knock-out format in the semifinals and final to determine the champion. (Full article...)
Image 4
The US Open men's singles championship is an annual tennis tournament that is part of the US Open and was established in 1881. It is played on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows – Corona Park, New York City, United States. The US Open is played during a two-week period in late August and early September, and has been chronologically the last of the four Grand Slam tournaments of the tennis season since 1987. Newport (1881–1914), Forest Hills (1915–1920, 1924–1977), and Philadelphia (1921–1923) held the event before it settled in 1978 at the USTA National Tennis Center, now the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in New York City. The inaugural tournament, in 1881, was reserved for United States National Lawn Tennis Association (USNLTA) club members, before the championships opened to international competitors in 1882. The USTA is the national body that organizes this event. (Full article...)
Image 5

Left elbow-joint. (Lateral epicondyle visible at center.)

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis is an enthesopathy (attachment point disease) of the origin of the extensor carpi radialis brevis on the lateral epicondyle. It causes pain and tenderness over the bony part of the lateral epicondyle. Symptoms range from mild tenderness to severe, persistent pain. The pain may also extend into the back of the forearm. It usually has a gradual onset, but it can seem sudden and be misinterpreted as an injury.

Tennis elbow is often idiopathic. Its cause and pathogenesis are unknown. It likely involves tendinosis, a degeneration of the local tendon. (Full article...)
Image 6

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the governing body of world tennis, wheelchair tennis, and beach tennis. It was founded in 1913 as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by twelve national tennis associations. As of 2016,^[update] there are 211 national and six regional associations that make up the ITF's membership.

The ITF's governance responsibilities include maintaining and enforcing the rules of tennis, regulating international team competitions, promoting the game, and preserving the sport's integrity via anti-doping and anti-corruption programs. The ITF partners with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) to govern professional tennis. (Full article...)
Image 7
Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena tennis court

The Shanghai Masters (Chinese: 上海大师赛, also known as Shanghai Rolex Masters for sponsorship reasons) is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Shanghai, China. It is played on outdoor hard courts at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in the Minhang District, and is held in early October. The tournament is part of the nine ATP Tour Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour, and is the only one not played in Europe or North America. The tournament was not held from 2020 to 2022 due to Chinese travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Full article...)
Image 8

The Williams sisters rivalry was a tennis rivalry between sisters Venus Williams and Serena Williams (born June 17, 1980, and September 26, 1981, respectively), regarded as two of the best woman tennis players for over two decades. They met 31 times in professional tournaments between 1998 and 2020, with Serena leading their head-to-head 19–12.

Both sisters have been ranked world No. 1 in singles: Venus for a total of 11 weeks, beginning in February 2002; Serena for a total of 316 weeks, beginning in July 2002. Venus has won 49 singles titles over the course of her career, and Serena won 73. (Full article...)
Image 9
The practice of doping in tennis involves the use of prohibited, performance-enhancing substances listed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The practice is considered unsportsmanlike and unethical, with punishments for such offences ranging from official warnings to career bans, depending on the severity of the offence.

Widespread illegal substance abuse in tennis developed during the 1980s and 1990s as performance-enhancing substances became increasingly available in professional sport. The detection and punishment for the use of drugs in this period was aided by the takeover of policing drug cheating by the International Tennis Federation in 1993. (Full article...)
Image 10
Radio Wimbledon was the official radio station to the annual Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the AELTC in Wimbledon. Their contract finished in 2011. It has now been replaced by the similar Live@Wimbledon station. (Full article...)
Image 11
The French Open (French: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (French: [ʁɔlɑ̃ ɡaʁos]), is a tennis tournament organized by the French Tennis Federation annually at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is chronologically the second of the four Grand Slam tennis events every year, held after the Australian Open and before Wimbledon and the US Open.

The French Open begins in late May and continues for two weeks. The tournament and venue are named after the French aviator Roland Garros. (Full article...)
Image 12
World number 1 ranked female tennis players is a year-by-year listing of the female tennis players who were ranked as world No. 1 by various contemporary and modern sources.

