History of Tennis in Timeline

Tennis is a racket sport played between two opposing players (singles) or pairs (doubles). Players use a strung racket to hit a felt-covered rubber ball over a net and into the opponent's court. The goal is to strategically place the ball so the opponent cannot make a valid return. Failure to return the ball successfully results in a point for the opposing player or team.

1900: Davis Cup Inaugural Competition

The Davis Cup, an annual competition between men's national tennis teams, was established in 1900.

1905: The Australian Open Founding

The Australian Open, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, dates back to 1905.

1913: International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) Founded

In 1913, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF), now known as the International Tennis Federation (ITF), was founded and established three official tournaments as the major championships of the day.

1920: Bill Tilden Wins Wimbledon

From 1920 to 1930, Bill Tilden won singles titles at Wimbledon three times and the US Championships seven times.

March 1923: Official Championship Category Created

On March 16th, 1923, in Paris, the title "World Championship" was dropped and a new category of "Official Championship" was created for events in Great Britain, France, the US and Australia – today's Grand Slam events.

1924: Tennis Withdraws from the Olympics

In 1924, tennis was withdrawn from the Olympic Games after the 1924 Games.

1925: French Championships Open to International Players

In 1925, the French Championships, which had been restricted to members of French clubs since 1891, were opened to international tennis players.

1926: First Professional Tennis Tour Established

In 1926, promoter C. C. Pyle established the first professional tennis tour, featuring American and French tennis players in exhibition matches for paying audiences.

1930: Bill Tilden Wins US Championships

From 1920 to 1930, Bill Tilden won singles titles at Wimbledon three times and the US Championships seven times.

1937: Donald Budge Wins Six Consecutive Major Titles

In 1937 and 1938, Donald Budge won six consecutive major titles.

1938: Donald Budge Wins the Grand Slam

In 1938, Donald Budge became the first person to win all four major singles titles during the same calendar year, the Grand Slam.

1950: Bill Tilden Named Greatest Player

In 1950, an Associated Press poll named Bill Tilden as the greatest player of the first half of the 20th century.

1954: International Tennis Hall of Fame Founded

In 1954, Van Alen founded the International Tennis Hall of Fame, a nonprofit museum in Newport, Rhode Island.

1961: Server Foot Rule Change

Prior to 1961, a tennis server was required to keep one foot on the ground at all times during their service motion. This rule was changed in 1961, relaxing the restriction on foot placement during service.

1962: Rod Laver Wins Calendar Year Grand Slam

In 1962, Rod Laver became the only male player in history to have won the calendar year Grand Slam twice.

1963: Fed Cup Founded

In 1963, the Fed Cup, the analogous competition for women's national teams, was founded as the Federation Cup.

1967: Rod Laver Wins Calendar Year Professional Grand Slam

In 1967, Rod Laver became the only male player in history to have won the calendar year Professional Grand Slam.

1968: The Open Era Inaugurated

In 1968, commercial pressures led to the abandonment of the distinction between amateur and professional players, inaugurating the Open Era, allowing all players to compete in all tournaments.

1969: Rod Laver Wins Calendar Year Grand Slam

In 1969, Rod Laver became the only male player in history to have won the calendar year Grand Slam twice.

1979: Jack Kramer Calls Budge Greatest Player Ever

In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer said that, based on consistent play, Budge was the greatest player ever.

1984: Tennis Returns to Olympics as Demonstration Sport

Tennis returned to the Olympics as a 21-and-under demonstration event in 1984.

1988: Andre Agassi Skips Wimbledon

Andre Agassi chose to skip Wimbledon from 1988 through 1990, citing the event's traditionalism, particularly its "predominantly white" dress code.

1988: Tennis Returns to the Olympics

In 1988, tennis was reintroduced as a Summer Olympic Games sport, marking its consistent return to the Olympic program.

1988: Tennis Reinstated as Full-Medal Olympic Sport

In 1988, tennis was reintroduced as a full-medal sport at the Seoul Olympics after the success as a demonstration sport in 1984.

