Portal:Tennis

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

Shahar Pe'er (bottom) vs. Anna Chakvetadze at the 2007 US 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.

Tennis can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including wheelchair users, and is played by people at every level of society and across all ages. 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. The two exceptions being the server needing to have one foot on the ground at all times prior to 1961, 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

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The French Open (French: Internationaux de France de tennis), officially branded 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. It was established in 1891 but it did not become a Grand Slam event until 1925.

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...)
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The Grand Slam in tennis is the achievement of winning all four major championships in one discipline in a calendar year. In doubles, a Grand Slam may be achieved as a team or as an individual with different partners. Winning all four major championships consecutively but not within the same calendar year is referred to as a "non-calendar-year Grand Slam", while winning the four majors at any point during the course of a career is known as a "Career Grand Slam".

The term Grand Slam is also attributed to the Grand Slam tournaments, referred to as Majors, and they are the world's four most important annual professional tennis tournaments. They offer the most ranking points, prize money, public and media attention, the greatest strength and size of the field and, in recent years, the longest matches for men (best of five sets, best of three for the women).
The tournaments are overseen by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), rather than the separate men's and women's tour organizing bodies, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA), but both the ATP and WTA award ranking points based on players' performances in them. (Full article...)
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This article covers the period 1884 to present. Before the beginning of the Open era in April 1968, only amateurs were allowed to compete in established tennis tournaments, including the four Grand Slams. Wimbledon, the oldest of the majors, was founded in 1877, followed by the US Open in 1881, the French Open in 1891, and the Australian Open in 1905. Beginning in 1905 and continuing to the present day, all four majors have been played yearly, with the exception of the two World Wars, 1986 for the Australian Open, and 2020 for Wimbledon. The Australian Open is the first major of the year (January), followed by the French Open (May–June), Wimbledon (June–July), and US Open (August–September).

There was no prize money and players were compensated for travel expenses only. A player who wins all four current major tournaments in the same calendar year, as an individual or as part of a doubles team, is said to have achieved the "Grand Slam". If the player wins all four consecutively, but not in the same calendar year, it is called a "Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam". Winning all four at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Grand Slam". Winning the four majors and a gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics has been called a "Golden Slam" since 1988. Winning all four plus gold at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Golden Slam". Winning the Year-end Championship also having won a Golden Slam is referred to as a "Super Slam". Winning the four majors in all three disciplines a player is eligible for–singles, doubles, and mixed doubles–is considered winning a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles. (Full article...)
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Tennis New Zealand (commonly known by the acronym Tennis NZ or TNZ) (formally the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association) is the governing body of tennis in New Zealand. Founded in 1886, it is one of the world's oldest tennis associations. It is affiliated to both International Tennis Federation and Oceania Tennis Federation. Tennis NZ has six geographically divided regional centres. Tennis NZ operates all of the New Zealand's national representative tennis sides, including the New Zealand Davis Cup team, the New Zealand Billie Jean King Cup team and youth sides as well. Tennis NZ is also responsible for organising and hosting tennis tournaments within New Zealand and scheduling the home international fixtures. (Full article...)
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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...)
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The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual team sporting competition. It is described by the organisers as the "World Cup of Tennis" and the winners are referred to as the world champions. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Great Britain and the United States. Initially titled the International Lawn Tennis Challenge, it soon became known metonymically after the trophy donated by Dwight F. Davis; the name was officially changed after Davis' death in 1945. By 2023, 155 nations entered teams into the competition.

The most successful country over the history of the competition is the United States (winning 32 titles and finishing as runners-up 29 times). The most recent champions are Italy, who beat Spain to win their fourth title (and third consecutive one) in 2025. (Full article...)
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The New York Sportimes were a professional tennis team competing in World TeamTennis (WTT). The team was originally based in eastern Long Island from 2000 to 2002, before moving to Westchester County, New York, in 2003, and then to New York City in 2009. The team was founded as the New York Hamptons in 2000, before changing its name to the New York Sportimes in 2003. In 2005, the team made its first playoff appearance and went on to defeat the Newport Beach Breakers in the WTT Final to win its first King Trophy.

