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.

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 objective 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 those who are blind or with low vision, 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 are 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. In 2006, professional tennis adopted electronic review technology coupled with a point-challenge system known as Hawk-Eye, which has increasingly been succeeded by fully automated Electronic Line Calling (ELC Live) systems. (Full article...)

Selected articles -

Image 1
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 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 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 World Tennis, 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 50 victories, followed by North America with 33 and Oceania with 28. (Full article...)
Image 4

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 lateral epicondyle.

Tennis elbow is idiopathic, meaning its precise cause is unknown. It likely involves tendinosis, an overuse injury of the local tendon. (Full article...)
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The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by World Tennis 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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John McEnroe (7 Major singles titles, world No.1 for 170 weeks; pictured in 2012)

Björn Borg and John McEnroe had a tennis rivalry. They 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, which is also considered one of the best matches ever. (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, who 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 Williams sisters rivalry was a tennis rivalry between sisters Venus Williams (born June 17, 1980) and Serena Williams (born September 26, 1981). They were coached by their father, Richard Williams, whose tennis knowledge came from reading books and watching professional matches. Venus and Serena are regarded as two of the greatest tennis players of all time. They met 31 times in professional tournaments between 1998 and 2020, with Serena leading their overall head-to-head 19–12, as well as 9–3 in finals, 11–5 at the majors, and 7–2 in major finals.

Both sisters have been ranked world No. 1 in singles: Venus for a total of 11 weeks, between 25 February 2002 and 7 July 2002. The next day, 8 July 2002, Serena would replace her sister at No. 1 and remain there for 57 consecutive weeks, until 10 August 2003. In all, Serena held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 319 weeks, joining Steffi Graf (377) and Martina Navratilova (332) as the only women to hold it for over 300 weeks. Venus has won 49 singles titles from 83 finals, and Serena won 73 titles from 98 finals, throughout their respective careers which spanned three decades. (Full article...)
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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. Nadal outplayed Federer for most of their rivalry, winning 23 of their first 33 matches from 2004–2014. However, Federer outplayed Nadal during the final stretch from 2015–2019, winning 6 of their last 7 matches. (Full article...)
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Owen Davidson is the most recent player to complete the Grand Slam.

This is a list of Mixed Doubles Grand Slam tennis tournament champions.

Although several players have won at least one title in each of the four majors to achieve the Career Grand Slam, only three players have won the Grand Slam, all four titles in a single calendar year. This includes one team, Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher in 1963, as well as Court and Owen Davidson separately with different partners. Billie Jean King completed the "non-calendar year Grand Slam" by winning all four majors in a row in a period spanning two calendar years. (Full article...)
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World number 1 ranked male tennis players is a year-by-year listing of the male tennis players who were ranked as world No. 1 by various contemporary and modern sources. The annual source rankings from which the No. 1 players are drawn are cited for each player's name, with a summary of the most important tennis events of each year also included. If world rankings are not available, recent rankings by tennis writers for historical years are accessed, with the dates of the recent rankings identified. In the period 1948–1953, when contemporary professional world rankings were not created, the U.S. professional rankings are cited. (Full article...)
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Players on Wimbledon's Centre Court in 2008, a year before the installation of a retractable roof

The racket sport traditionally named lawn tennis was invented in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, and is now commonly known simply as tennis. It is the direct descendant of what is now known as 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 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 now referred to as real tennis. (Full article...)
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Mario Power Tennis is a 2004 sports video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the sequel to the Nintendo 64 title Mario Tennis, and is the third installment of the Mario Tennis series. The game was ported for the Wii in 2009 as part of the New Play Control! series, and was also re-released as a Nintendo Selects title in 2012. A companion handheld game, Mario Tennis: Power Tour, was also released on Game Boy Advance around the same time as the original GameCube release, bearing the same title as Power Tennis in Europe.

Power Tennis incorporates multiple characters, themes, and locations from the Mario series. The game includes standard tennis matches, but contains variants that feature different scoring formats and objectives. Other variants include "Gimmick" courts, thematic areas with components and properties that directly affect gameplay. The game has 18 playable characters, each categorised by their style of play and each with a pair of unique moves known as "Power Shots". Power Tennis was developed simultaneously with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, and the pair shared similar technology and concepts with each other during production. Such similarities include an emphasis on the Mario theme in characters and settings as well as alternative game modes such as "Ring Shot". (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 20 July 2026. (Full article...)
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This article covers the period from 1877 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 Slam tournaments (also known as the majors). 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 during 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 the US Open (August–September). There was no prize money and players were compensated for travel expenses only. A player who wins all four majors, in singles or as part of a doubles team, in the same calendar year is said to have achieved a "Calendar Year 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 in the same calendar year has been called a "Golden Slam" since 1988. Winning all four majors plus an Olympic gold at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Golden Slam". Winning the year-end championship while also having won a Golden Slam is referred to as a "Super Slam". Winning all four majors, an Olympic gold, and the year-end championships at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career 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.

Prior to 1924, the major tennis championships, governed by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF), were the World Hard Court Championships, World Grass Court Championships (Wimbledon), and World Covered Court Championships. (Full article...)