1990: Andre Agassi Skips Wimbledon

Andre Agassi chose to skip Wimbledon from 1988 through 1990, citing the event's traditionalism, particularly its "predominantly white" dress code.

1990: "Super 9" Events Designated

In 1990, when the ATP began running the men's tour, the directors designated the top nine tournaments, outside of the Grand Slam events, as "Super 9" events.

1997: Maximum Tennis Racket Length Shortened

In 1997, the maximum length of a tennis racket frame was shortened from 32 inches (81 cm) to 29 inches (74 cm).

December 1999: Steffi Graf Named Greatest Female Tennis Player of the 20th Century

In December 1999, Steffi Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by the Associated Press.

2000: Lisa Raymond Passed Over for Team USA

For the 2000 Olympics, Lisa Raymond was passed over for Team USA in favor of Serena Williams by captain Billie Jean King, even though Raymond was the top-ranked doubles player in the world at the time, and Raymond unsuccessfully challenged the selection.

2000: "Super 9" Events Renamed

In 2000 the "Super 9" events became the Tennis Masters Series.

2004: Tennis Masters Series Renamed

In 2004 the Tennis Masters Series became the ATP Masters Series.

2004: ITF implements new rankings scheme to encourage greater participation in doubles

In 2004, the ITF implemented a new rankings scheme to encourage greater participation in doubles, by combining two rankings (singles and doubles) into one combined tally.

2006: Billie Jean King praises Martina Navratilova

In 2006, Billie Jean King called Martina Navratilova the greatest singles, doubles, and mixed doubles player who's ever lived.

2006: US Open and other tournaments start using the Hawk-Eye system

In 2006, the US Open, Miami Masters, US Open Series, and World Team Tennis started using the Hawk-Eye challenge system, which allows players to challenge close line calls by means of an electronic review.

August 2007: ATP Announces Major Tour Changes

In August 2007, the ATP announced major changes to the tour that were introduced in 2009.

2007: Australian Open and Wimbledon introduce the Hawk-Eye system

In 2007, the Australian Open and Wimbledon introduced the Hawk-Eye system for challenging line calls during matches.

June 2008: Bleacher Report Ranks Martina Navratilova as Top Female Player

In June 2008, the Bleacher Report ranked Martina Navratilova as the top female tennis player of all time.

2009: On-Court Coaching Introduced in Women's Tennis

In 2009, on-court coaching was introduced in women's tennis for WTA Tour events, allowing players to request their coach once per set.

2009: ATP Masters Series Renamed to ATP Masters 1000

In 2009, the ATP Masters Series was renamed to the "ATP Masters 1000", with the number referring to the ranking points earned by the winner of each tournament.

July 2010: Serena Williams Named Greatest Female Player by John Wertheim

In July 2010, Sportswriter John Wertheim of Sports Illustrated stated that Serena Williams is the greatest female tennis player ever.

2011: Six of Nine ATP Masters 1000 Tournaments are Combined Events

As of 2011, six of the nine "1000" level tournaments are combined ATP and WTA events.

March 2012: Tennis Channel Ranks Top 100 Players

In March 2012, the Tennis Channel published a combined list of the 100 greatest men and women tennis players of all time, ranking Steffi Graf as the greatest female player (in 3rd place overall).

2012: Dubai Tennis Championships Prize Money

In 2012, the Dubai Tennis Championships offered total prize money of US$2,313,975, marking it as a tournament with a significant financial incentive for players.

November 2018: Tennis.com readers choose Graf as the greatest women's tennis player

In November 2018, Tennis.com polled its readers to choose the greatest women's tennis player of all time, and Graf came in first.

2018: Prize Money Disparity at the US Open

As of 2018, at the US Open, the singles competition received the most prize money (US$40,912,000), accounting for 80.9% of total player base compensation, followed by doubles (US$6,140,840), singles qualifying (US$3,008,000), and mixed doubles (US$505,000).