Notes: (Full article...)
Image 13

Tennis was part of the Summer Olympic Games program from the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics, but was dropped after the 1924 Summer Olympics due to disputes between the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the International Olympic Committee over how to define amateur players. After two appearances as a demonstration sport in 1968 and 1984 (with a U-21 age limit), it returned as a full medal sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics open for all players regardless of their age and status and has been played at every summer Games since then. (Full article...)
Image 14
Tennis string in closeup view

In tennis, the strings are the part of a tennis racquet which make contact with the ball. The strings form a woven network inside the head (or "hoop") of the racquet. Strings have been made with a variety of materials and possess varying properties that have been measured, such as dynamic stiffness, tension retention, thickness (gauge), string texture (shape of the string), and rebound efficiency. (Full article...)
Image 15

The Agassi–Sampras rivalry was a tennis rivalry between Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, who were both ranked world No. 1 during the 1990s. Sampras held the world's top ranking for (a then-record) 286 weeks while Agassi held it for 101 weeks. With contrasting styles and temperaments, they played each other 34 times from 1989 through 2002, with the head-to-head finishing 20–14 favoring Sampras. They are tied in their five-set matches at 1–1. It has been named as one of the greatest tennis rivalries of all time.

In Grand Slam tournaments, they played in five finals, with Sampras winning four. They met for the first time in a Grand Slam final at the 1990 US Open, with Agassi the favorite because of his superior ranking even though Sampras had defeated former world No. 1 players Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe en route to the final. Sampras defeated Agassi in straight sets. (Full article...)

