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.

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

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Image 1

The Williams sisters rivalry was a tennis rivalry between sisters Venus Williams (born June 17, 1980) and Serena Williams (born September 26, 1981), regarded as two of the world's best 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...)
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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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The Djokovic–Murray rivalry was a tennis rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. They met 36 times, and Djokovic leads 25–11 overall and 11–8 in finals. Ten of their encounters were played in majors, with Djokovic leading 8–2. Djokovic and Murray are one of two male pairs to have contested the finals of each of the four majors (Djokovic–Nadal is the other pair).

Djokovic leads on hard courts 20–8 and 5–1 on clay, while Murray won their two matches played on grass. The rivalry began highly competitive and remained so for many years. However, after Murray won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships over Djokovic in the final, Djokovic took a commanding lead, winning 14 of their last 17 encounters. (Full article...)
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John McEnroe (7 Major singles titles, world No.1 for 170 weeks; pictured in 2012)

The Borg–McEnroe rivalry was a tennis rivalry between Björn Borg and John McEnroe, who met 14 times on the regular tour and 22 times in total between November 1978 and September 1981. Their head-to-head was even at 7–7. Their on-court rivalry was highlighted by their contrasting temperaments and playing styles: the Swede Borg was known for his cool and emotionless demeanor on court, while the American McEnroe was famed for his court-side tantrums. As a result, their rivalry was described as "Fire and Ice". They were tied in their five-set matches at 1–1.

In 1980, McEnroe reached the singles final at Wimbledon for the first time, where he faced Borg, who was aiming for an Open Era record fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. At the start of the final McEnroe was booed by the crowd as he entered Centre Court following his heated exchanges with officials during his semi-final clash with Jimmy Connors. In a fourth set tie-breaker that lasted 20 minutes, McEnroe saved five match points (seven altogether in that set) and eventually won 18–16. However, he was unable to break Borg's serve in the fifth set and Borg went on to win 8–6. This match is widely considered one of the best tennis matches ever played. McEnroe then defeated Borg at the US Open final the same year in five sets. (Full article...)
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The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was changed to the Fed Cup in 1995, and changed again in September 2020 in honor of former World No. 1 Billie Jean King. The Billie Jean King Cup is the world's largest annual women's international team sports competition in terms of the number of nations that compete. The current chair is Katrina Adams.

The men's equivalent of the Billie Jean King Cup is the Davis Cup, and the Czech Republic, Australia, Russia, Italy and the United States are the only countries to have won both Cups in the same year. (Full article...)
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The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California, United States. It is played on outdoor hardcourts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and is held in March. The tournament is part of the ATP Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour and part of the WTA 1000 events on the WTA Tour.

The tournament is the best-attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slam tournaments (493,440 in total attendance during the 2024 event); it is often called the "fifth Grand Slam" in reference to this. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden has the second-largest permanent tennis stadium in the world, behind the US Open's Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The Indian Wells Open is the premier tennis tournament in the Western United States and the second largest tennis tournament throughout the United States and the Americas (behind the US Open in the Eastern United States). (Full article...)
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Arthur Gore (3 Major singles, 1 Major doubles, 2 Olympic Golds, singles, World No.1 )

This was a tennis rivalry played between British player Arthur Gore and the New Zealand player Anthony Wilding, which in their respective careers met 14 times from 1905 until 1912.

Gore and Wilding were both former World number 1 and both Grand Slam winners with Gore winning three slam titles and two olympic golds and Wilding winning six slam titles and three world championship titles both Davis Cup champions. (Full article...)
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The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events 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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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...)
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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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World TeamTennis (WTT) was a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973.

The league's season normally took place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA would often take a break from their tour schedules to partake in World TeamTennis. (Full article...)
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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...)
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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. 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...)
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Wheelchair tennis is one of the forms of tennis adapted for wheelchair users. The size of the court, net height and rackets are the same, but there are two major differences from pedestrian tennis: athletes use specially designed wheelchairs, and the ball may bounce up to two times, where the second bounce may also occur outside the court.

Wheelchair tennis has been played at all four Grand Slams since 2007 and is one of the sports played at the Summer Paralympics. There are three categories, Men, Women, and Quads; each category has singles and doubles tournaments. The Quad, the newest division, is for players that have substantial loss of function in at least one upper limb, but may include various disabilities besides quadriplegia. The division is sometimes called Mixed, especially at the Paralympic Games. Quad players often tape the rackets to their hand, to compensate for loss of function, and some players are allowed to use electric-powered wheelchairs. (Full article...)
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Novak Djokovic

The tennis rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal was the most prolific in men's tennis in the Open Era. It is widely considered by players, coaches, and pundits as among the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport. The pair contested at least one professional match every year from 2006 to 2022, and in 2024. Nadal and Djokovic are statistically two of the most successful male players in the history of the sport.

