〓 Shopping. 〓 Sports. ⚽ Tennis. Tennis. Tennis is a sport people usually play individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a racquet that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court. The object of the game is to play the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a good return. History Predecessors Jeu de paume in the 17th century Historians believe that the game's ancient origin lay in 12th century northern France, where a ball was struck with the palm of the hand.[3] Louis X of France was a keen player of jeu de paume (“game of the palm”), which evolved into real tennis, and became notable as the first person to construct indoor tennis courts in the modern style.
It wasn't until the 16th century that racquets came into use, and the game began to be called "tennis", from the Old French term tenez, which can be translated as "hold! " Origins of the modern game Equipment. Tennis court. A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles. Dimensions[edit] The dimensions of a tennis court. Tennis is played on a rectangular flat surface, usually of grass, clay, concrete (hard court) or a synthetic suspended court. The dimensions of a tennis court are defined and regulated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) governing body and are written down in the annual 'Rules of Tennis' document.[1] The court is 23.78 meters (78.0 feet) long, 10.97 meters (36.0 feet) wide.
Orientation[edit] A North/South orientation is generally desirable for outdoor courts to avoid background glare at dawn or dusk. Types of tennis courts[edit] Tennis is played on a variety of surfaces and each surface has its own characteristics which affect the playing style of the game. ITF uses the following classification for tennis court surface types:[5] French Open. Category:Tennis court surfaces. Grand Slam (tennis) The term Grand Slam also, and originally, refers to the achievement of winning all four major championships in a single calendar year within one of the five disciplines: men's and women's singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles. In doubles, one team may accomplish a Grand Slam playing together or one player may achieve it with different partners.
The term "Grand Slam" without qualification refers to winning the four majors in a single calendar year.[2][3][4] Winning the four majors in consecutive tournaments but not in the same year is known as a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam, while winning all four majors at any point during the course of a career is known as a Career Grand Slam. Winning the Olympic gold medal in addition to the four majors in a one calendar year is known as a "Golden Grand Slam" or more commonly the "Golden Slam". Also, winning the Year-End Championship in the same period is known as a "Super Slam". Team: Player: 8: Frank Sedgman (from the 1950 U.S. Team and Player: The Championships, Wimbledon. The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, culminating with the Ladies' and Gentlemen's Singles Final, scheduled for the second Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Each year five major, junior, and invitational events are held. Wimbledon traditions include a strict dress code for competitors, the eating of strawberries and cream by the spectators, and Royal patronage. The tournament is also notable for the absence of sponsor advertising around the courts. In 2009, Wimbledon's Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to lessen the loss of playing time due to rain. History[edit] Beginning[edit] The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is a private club founded in 1868, originally as 'The All England Croquet Club'. In 1876, lawn tennis, a game devised by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so earlier and originally called 'Sphairistike' was added to the activities of the club. In 1884, the club added Ladies' Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles. No.1 Court. Wimbledon. List of men's singles champions. The Championships, Wimbledon is an annual English tennis tournament created in 1877 and played on outdoor grass courts[a][b][1] at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) in the Wimbledon suburb of London, United Kingdom.[2] The Gentlemen's Singles was the first event contested in 1877.[3] The Gentlemen's Singles' rules have undergone several changes since the first edition.
From 1878 until 1921, the event started with a knockout phase, the All Comers' Singles, whose winner then faced the defending champion in a challenge round. The All Comers' winner was automatically awarded the title six times (1879, 1887, 1891, 1895, 1907, 1908) in the absence of the previous year's champion.
The challenge round system was abolished with the 1922 edition.[5] Since the first championships, all matches have been played at the best-of-five sets. In the Amateur Era, William Renshaw (1881–1886, 1889) holds the record for most titles in the Gentlemen's Singles, with seven victories. General. List of ladies' singles champions. The Championships, Wimbledon is an annual tennis tournament first contested in 1877 and played on outdoor grass courts[a][b][1] at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) in the Wimbledon suburb of London, United Kingdom.[2] The Ladies' Singles was started in 1884.[3] The Ladies' Singles' rules have undergone several changes since the first edition.
From 1884 until 1921, the event started with a knockout phase, the All Comers' Singles, whose winner then faced the defending champion in a challenge round. The All Comers' winner was automatically awarded the title six times (1887, 1891, 1895, 1907, 1908) in the absence of the previous year's champion. The challenge round system was abolished with the 1922 edition.[5] Since the first championships, all matches have been played at the best-of-three sets. The Ladies' Singles champion receives a sterling silver salver commonly known as the "Venus Rosewater Dish", or simply the "Rosewater Dish". Champions[edit] Amateur era[edit] List of men's doubles champions. The champions and runners-up of the Wimbledon Championships Gentlemen's Doubles tournament, first introduced to the championship in 1884.