More selected articles

General images

The following are images from various tennis-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Composition of the courts. (from French Open)
Image 2Henry Patten was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 3Sébastien Grosjean takes a shot on Court 18 during the 2004 Championships. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 4Roger Federer, the all-time record holder in men's singles (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 5Lyudmyla Kichenok was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 6Debenture of the All England Lawn Tennis Ground Ltd., issued 20th August 1930 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 7A Royal Marines Commando as a services steward in 2005 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 8Marcelo Arévalo was part of the winning men's doubles team in 2024. It was his second major title. (from French Open)
Image 9Todd Woodbridge holding the Gentlemen's doubles silver challenge cup in 2004 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 10Martina Navratilova, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 11Matthew Ebden was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. It was his second major title and first at the Australian Open. (from Australian Open)
Image 12Rod Laver Arena night session in 2007, the last year the tournament used the Rebound Ace surface. (from Australian Open)
Image 13View from seats of Wimbledon Court No. 1 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 14Wimbledon operates a ticket resale system where returned Show Court tickets can be purchased. All proceeds go to charity. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 15Mate Pavić was part of the winning men's doubles team in 2024. It was his fourth major title. (from French Open)
Image 16Jan Zieliński was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. It was his first major title. (from Australian Open)
Image 17The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment precinct on the banks of the Yarra River in 2010. (from Australian Open)
Image 18Iga Świątek, the 2024 women's singles champion. It was her fifth major title and her fourth at the French Open. (from French Open)
Image 19Wimbledon ball girl at the net, 2007 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 20Coco Gauff was part of the winning women's doubles team in 2024. It was her second major title. (from French Open)
Image 21Hsieh Su-wei was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles and mixed doubles team. It was her seventh major title in women's doubles and first major title in mixed doubles. (from Australian Open)
Image 22Commemorative plaque at Court 18 marking the longest tennis match in history (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 23Chris Evert, the all-time record holder in women's singles. (from French Open)
Image 24Bill Larned, a joint all-time record holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 25New Show Court Arena that opened in 2022. (from Australian Open)
Image 26Kateřina Siniaková was part of the winning women's doubles team in 2024. It was her eighth major title and her third at the French Open. (from French Open)
Image 27The order of play for all courts is displayed on boards around the grounds. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 28The Ladies' (top) and Gentlemen's singles trophies (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 29Aerial view of the grounds (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 30Centre Court at Wimbledon in May 2019 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 31Jordan Thompson was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 32Court Philippe Chatrier during the 2013 French Open. (from French Open)
Image 33People watching the Championships' broadcast in Canary Wharf (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 34Carlos Alcaraz, the 2024 men's singles champion. At 21, he became the youngest male player to win a major title on three different surfaces. (from French Open)
Image 35Aryna Sabalenka, 2024 women's singles champion. It was her second major title and her second at the Australian Open. (from Australian Open)
Image 36Elise Mertens was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. It was her fourth major title and second at the Australian Open. (from Australian Open)
Image 37Andrea Vavassori was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 38Margaret Court Arena at the Australian Open in 2005 prior to its redevelopment. Rod Laver Arena is in the background. (from Australian Open)
Image 39Jannik Sinner, 2024 men's singles champion. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 40Harri Heliövaara was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 41Taylor Townsend was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 42Rafael Nadal, the all-time record holder in men's singles. (from French Open)
Image 43Molla Mallory, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 44Richard Sears, a joint all-time record-holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 45Barbora Krejčíková, the 2024 ladies' singles champion. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 46Laura Siegemund was part of the winning mixed doubles team in 2024. It was her second major title. (from French Open)
Image 47Sara Errani was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 48Novak Djokovic, the all-time record holder in men's singles. (from Australian Open)
Image 49Jeļena Ostapenko was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 50Rod Laver Arena, the main court of the Australian Open, in 2023. (from Australian Open)
Image 51Arthur Ashe stadium in 2010, before the retractable roof was added. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 52Spencer Gore, the winner of the inaugural Wimbledon Championship (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 53The Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup (from Australian Open)
Image 54Kateřina Siniaková was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 55Rohan Bopanna was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. It was his first major title. (from Australian Open)
Image 56New Rod Laver Arena entrance added in 2018 as part of the Melbourne Park redevelopment. (from Australian Open)
Image 57Bill Tilden, a joint all-time record holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 58Jan Zieliński was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 59Aryna Sabalenka, 2024 women's singles champion. It was her third major title. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 60Margaret Court, the all-time record holder in women's singles. (from Australian Open)
Image 61Édouard Roger-Vasselin was part of the winning mixed doubles team in 2024. It was his first major title. (from French Open)
Image 62The Royal Gallery at Centre Court, Wimbledon (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 63Jannik Sinner, 2024 men's singles champion. It was his first major title. (from Australian Open)
Image 64Rafael Nadal holding the Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2006. (from French Open)
Image 65Arthur Ashe Stadium with the roof closed in 2018. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 66Court 10. On the outside courts there is no reserved seating. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 67Max Purcell was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 68Carlos Alcaraz, the 2024 gentlemen's singles champion. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 69Hsieh Su-wei was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)

edit

Related WikiProjects

WikiProject Tennis
Grandslam project • Davis Cup/Fed Cup project
WikiProject Sports • WikiProject Olympics

Selected biography - show another

Stephens at the 2017 Washington Open

Sloane Stephens (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional tennis player. She achieved a career-best ranking of world No. 3, after Wimbledon in 2018. Stephens was the 2017 US Open champion, and has won seven WTA Tour singles titles. She also has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 63 and has won one WTA title.

Born to athletic parents with backgrounds in collegiate swimming and professional American football, Stephens was introduced to tennis at the club across the street from her house in Fresno, California. Her stepfather was a competitive recreational tennis player and was her primary inspiration for beginning to play the sport. Stephens moved to Florida to train at a tennis academy, ultimately working with Nick Saviano. She became a promising junior player, reaching an ITF junior ranking of world No. 5 and winning three out of four major girls' doubles titles in 2010 with her partner Tímea Babos. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that in high school, tennis player Sara Daavettila went an entire season without losing a game?
... that American Colossus is a biography of a man who was "the most famous sportsman in the world" and "the most forgotten great athlete in American history"?

edit