Tennis

Tennis is a racket sport played between two players (singles) or two teams of two players each (doubles) on a rectangular court divided by a net, in which competitors use strung rackets to hit a felt-covered rubber ball over the net and into the opponent's half of the court. The sport is governed globally by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is played at amateur and professional levels across more than 200 nations.

History

The origins of tennis are generally traced to jeu de paume, a French handball game popular in medieval Europe. A racket-based outdoor version, known as lawn tennis, was codified in 1873 by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield in Wales, who patented a portable court and ruleset under the name Sphairistikè. The All England Club in Wimbledon, London, held the first Championships in 1877, establishing what became the oldest tennis tournament in the world.

The sport spread rapidly through the British Empire and to the United States, where the United States Tennis Association (USTA) was founded in 1881. The Davis Cup, the premier international team competition, was first held in 1900. The Open Era began in 1968 when Grand Slam tournaments were opened to professional players alongside amateurs, transforming tennis into a global commercial sport.

Early codification

Wingfield's original rules differed from modern tennis in several respects, including court shape and scoring. The familiar rectangular court and the scoring system based on games, sets, and matches were standardised by the All England Club in the late 19th century and adopted internationally in subsequent decades.

Rules and scoring

A tennis match is divided into points, games, and sets. A player wins a game by reaching at least four points — scored as 15, 30, 40, and game — with a two-point lead required from deuce (40–40). A set is won by the first player or team to reach six games with a two-game lead, or by winning a tiebreak at six games all in most formats. A match is typically decided by the best of three or five sets, depending on the competition.

Tiebreak

The tiebreak, introduced by the ITF in the early 1970s, is a short game played to seven points (with a two-point margin required) used to decide a set tied at six games all. Some tournaments, including Wimbledon until 2019, reserved the final set for advantage play rather than a tiebreak; most major competitions now use a match tiebreak or a standard tiebreak at a specified score in the final set.

Serving and court zones

Each point begins with a serve from behind the baseline into the diagonally opposite service box. Players are allowed two serve attempts per point; a fault on both attempts (a double fault) concedes the point. A serve that clips the net cord and lands in the correct service box is called a let and is replayed.

Court types and surfaces

Tennis is played on several surface types, each affecting the speed and bounce of the ball and favouring different playing styles.

Grass

Grass courts, the original surface of lawn tennis, produce a low, fast bounce that favours serve-and-volley players. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam played on grass and remains the sport's most prestigious event.

Clay

Clay courts slow the ball and produce a high bounce, rewarding baseline rallying and physical endurance. The French Open (Roland Garros), held in Paris each May and June, is the premier clay-court Grand Slam.

Hard

Hard courts, surfaced with asphalt or concrete topped with an acrylic layer, offer a medium-paced, consistent bounce. The Australian Open and the US Open are both played on hard courts.

Indoor and carpet

Some professional tournaments are played indoors on hard or carpet surfaces. Carpet courts, once common on the ATP and WTA Tours, are now rare at the top level.

Professional tennis

Professional tennis is organised primarily through the ATP Tour (men) and the WTA Tour (women), each staging tournaments of varying categories throughout the year. Rankings are determined by points accumulated at tournaments over a rolling 52-week period.

Grand Slam tournaments

The four Grand Slams — the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open — are the sport's most important events, offering the largest prize funds and the highest ranking points. Winning all four in a single calendar year is called a Calendar Grand Slam, one of the rarest feats in sport.

ATP and WTA Tours

The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour organises men's professional tennis, while the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) Tour governs the women's professional circuit. Both circuits culminate each season in year-end championship events that feature the top-ranked players.

Notable players

Among the most decorated players in the Open Era, Roger Federer (Switzerland), Rafael Nadal (Spain), and Novak Djokovic (Serbia) each accumulated more than 20 Grand Slam singles titles, a rivalry that defined men's tennis across the early 21st century. On the women's side, Serena Williams (United States) won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era.

Equipment

A tennis racket consists of a handle, a shaft, and an oval frame strung with a network of cord or synthetic string. Modern rackets are predominantly made from graphite composites. The tennis ball is a hollow rubber sphere covered with felt, standardised at approximately 6.35–6.67 cm in diameter and 56.7–58.5 g in weight according to ITF regulations.

Frequently asked questions

Is tennis an Olympic sport?

Tennis has been an Olympic Games sport since the 1988 Seoul Games, having been reinstated after a lengthy absence since 1924. Both singles and doubles events are held for men and women, with a mixed doubles event added at the 2012 London Games.

Is the scoring system in tennis unique to the sport?

Yes. The 15–30–40 points system is distinctive to tennis and is thought by historians to derive from the use of a clock face in early forms of the game, though the precise origin is debated. No other major sport uses an equivalent scoring convention.

Is there a difference between ATP and WTA prize money?

At the four Grand Slams, men's and women's prize money has been equal since Wimbledon adopted parity in 2007, completing the alignment across all four majors. Prize money at lower-tier ATP and WTA events varies and is not always equal.

Is a let replayed in professional tennis?

Traditionally, a let serve is replayed with no penalty. However, some professional exhibition events and lower-level competitions have experimented with eliminating the let rule, meaning a net-cord serve that lands in counts as a valid serve.

Is tennis difficult to learn as a beginner?

Tennis has a moderate learning curve; basic rallying can be acquired in a few sessions, but consistent serving, footwork, and match play strategy typically require sustained coaching and practice. The scoring system and court positioning are commonly identified as initial challenges for new players.