On February 14, 2011, WTT announced that the New York Sportimes and New York Buzz had merged and would play the 2011 season as the New York Sportimes. In the three seasons following the merger, the Sportimes played 12 home matches in New York City and nine in the Capital District. On January 16, 2014, Claude Okin, CEO of the New York Sportimes announced that the franchise had been sold to businessman Russell Geyser, and the team would be relocated to San Diego, California, and renamed the San Diego Aviators. (Full article...)
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The Becker–Edberg rivalry was a tennis rivalry between Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, who met 35 times between 1984 and 1996. Although Becker led their overall head-to-head 25–10 and won all three of their Davis Cup matches, Edberg won three of their four meetings in Grand Slams. Edberg and Becker also reached the championship match of the 1989 World Tour Finals, which Edberg won in four sets. Edberg led their five-set matches at 2–1.

The most defining aspect of their rivalry was the three successive Wimbledon finals that they played. In the 1988 meeting, Becker was the huge favorite, and stormed to the first set 6–4. The second set was to be the most memorable, when in a fit of courage and tennis acumen Edberg won a tight set in a tiebreaker 7–2. Edberg went on to win the next two sets 6–4, 6–2 to win his first Wimbledon title and deny Becker a third title in four years. In the 1989 meeting, Becker, having lost to Edberg a month earlier in the French Open semifinals, raced to win the first set 6–0. The second set was closer, but won in a tiebreak by Becker 7–1 after saving 3 set points (Edberg led 6-5 40-0 and service). Becker went on to win the third set 6–4. This was Becker's third Wimbledon title, which would be his last Wimbledon crown. In the 1990 meeting, Edberg won the first two sets 6–2, 6–2. However, Becker rallied to win the next two sets 6–3, 6–3. Becker broke Edberg early in the fifth set, setting up the possibility of being the first Wimbledon champion since Henri Cochet in 1927 to win the final after losing the first two sets. Yet, this was not to be as Edberg regained the break and then broke Becker in the ninth game of the set with a topspin lob winner, eventually serving it out for a second Wimbledon championship. (Full article...)
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Tennis for Two on a DuMont Lab Oscilloscope Type 304-A

Tennis for Two (also known as Computer Tennis) is a sports video game that simulates a game of tennis, and was one of the first games developed in the early history of video games. American physicist William Higinbotham designed the game in 1958 for display at the Brookhaven National Laboratory's annual public exhibition after learning that the government research institution's Donner Model 30 analog computer could simulate trajectories with wind resistance. He designed the game within a few hours, after which he and technician Robert V. Dvorak built it over a period of three weeks. The game was displayed on an oscilloscope and played with two custom aluminum controllers. Its visuals show a representation of a tennis court viewed from the side, and players adjust the angle of their shots with a knob on their controller and try to hit the ball over the net by pressing a button.

The game was very popular during the three-day exhibition, with players lining up to see the game, especially high school students. It was shown again the following year with a larger oscilloscope screen and a more complicated design that could simulate different gravity levels. It was then dismantled and largely forgotten until the late 1970s when Higinbotham testified in court about the game during lawsuits between Magnavox and Ralph H. Baer over video game patents. Since then, it has been celebrated as one of the earliest video games, and Brookhaven has made recreations of the original device. Under some definitions Tennis for Two is considered the first video game, as while it did not include any technological innovations over prior games, it was the first computer game to be created purely as an entertainment product rather than for academic research or commercial technology promotion. (Full article...)
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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. 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...)
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The Australian Open is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the first of the four major tennis tournaments every year, held before the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

The Australian Open typically starts around the middle of January and continues for two weeks, concluding with the men's final traditionally held on the last Sunday of the month. It features men's and women's singles, men's, women's and mixed doubles, juniors’ championships, wheelchair, legends, and exhibition events. (Full article...)
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The Open Era is the current era of professional tennis. It began in 1968 when the Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs, ending the division that had persisted since the dawn of the sport in the 19th century. The first open tournament was the 1968 British Hard Court Championships held in April, followed by the inaugural open Grand Slam tournament, the 1968 French Open, a month later. Unless otherwise sourced, all records are based on data from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the official websites of the four Grand Slam tournaments. All rankings-related records are based on ATP rankings, which began in 1973. The names of active players appear in boldface.
Last updated February 1, 2026 (Full article...)
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The Bentley Fortissimo tennis racquet

The Bentley Fortissimo tennis racquet of 1972 was the first oversize tennis racquet to be produced and demonstrated publicly. Prior to its introduction, all tennis racquets were much smaller in terms of the stringbed size, measured in square inches. Today, that size, known as standard, is not used by any professional player for professional match play.

