Portal:Tennis

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...)

Selected articles -

Image 1

The tennis rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is considered one of the greatest in the history of the sport. Federer and Nadal played each other 40 times, with Nadal leading 24–16 overall, including 14–10 in finals.

Of their 40 matches, 20 were on hardcourts, 16 on clay, and 4 on grass. Nadal leads on clay (14–2), while Federer leads on grass (3–1) and hard court (11–9). A total of 14 matches were at the majors, with Nadal leading 10–4. Nadal leads 6–0 at the French Open and 3–1 at the Australian Open, while Federer leads 3–1 at Wimbledon. On several occasions, they were a match away from meeting at the US Open, but were denied each time. They are tied in five-set encounters at 3–3. (Full article...)
Image 2
The Miami Open (also known as the Miami Masters and as the Miami Open presented by Itaú for sponsorship reasons) is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. It is played on outdoor hardcourts at the Hard Rock Stadium, and is held in late March and early April. 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 was held at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida from 1987 through 2018, featuring the top 96 men and women tennis players in the world. It moved to Miami Gardens for 2019. Following the Indian Wells Open, it is the second event of the "Sunshine Double" — a series of two elite, consecutive hard court tournaments in the United States in early spring. (Full article...)
Image 3

The ATP Finals is the season-ending championship of the ATP Tour. It is the most significant tennis event in the men'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 eighth spot is reserved, if needed, for a player or team who won a major in the current year and is ranked from ninth to twentieth.

The tournament uses a unique format not seen in other ATP Tour events, where the singles players and doubles teams are separated into two groups of four, within which they each play three round-robin matches. After the round-robin stage, the top two performers from each group play in knock-out semifinals and a final to determine the champion(s). (Full article...)
Image 4

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, 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 5
The Brisbane International established in 2009 is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hardcourts in Brisbane, Queensland in Australia. It is a WTA 500 tournament and an ATP 250 tournament.

The tournament is held annually in January at the Queensland Tennis Centre just before the first Grand Slam tournament of the season, the Australian Open (part of the Australian Open Series). It is owned by Tennis Australia. (Full article...)
Image 6

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 eighth spot is reserved, if needed, for a player or team who won a major in the current year and is ranked from ninth to twentieth.

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 7
The San Francisco Golden Gaters were a charter franchise of World Team Tennis (WTT). The Golden Gaters won two Western Division Championships and lost in the WTT Finals both times. The team was founded in 1973 and made the playoffs in each of the five seasons in which it participated in the league. Following the 1978 season, eight of the then 10 WTT franchises folded leaving only the Golden Gaters and the Phoenix Racquets prepared to participate in the 1979 season. WTT suspended operations of the league in March 1979, ending the Golden Gaters existence. (Full article...)
Image 8

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...)
Image 9

The racket sport traditionally named lawn tennis, invented in Edgbaston, Warwickshire, England, now commonly known simply as tennis, is the direct descendant of what is now denoted real tennis or royal tennis, which continues to be played today as a separate sport with more complex rules.

Most rules of (lawn) tennis derive from this precursor and it is reasonable to see both sports as variations of the same game. Most historians believe that tennis originated in the monastic cloisters in northern France in the 12th century, but the ball was then struck with the palm of the hand, hence the name jeu de paume (lit. 'game of the palm'). It was not until the 16th century that rackets came into use and the game began to be called 'tennis'. It was popular in the Kingdom of France as well as in England, where Henry VIII of England was a notable enthusiast of the game, which is now referred to as 'real tennis'. (Full article...)
Image 10

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...)
Image 11
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 12
The Prince of Tennis (Japanese: テニスの王子様, Hepburn: Tenisu no Ōjisama) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from July 1999 to March 2008, with its chapters collected in 42 tankōbon volumes. Viz Media licensed the manga for English release in North America.

A 178-episode anime television series adaptation animated by Trans Arts, co-produced by Nihon Ad Systems and TV Tokyo, was broadcast on TV Tokyo and its affiliates from October 2001 to March 2005. A sequel of three original video animation (OVA) series, totaling 26 episodes, were released from March 2006 to January 2009. In North America, the anime series was first licensed by Viz Media and later by Crunchyroll LLC. (Full article...)
Image 13

The 2009 Sony Ericsson Open (also known as 2009 Miami Masters) was a men's and women's tennis tournament held from March 23 to April 5, 2009. It was the 25th edition of the Miami Masters event and was played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, located near Miami. The tournament was part of 2009 ATP World Tour and 2009 WTA Tour, classified as ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and Premier Mandatory event respectively.