General images

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

Image 1Kateřina Siniaková was part of the winning women's doubles team in 2026. (from French Open)
Image 2Arthur Ashe Stadium with the roof closed in 2018. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 3Wimbledon operates a ticket resale system where returned Show Court tickets can be purchased. All proceeds go to charity. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 4Christian Harrison was part of the 2026 winning men's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 5Roger Federer, the all-time record holder in men's singles (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 6Henry Patten was part of the 2026 winning men's doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 7Erin Routliffe was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 8Rod Laver Arena, the main court of the Australian Open, in 2023 (from Australian Open)
Image 9Jannik Sinner, the 2026 gentlemen's singles champion. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 10Debenture of the All England Lawn Tennis Ground Ltd., issued 20th August 1930 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 11Jakub Menšík was part of the 2026 winning mixed doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 12New Show Court Arena that opened in 2022 (from Australian Open)
Image 13Umpires Magdi Somat and Carlos Bernardes between Wimbledon matches in 2013 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 14Linda Nosková, the 2026 ladies' singles champion. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 15Novak Djokovic, the all-time record holder in men's singles. (from Australian Open)
Image 16Zhang Shuai was part of the 2026 winning women's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 17The various trophies contested at the Wimbledon championships being displayed at the All England Club museum (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 18Martina Navratilova, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 19A match between Roger Federer and Julien Benneteau on Court Philippe Chatrier during the 2013 French Open (from French Open)
Image 20Arthur Ashe stadium in 2010, before the retractable roof was added. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 21Marcelo Arévalo was part of the 2026 winning mixed doubles team. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 22John Peers was part of the 2026 winning mixed doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 23Andrea Vavassori was part of the winning mixed doubles team in 2026. (from French Open)
Image 24Aerial view of the grounds (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 25Horacio Zeballos was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 26People watching the Championships' broadcast in Canary Wharf (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 27The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment precinct on the banks of the Yarra River in 2010. (from Australian Open)
Image 28The Royal Gallery at Centre Court, Wimbledon (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 29View from seats of Wimbledon Court No. 1 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 30Taylor Townsend was part of the winning women's doubles team in 2026. (from French Open)
Image 31Chris Evert, the all-time record holder in women's singles (from French Open)
Image 32Court Philippe Chatrier in 2023 during a match between Alexander Zverev and Alex Molčan, after the renovation (from French Open)
Image 33The five different layers composing the clay courts (from French Open)
Image 34Wimbledon ball girl at the net, in the 2007 edition (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 35Commemorative plaque at Court 18 marking the longest tennis match in history (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 36Neal Skupski was part of the 2026 winning men's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 37Carlos Alcaraz, 2025 men's singles champion. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 38Horacio Zeballos was part of the winning men's doubles team in 2026. (from French Open)
Image 39Elise Mertens was part of the 2026 winning women's doubles team. (from Australian Open)
Image 40Spencer Gore, the winner of the inaugural Wimbledon Championship (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 41Court 10. On the outside courts there is no reserved seating. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 42Margaret Court Arena at the Australian Open in 2005 prior to its redevelopment. Rod Laver Arena is in the background. (from Australian Open)
Image 43The order of play for all courts is displayed on boards around the grounds. (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 44Rafael Nadal holding the Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2006 (from French Open)
Image 45Carlos Alcaraz, 2026 men's singles champion. (from Australian Open)
Image 46Strawberries and cream at Wimbledon (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 47Margaret Court, the all-time record holder in women's singles. (from Australian Open)
Image 48Todd Woodbridge holding the Gentlemen's doubles silver challenge cup in 2004 (from Wimbledon Championships)
Image 49Marcel Granollers was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team. (from US Open (tennis))
Image 50A 2015 Wimbledon Championships tennis ball manufactured by Slazenger (from Wimbledon Championships)

Related WikiProjects

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

Selected biography -

Williams in 2025

Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked as the world No. 1 in both women's singles and doubles by the Women's Tennis Association. Williams has won 49 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including seven majors (five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open), as well as a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2008 WTA Tour Championships. She has also won 22 doubles titles, including 14 majors and three Olympic gold medals.

Along with her younger sister, Serena, Venus Williams was coached by her parents Oracene Price and Richard Williams. Turning professional in 1994, she reached her first major final as a 17-year-old at the 1997 US Open. In both 2000 and 2001, Williams claimed the Wimbledon and US Open titles, as well as Olympic singles gold at the Sydney Olympics. She first reached the singles world No. 1 ranking on February 25, 2002, becoming the first African-American woman to do so in the Open era, and the second of all time after Althea Gibson. Williams reached four consecutive major finals between 2002 and 2003, but lost each time to Serena. She then suffered from injuries, winning just one major title between 2003 and 2006. Williams returned to form starting in 2007, when she won Wimbledon (a feat she repeated the following year). In 2010, she returned to the world No. 2 position in singles, but then suffered again from injuries. Starting in 2014, she gradually returned to form, culminating in two major final appearances in 2017 at the Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships. (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 -

“

If I didn't play tennis, I would probably have to see a psychiatrist.

”

— Arthur Ashe

Selected picture -

The American Davis Cup team in 1929 consisting of Frank Hunter, Bill Tilden, Wilmer Allison and John Van Ryn.

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