The Fortissimo was shown in 1972 at the "Spoga", a sporting goods show in Germany. Its designer is Kurt Klemmer, who made the racquet with an epoxy fiberglass process. The Fortissimo was not produced on a commercial scale. Racquet engineer Siegfried Kuebler stated that it did not create a favorable impression with tennis players but was positively received by racquet designers. (Full article...)
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The 2020 US Open was the 140th edition of tennis's US Open and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It was held on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. The tournament was an event run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and was part of the calendars for the 2020 ATP Tour and the 2020 WTA Tour, the top professional men's and women's tennis circuits, respectively.

Held during the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament saw changes in format and personnel compared to previous editions. As a result, withdrawals and opt-outs became a theme of the competition. Defending men's singles champion and world No. 2 Rafael Nadal and No. 9 Gaël Monfils withdrew due to COVID-19 safety concerns, while No. 4 Roger Federer, No. 12 Fabio Fognini, and No. 15 Stan Wawrinka opted out for other reasons. On the women's side, defending singles champion and world No. 6 Bianca Andreescu did not return due to safety concerns, nor did No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, No. 2 Simona Halep, or No. 5 Elina Svitolina, among others. Further, the qualifying rounds of the tournament, in addition to the mixed doubles and juniors draws, were not held due to the pandemic. (Full article...)
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The Australian Open is an annual tennis tournament created in 1905 and (since 1988) played on outdoor hardcourts at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The Australian Open is played over a two-week period beginning in mid-January and has been chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments each year since 1987. The event was not held from 1916 to 1918 because of World War I, from 1941 to 1945 because of World War II and in 1986. The timing of the Australian Open has changed several times. In 1977, the date of the final moved from January to December, which resulted in having two Australian Opens in 1977; there was a January edition and a December edition that year. The originally planned December 1986 edition was moved forward to January 1987, resulting in no Australian Open in 1986. The Australian Open was an Open Era event for the first time in 1969. One year previously in 1968 the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open were Open Era events for the first time. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Richard Sears, a joint all-time record-holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 2Arthur Ashe stadium in 2010, before the retractable roof was added. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 3Julian Cash was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team with. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 4A Royal Marines Commando as a services steward in 2005 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 5Aryna Sabalenka, 2025 women's singles champion. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 6Sem Verbeek was part of the 2025 winning mixed doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 7Marcel Granollers was part of the winning men's doubles team in 2025. (from French Open)
Image 8Molla Mallory, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 9The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment precinct on the banks of the Yarra River in 2010. (from Australian Open)
Image 10The order of play for all courts is displayed on boards around the grounds. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 11Veronika Kudermetova was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 12Gabriela Dabrowski was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 13Zhang Shuai was part of the 2026 winning women's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 14Margaret Court, the all-time record holder in women's singles. (from Australian Open)
Image 15A 2015 Wimbledon Championships tennis ball manufactured by Slazenger (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 16Centre Court at Wimbledon in May 2019 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 17Roger Federer, the all-time record holder in men's singles (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 18Bill Tilden, a joint all-time record holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 19Rafael Nadal, the all-time record holder in men's singles (from French Open)
Image 20Lloyd Glasspool was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 21Erin Routliffe was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 22Horacio Zeballos was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 23Aerial view of the grounds (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 24Carlos Alcaraz, 2026 men's singles champion. (from Australian Open)
Image 25Carlos Alcaraz, the 2025 men's singles champion (from French Open)
Image 26Rod Laver Arena night session in 2007, the last year the tournament used the Rebound Ace surface. (from Australian Open)
Image 27Strawberries and cream at Wimbledon (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 28Sara Errani was part of the winning women's and mixed doubles team in 2025. (from French Open)