The men's singles event was won by British player Andy Murray, who defeated Novak Djokovic in the final. Victoria Azarenka of Belarus won the women's singles event by defeating defending champion Serena Williams. Both Murray and Azarenka were first-time winners at the tournament and also the first to win from their respective countries. In the doubles events, Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram won the men's title by defeating the team of Ashley Fisher and Stephen Huss. The women's doubles title was won by Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amélie Mauresmo who overcame Květa Peschke and Lisa Raymond in the final match. (Full article...)
Image 14

The Davis Cup is an annual international team event in men's tennis. Established in 1900 as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge, it is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), who describe it as the "World Cup of tennis." The first event in 1900 was a match between Great Britain and the United States, while 135 nations entered the 2016 Davis Cup.

The tournament sees players competing for their country in four singles and one doubles matches, known as rubbers, over the course of three days, with the team that wins three rubbers progressing. The countries are divided into groups based upon their location or performance in previous years. The Davis Cup World Group is the top level of the competition and features matches between players from the top 16 countries at the start of the year. Countries that lose their first round match face a relegation play-off against winning countries from the continental zones. World Group winning countries progress to the quarter-finals. Nations have to win a further three ties in order to claim the position of Davis Cup champions.The United States are the most successful nation in the history of the competition, with 32 victories. Australia are second with 28 (individually or in a combined Australasia team) and Great Britain and France are tied for third with 10. Teams from Europe have won the competition the most with 48 victories, followed by North America with 33 and Oceania with 28. (Full article...)
Image 15

The 1877 Wimbledon Championship was a men's tennis tournament held at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club (AEC & LTC) in Wimbledon, London. It was the world's first official lawn tennis tournament, and was later recognised as the first Grand Slam tournament or "Major". The AEC & LTC had been founded in July 1868, as the All England Croquet Club. Lawn tennis was introduced in February 1875 to compensate for the waning interest in croquet. In June 1877 the club decided to organise a tennis tournament to pay for the repair of its pony roller, needed to maintain the lawns. A set of rules was drawn up for the tournament, derived from the first standardised rules of tennis issued by the Marylebone Cricket Club in May 1875.

The Gentlemen's Singles competition, the only event of the championship, was contested on grass courts by 22 players who each paid one guinea to participate. The tournament started on 9 July 1877, and the final – delayed for three days by rain – was played on 19 July in front of a crowd of about 200 people who each paid an entry fee of one shilling. The winner received 12 guineas in prize money and a silver challenge cup, valued at 25 guineas, donated by the sports magazine The Field. Spencer Gore, a 27-year-old rackets player from Wandsworth, became the first Wimbledon champion by defeating William Marshall, a 28-year-old real tennis player, in three straight sets in a final that lasted 48 minutes. The tournament made a profit of £10. An analysis made after the tournament led to some modifications of the rules regarding the court dimensions. (Full article...)