From 1915 to 1918, and from 1940 to 1945, no competition was held due to the two World Wars. Finalists[edit] William and Ernest Renshaw See also[edit] Wimbledon other competitions Grand Slam men's doubles. US Open (tennis) The US Open has tiebreaks in every set, including the last set. The other three Grand Slam tournaments have tiebreaks in every set other than the last set (i.e. the fifth set for men and third set for women), and therefore their last set continues indefinitely until a two-game lead is reached.
Newport Casino Tennis Court Though regarded unofficially by many as a major championship beforehand, the tournament was officially designated as one of the major tournaments by the ILTF commencing in 1924. In the first few years of the United States National Championship only men competed and the tournament was known as the US National Singles Championships for Men. Six years after the men's nationals were first held, the first official U.S. Women's National Singles Championship was held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1887, won by 17-year-old Philadelphian Ellen Hansell, accompanied by the U.S. Women's National Doubles Championship (not held for the next two years) and U.S.
Arthur Ashe stadium. French Open. It is one of the largest events in tennis and by far the largest clay-court tournament.[2] Because of the slow-playing surface and the five-set men's singles matches without a tiebreak in the final set, the event is widely considered to be the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world.[3][4] History[edit] Officially named in French Les internationaux de France de Roland-Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros (the "French Internationals of Roland Garros" or "Roland Garros Tournament" in English), the tournament is often referred to in English as the "French Open" and alternatively as "Roland Garros", which is the designation used by the tournament itself in all languages, including English.
French spelling rules dictate that in the name of a place or event named after a person, the elements of the name are joined together with a hyphen.[5] Therefore the names of the stadium and the tournament are hyphenated as Roland-Garros. Suzanne Lenglen Court at Roland Garros. * per team. French Open. Australian Open. The Australian Open typically has very high attendance, second only to the US Open. It was also the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its two primary courts, the Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena, equipped with retractable roofs. History[edit] Inside Rod Laver Arena prior to an evening session The Australian Open is managed by Tennis Australia, formerly the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA), and was first played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne in 1905.
The new facilities at Melbourne Park (formerly Flinders Park) were envisaged to meet the demands of a tournament that had outgrown Kooyong's capacity. Because of Australia's geographic remoteness very few foreign players entered this tournament in the early 20th century. Before the Melbourne Park stadium era, tournament dates fluctuated as well, in particular in the early years because of the climate of each site or exceptional events. . * per team. Australian Open. Queen's Club Championships. The Queen's Club Championships is an annual tournament for male tennis players, held on grass courts at the Queen's Club in West Kensington, London. The event is part of the ATP World Tour 250 series on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour. It is currently promoted as the Aegon Championships for sponsorship reasons.
Queen's is one of the most prestigious grass court tournaments, as well as one of the oldest Tennis tournaments in the world, and serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon. Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt dominated the tournament in the early stages of the 21st century, each winning four titles.[1] Andy Roddick has called the courts at the Queen's Club "arguably the best in the world".[2] History[edit] Centre court during the 2009 championships During the 2004 singles tournament, Andy Roddick set the then world record for the fastest serve recorded at 153 mph (246.2 km/h) during a straight-set victory over Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan in the quarter-finals.[7] [edit] Queen's Club. Centre Court stands at Queen's Club during the 2005 Queen's Club Championships History[edit] Queens Club was the venue of the covered courts (indoor) tennis, jeu de paume (real tennis) and rackets events of the 1908 Summer Olympics.[4] Until 1922, the club was the main ground for the football games of Corinthian F.C.
One international was held, England drawing 1–1 with Wales on 18 March 1895. Sale of Queen's Club[edit] On 13 September 2005, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the governing body of British lawn tennis, which had owned Queen's since 1953, put the club up for sale. The terms required that the rackets club and the Queen's Club Championships remain unaffected (the site's value for residential or commercial redevelopment might greatly exceed its value as a sports club, in the event that planning permission could be obtained, and the LTA wished to preserve the club's role in British tennis).
See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit] The Queen's Club. Aegon Championships. Davis Cup. List of Davis Cup champions. The Davis Cup (known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge until 1945) is an annual tennis tournament for male players that has been held since 1900. The tournament sees players competing for their country in a series of singles and doubles matches over the course of three days. 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. The British Isles (now known as Great Britain) lost the first competition in 1900, defeated by the United States 3–0 in the final in Boston, Massachusetts. Winners[edit] Number of final appearances[edit] Notes[edit] See also[edit] Davis Cup structure References[edit] Fed Cup. ATP World Tour. Half volley. A half volley in tennis is a shot that is hit immediately after the ball bounces before it reaches the apex of its flight.
It is sometimes called an "on the rise shot", or "short hop". Technique[edit] Strategy[edit] A half volley is a difficult shot to make. Often a player hits a half volley only when forced by the opponent or caught out of position. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer devotes a page to the best tennis strokes he had ever seen. External links[edit] Video: Half volley.