Image 29Jannik Sinner, the 2025 gentlemen's singles champion. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 30Elise Mertens was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 31Commemorative plaque at Court 18 marking the longest tennis match in history (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 32Court 10. On the outside courts there is no reserved seating. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 33Wimbledon ball girl at the net, in the 2007 edition (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 34The various trophies contested at the Wimbledon championships being displayed at the All England Club museum (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 35The Ladies' (top) and Gentlemen's singles trophies (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 36Rod Laver Arena, the main court of the Australian Open, in 2023 (from Australian Open)
Image 37Elise Mertens was part of the 2026 winning women's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 38Kateřina Siniaková was part of the 2025 winning mixed doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 39Jasmine Paolini was part of the winning women's doubles team in 2025. (from French Open)
Image 40Andrea Vavassori was part of the 2025 winning mixed doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 41Wimbledon operates a ticket resale system where returned Show Court tickets can be purchased. All proceeds go to charity. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 42Iga Świątek, the 2025 ladies' singles champion. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 43Court Philippe Chatrier during the 2013 French Open (from French Open)
Image 44Horacio Zeballos was part of the winning men's doubles team in 2025. (from French Open)
Image 45Marcel Granollers was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 46Coco Gauff, the 2025 women's singles champion (from French Open)
Image 47John Peers was part of the 2026 winning mixed doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 48Andrea Vavassori was part of the winning mixed doubles team in 2025. (from French Open)
Image 49Chris Evert, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from French Open)
Image 50Martina Navratilova, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 51Elena Rybakina, 2026 women's singles champion. (from Australian Open)
Image 52Novak Djokovic, the all-time record holder in men's singles. (from Australian Open)
Image 53The Royal Gallery at Centre Court, Wimbledon (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 54Carlos Alcaraz, 2025 men's singles champion. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 55New Rod Laver Arena entrance added in 2018 as part of the Melbourne Park redevelopment. (from Australian Open)
Image 56Arthur Ashe Stadium with the roof closed in 2018. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 57Rafael Nadal holding the Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2006 (from French Open)
Image 58View from seats of Wimbledon Court No. 1 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 59Sébastien Grosjean takes a shot on Court 18 during the 2004 Championships. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 60Bill Larned, a joint all-time record holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 61Olivia Gadecki was part of the 2026 winning mixed doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 62Christian Harrison was part of the 2026 winning men's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 63People watching the Championships' broadcast in Canary Wharf (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 64Debenture of the All England Lawn Tennis Ground Ltd., issued 20th August 1930 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 65Margaret Court Arena at the Australian Open in 2005 prior to its redevelopment. Rod Laver Arena is in the background. (from Australian Open)
Image 66New Show Court Arena that opened in 2022 (from Australian Open)
Image 67Sara Errani was part of the 2025 winning mixed doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 68Spencer Gore, the winner of the inaugural Wimbledon Championship (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 69Umpires Magdi Somat and Carlos Bernardes between Wimbledon matches in 2013 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 70The five different layers composing the clay courts (from French Open)
Image 71Current Men’s singles trophy (from US Open (tennis))
Image 72Neal Skupski was part of the 2026 winning men's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 73Todd Woodbridge holding the Gentlemen's doubles silver challenge cup in 2004 (from Wimbledon Championships)

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Dementieva at the 2010 US Open

Elena Viacheslavovna Dementieva (Russian: Еле́на Вячесла́вовна Деме́нтьева, [jɪˈlʲɛnə dʲɪˈmʲenʲtʲjɪvə] ^ⓘ; born 15 October 1981) is a Russian former professional tennis player. She was ranked world No. 3 in women's singles and world No. 5 in women's doubles by the WTA. Dementieva won 16 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, adding to a silver medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was also the runner-up at the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open, and reached seven other major semifinals. Dementieva was part of the victorious Russian team at the 2005 Fed Cup. In doubles, she won six titles, including the 2002 WTA Championships with Janette Husárová, and was runner-up in two US Open finals.

Dementieva announced her retirement from the sport after the 2010 WTA Tour Championships. Between 2003 and 2010, she only ended one year, in 2007, outside the top 10. She is considered to be one of the most talented players never to have won a Grand Slam tournament. (Full article...)

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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"?

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