Tennis
Tennis is one of the world’s most widely played and watched individual sports, with a global following of over 1 billion fans.
The Big Picture
Tennis is played between 2 players (singles) or 2 pairs (doubles) on a rectangular court divided by a net. Players use rackets to hit a felt-covered rubber ball back and forth over the net.
The Court Surfaces
| Surface | Material | Ball behavior | Famous Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass | Natural grass | Fast; low bounce | Wimbledon (England) |
| Clay | Crushed brick/stone | Slow; high bounce | French Open (Roland Garros, Paris) |
| Hard | Acrylic/concrete | Medium speed | US Open, Australian Open |
Scoring
Points within a game:
- 0 points = Love
- 1 point = 15
- 2 points = 30
- 3 points = 40
- Tied at 40–40 = Deuce → must win 2 consecutive points
Games within a set: First to 6 games (win by 2). Tied 6–6: tiebreak.
Sets: Women’s matches: best of 3 sets. Men’s Grand Slams: best of 5 sets.
The Four Grand Slams
| Tournament | Location | Surface | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Melbourne, Australia | Hard | January |
| French Open (Roland Garros) | Paris, France | Clay | May–June |
| Wimbledon | London, England | Grass | June–July |
| US Open | New York City, USA | Hard | August–September |
Legendary Players
Men:
- Roger Federer — elegant, beloved; 20 Grand Slam titles; Swiss
- Rafael Nadal — the “King of Clay”; 22 Grand Slams; Spanish
- Novak Djokovic — the most Grand Slam titles (24+); Serbian
- These three dominated tennis for ~20 years
Women:
- Serena Williams — 23 Grand Slam singles titles; considered the greatest women’s player ever
- Steffi Graf — only player to win all 4 Grand Slams + Olympic gold in one year (1988)
- Martina Navratilova — 18 Grand Slams; revolutionized women’s tennis
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