They faced each other 60 times, including in all four major finals, with Djokovic leading 31–29 overall. Djokovic leads 15–13 in finals of all levels, while Nadal leads 11–7 at the majors, including 5–4 in major finals. Nadal leads 8–2 at the French Open and 2–1 at the US Open, while Djokovic leads 2–1 at Wimbledon and 2–0 at the Australian Open. Djokovic is the only player to have beaten Nadal in all four majors. He also leads their five-set match record at 2–1. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1New Rod Laver Arena entrance added in 2018 as part of the Melbourne Park redevelopment. (from Australian Open)
Image 2The Ladies' (top) and Gentlemen's singles trophies (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 3Carlos Alcaraz, the 2024 gentlemen's singles champion. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 4Court 10. On the outside courts there is no reserved seating. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 5Wimbledon ball girl at the net, 2007 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 6Chris Evert, the all-time record holder in women's singles. (from French Open)
Image 7Arthur Ashe Stadium with the roof closed in 2018. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 8Rafael Nadal holding the Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2006. (from French Open)
Image 9Todd Woodbridge holding the Gentlemen's doubles silver challenge cup in 2004 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 10Molla Mallory, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 11Jannik Sinner, 2024 men's singles champion. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 12John Peers was part of the 2025 winning mixed doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 13Arthur Ashe stadium in 2010, before the retractable roof was added. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 14Mate Pavić was part of the winning men's doubles team in 2024. It was his fourth major title. (from French Open)
Image 15The Royal Gallery at Centre Court, Wimbledon (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 16New Show Court Arena that opened in 2022 (from Australian Open)
Image 17Taylor Townsend was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 18Olivia Gadecki was part of the 2025 winning mixed doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 19Kateřina 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 20The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment precinct on the banks of the Yarra River in 2010. (from Australian Open)
Image 21The order of play for all courts is displayed on boards around the grounds. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 22People watching the Championships' broadcast in Canary Wharf (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 23Coco Gauff was part of the winning women's doubles team in 2024. It was her second major title. (from French Open)
Image 24Laura Siegemund was part of the winning mixed doubles team in 2024. It was her second major title. (from French Open)
Image 25Kateřina Siniaková was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 26Margaret Court, the all-time record holder in women's singles. (from Australian Open)
Image 27Barbora Krejčíková, the 2024 ladies' singles champion. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 28Harri Heliövaara was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 29Harri Heliövaara was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 30Édouard Roger-Vasselin was part of the winning mixed doubles team in 2024. It was his first major title. (from French Open)
Image 31Bill Tilden, a joint all-time record holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 32Wimbledon operates a ticket resale system where returned Show Court tickets can be purchased. All proceeds go to charity. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 33Richard Sears, a joint all-time record-holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 34Aerial view of the grounds (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 35Spencer Gore, the winner of the inaugural Wimbledon Championship (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 36Madison Keys, 2025 women's singles champion. (from Australian Open)
Image 37Rod Laver Arena, the main court of the Australian Open, in 2023 (from Australian Open)
Image 38Rafael Nadal, the all-time record holder in men's singles. (from French Open)
Image 39Sébastien Grosjean takes a shot on Court 18 during the 2004 Championships. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 40Max Purcell was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 41Carlos 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 42Roger Federer, the all-time record holder in men's singles (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 43Jannik Sinner, 2025 men's singles champion. (from Australian Open)
Image 44Debenture of the All England Lawn Tennis Ground Ltd., issued 20th August 1930 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 45Novak Djokovic, the all-time record holder in men's singles. (from Australian Open)
Image 46Taylor Townsend was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 47Court Philippe Chatrier during the 2013 French Open. (from French Open)
Image 48Martina Navratilova, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 49Centre Court at Wimbledon in May 2019 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 50Bill Larned, a joint all-time record holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 51Aryna Sabalenka, 2024 women's singles champion. It was her third major title. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 52Jan Zieliński was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 53Iga Świątek, the 2024 women's singles champion. It was her fifth major title and her fourth at the French Open. (from French Open)
Image 54Henry Patten was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 55Rod Laver Arena night session in 2007, the last year the tournament used the Rebound Ace surface. (from Australian Open)
Image 56View from seats of Wimbledon Court No. 1 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 57Jordan Thompson was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 58Henry Patten was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 59Marcelo Arévalo was part of the winning men's doubles team in 2024. It was his second major title. (from French Open)
Image 60Hsieh Su-wei was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 61Lyudmyla Kichenok was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 62Commemorative plaque at Court 18 marking the longest tennis match in history (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 63Andrea Vavassori was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 64The Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup (from Australian Open)
Image 65Sara Errani was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 66Composition of the courts. (from French Open)
Image 67Margaret Court Arena at the Australian Open in 2005 prior to its redevelopment. Rod Laver Arena is in the background. (from Australian Open)
Image 68A Royal Marines Commando as a services steward in 2005 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 69Kateřina Siniaková was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 70Jeļena Ostapenko was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))

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McEnroe in 2015

John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 170 weeks, and as world No. 1 in men's doubles for 269 weeks (third-most of all time). He is one of two male players (alongside Stefan Edberg) to have held both No. 1 rankings, and the only one to hold both simultaneously. McEnroe was best known during his playing career for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court behavior, which frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities.

McEnroe won an Open Era record 155 career titles: 77 in singles and 78 in doubles. This includes seven singles majors (four at the US Open and three at Wimbledon), nine men's doubles majors, and one mixed doubles major. McEnroe is the only male player to win more than 70 titles in both singles and doubles. His singles match record of 82–3 in 1984 remains the best single-season win rate of the Open Era. McEnroe also excelled at the year-end tournaments, winning eight singles and seven doubles titles, both of which are records. Three of his winning singles year-end championships were at the Masters Grand Prix (the ATP year-end event) and five were at the World Championship Tennis (WCT) Finals, an event that ended in 1989. He was named the ATP Player of the Year and the ITF World Champion three times each: in 1981, 1983 and 1984. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... 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"?
... that in high school, tennis player Sara Daavettila went an entire season without losing a game?

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