Portal:Tennis
THE TENNIS PORTALTennis is a sport played between either two players (singles) or two teams of two players each (doubles). Players use a stringed racquet to strike a ball, a hollow rubber sphere covered in felt, over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis used to be called lawn tennis to distinguish it from its predecessor real tennis (also known as royal tennis, court tennis or jeu de paume), a form of the game played indoors on a different kind of a court. Originating in England in the late 19th century, the game spread first throughout the English-speaking world, particularly among the upper classes. Tennis is played in the Summer Olympic Games and at all levels of society, by individuals of all ages many countries around the world. Its rules have remained largely unchanged since the 1890s. Along with its millions of players, tennis claims millions of people who follow the sport as spectators, being particularly interested in the four Grand Slam tournaments. Upcoming tournaments in September
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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.
The material used in tennis string can significantly change the performance of a racquet, especially for advanced players. Thus, several different compounds are used to make tennis strings, varying in terms of playability, durability, and "feel," among other considerations. Natural gut is considered by many to be the best string in terms of overall playability, as it offers both power and control over the ball. However, natural gut breaks easily and is the most expensive kind of string; thus, it is usually used by professional tennis players. The first natural gut tennis string was manufactured in 1875 by Pierre Babolat, who would launch the VS brand of gut fifty years later. Selected biography
Serena Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player and current world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on six separate occasions. She regained this ranking for the sixth time on February 18, 2013. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002. She is considered to be one of the greatest women's tennis players of all-time in a career hampered by several injuries.
Her 36 Grand Slam titles places her fifth on the all-time list: 21 in singles, 13 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so. Her 21 Grand Slam singles titles is third on the all-time list behind Margaret Court and Steffi Graf. She has won more Grand Slam titles in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles than any other active female player. Williams has won two Olympic gold medals in women's doubles. She has won more career prize money than any other female athlete in history. Serena has played older sister Venus in 27 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 16 of these matches. They have met in eight Grand Slam finals, with Serena winning six times. Beginning with the 2002 French Open, they played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, which was the first time in the open era that the same two players had contested four consecutive Grand Slam finals. The pair have won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles together. Selected pictureNews
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