General images

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

Image 1Sara Errani was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 2Marcel Granollers was part of the winning men's doubles team in 2025. (from French Open)
Image 3A 2015 Wimbledon Championships tennis ball manufactured by Slazenger (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 4Umpires Magdi Somat and Carlos Bernardes between Wimbledon matches in 2013 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 5Max Purcell was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 6The Ladies' (top) and Gentlemen's singles trophies (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 7Court 10. On the outside courts there is no reserved seating. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 8Arthur Ashe stadium in 2010, before the retractable roof was added. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 9Taylor Townsend was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 10Richard Sears, a joint all-time record-holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 11Harri Heliövaara was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 12Martina Navratilova, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 13New Show Court Arena that opened in 2022 (from Australian Open)
Image 14Commemorative plaque at Court 18 marking the longest tennis match in history (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 15View from seats of Wimbledon Court No. 1 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 16People watching the Championships' broadcast in Canary Wharf (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 17Andrea Vavassori was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 18Barbora Krejčíková, the 2024 ladies' singles champion. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 19Wimbledon ball girl at the net, in the 2007 edition (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 20The Royal Gallery at Centre Court, Wimbledon (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 21Jannik Sinner, 2024 men's singles champion. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 22The Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup (from Australian Open)
Image 23Bill Tilden, a joint all-time record holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 24The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment precinct on the banks of the Yarra River in 2010. (from Australian Open)
Image 25Jordan Thompson was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 26Sara Errani was part of the winning women's and mixed doubles team in 2025. (from French Open)
Image 27Coco Gauff, the 2025 women's singles champion (from French Open)
Image 28The various trophies contested at the Wimbledon championships being displayed at the All England Club museum (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 29Olivia Gadecki was part of the 2025 winning mixed doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 30John Peers was part of the 2025 winning mixed doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 31Horacio Zeballos was part of the winning men's doubles team in 2025. (from French Open)
Image 32Composition of the courts (from French Open)
Image 33Rod Laver Arena night session in 2007, the last year the tournament used the Rebound Ace surface. (from Australian Open)
Image 34Debenture of the All England Lawn Tennis Ground Ltd., issued 20th August 1930 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 35Jeļena Ostapenko was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 36Molla Mallory, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 37Hsieh Su-wei was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 38The order of play for all courts is displayed on boards around the grounds. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 39Roger Federer, the all-time record holder in men's singles (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 40Centre Court at Wimbledon in May 2019 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 41Todd Woodbridge holding the Gentlemen's doubles silver challenge cup in 2004 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 42Andrea Vavassori was part of the winning mixed doubles team in 2025. (from French Open)
Image 43Aryna Sabalenka, 2024 women's singles champion. It was her third major title. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 44The Norman Brookes Challenge Cup (from Australian Open)
Image 45Spencer Gore, the winner of the inaugural Wimbledon Championship (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 46A Royal Marines Commando as a services steward in 2005 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 47Jasmine Paolini was part of the winning women's doubles team in 2025. (from French Open)
Image 48Carlos Alcaraz, the 2025 men's singles champion (from French Open)
Image 49Strawberries and cream at Wimbledon (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 50Harri Heliövaara was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 51Madison Keys, 2025 women's singles champion. (from Australian Open)
Image 52Taylor Townsend was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 53Kateřina Siniaková was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 54Novak Djokovic, the all-time record holder in men's singles. (from Australian Open)
Image 55Kateřina Siniaková was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 56Bill Larned, a joint all-time record holder in men's singles (from US Open (tennis))
Image 57Jannik Sinner, 2025 men's singles champion. (from Australian Open)
Image 58Henry Patten was part of the 2024 winning men's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 59Jan Zieliński was part of the 2024 winning mixed doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 60Henry Patten was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 61Rafael Nadal, the all-time record holder in men's singles (from French Open)
Image 62New Rod Laver Arena entrance added in 2018 as part of the Melbourne Park redevelopment. (from Australian Open)
Image 63Carlos Alcaraz, the 2024 gentlemen's singles champion. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 64Rod Laver Arena, the main court of the Australian Open, in 2023 (from Australian Open)
Image 65Chris Evert, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from French Open)
Image 66Wimbledon operates a ticket resale system where returned Show Court tickets can be purchased. All proceeds go to charity. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 67Sébastien Grosjean takes a shot on Court 18 during the 2004 Championships. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 68Lyudmyla Kichenok was part of the 2024 winning women's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 69Rafael Nadal holding the Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2006 (from French Open)
Image 70Arthur Ashe Stadium with the roof closed in 2018. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 71Margaret Court Arena at the Australian Open in 2005 prior to its redevelopment. Rod Laver Arena is in the background. (from Australian Open)
Image 72Court Philippe Chatrier during the 2013 French Open (from French Open)
Image 73Margaret Court, the all-time record holder in women's singles. (from Australian Open)
Image 74Aerial view of the grounds (from Wimbledon Championships)

Related WikiProjects

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

Selected biography -

Isner at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.

John Robert Isner (born April 26, 1985) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 8 in singles and No. 14 in doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Considered one of the best servers ever to play on the ATP Tour, Isner achieved his career-high singles ranking in July 2018 by virtue of his first Masters 1000 crown at the 2018 Miami Open and a semifinal appearance at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, Isner played the longest professional tennis match in history, requiring five sets and 183 games to defeat Nicolas Mahut in a match which lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, and was played over the course of three days. Isner holds the record for hitting the ATP's fastest official serve ever and third-fastest on record in tennis at 157.2 mph or 253 km/h during his first-round 2016 Davis Cup match. He has the most aces in the history of the ATP Tour, having served 14,470, as of August 31, 2023. Isner retired from professional tennis following the 2023 US Open. (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"?

Selected quote -

“

In my opinion, we had Vines, who for one year was the best player ever, and we have Budge, who for the best three years of his life, nobody could hold a candle to. For the best five-year period I give it to Jack Kramer. The best ten-year period I give it to Laver. The best twenty-year period, I give to Gonzales. The best twenty-five to thirty-year period I give it to Rosewall.

”

— Bobby Riggs, ranking the all-time greats of the game.

Selected picture -

German player Otto Froitzheim at the 1913 World Hard Court Championships in Paris.

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