History of Tennis in Timeline

Tennis is a racket sport played between two opponents (singles) or two teams of two players (doubles). Players use rackets to hit a felt-covered rubber ball over a net and into the opponent's court. The goal is to make a shot that the opponent cannot legally return, thereby scoring a point.

1900: Davis Cup dates to 1900

In 1900, the Davis Cup, an annual competition between men's national teams, was established.

1905: The Australian Open dates to 1905

The Australian Open dates to 1905 and is one of the four most prestigious events in tennis.

1913: International Lawn Tennis Federation founded

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

1920: Bill Tilden wins Wimbledon singles title

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

March 1923: World Championship title dropped

On 16 March 1923, at a meeting held 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 withdrew from the Olympics

In 1924, tennis withdrew from the Olympics after the 1924 Games, but returned 60 years later.

1925: French Championships open to international players

In 1925, the French Championships, which started in 1891, were opened to all tennis players internationally, previously only open to members of French clubs.

1926: First professional tennis tour established

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

1930: Bill Tilden wins Wimbledon singles title

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

1937: Donald Budge wins first of six consecutive major titles

In 1937, Donald Budge won the first of six consecutive major titles.

1938: Donald Budge wins 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 of first half of 20th century

In 1950, an Associated Press poll named Bill Tilden as the greatest tennis 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, containing tennis memorabilia and a hall of fame.

1961: Server foot rule change

In 1961, a rule change in modern tennis allowed the server to lift their foot off the ground, whereas previously the server had to keep one foot on the ground at all times.

1962: Rod Laver wins calendar year Grand Slam

In 1962, Rod Laver won the calendar year Grand Slam, one of two times he has achieved the feat.

1963: Fed Cup founded

In 1963, the Fed Cup, the analogous competition for women's national teams, was founded as the Federation Cup to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the ITF.

1967: Rod Laver wins calendar year Professional Grand Slam

In 1967, Rod Laver won the calendar year Professional Grand Slam.

1968: Inauguration of the Open Era

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

1969: Rod Laver wins calendar year Grand Slam

In 1969, Rod Laver won the calendar year Grand Slam, one of two times he has achieved the feat.

1979: Jack Kramer's autobiography says Budge was the greatest player ever

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

1984: Tennis returns to Olympics as demonstration event

In 1984, tennis returned to the Olympics as a 21-and-under demonstration event, 60 years after it withdrew from the Olympics.

1988: Andre Agassi skips Wimbledon

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

1988: Tennis returns to the Summer Olympics

In 1988, tennis was consistently competed in the Summer Olympic Games, marking its return as one of the original Olympic sports.

1988: Tennis reintroduced as full-medal sport at Seoul Olympics

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

1990: Andre Agassi continues to skip Wimbledon

In 1990, Andre Agassi continued to skip Wimbledon, citing the event's traditionalism, particularly its "predominantly white" dress code.

1990: ATP Super 9 events

In 1990, the ATP, led by Hamilton Jordan, began running the men's tour and designated the top nine tournaments, outside of the Grand Slam events, as "Super 9" events.

1997: Racket frame length rule change

In 1997, the maximum length of the 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 favour 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: Tennis Masters Series name change

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

2004: ITF Implements New Doubles Ranking Scheme

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

2004: ATP Masters Series name change

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

2006: Billie Jean King calls Navratilova greatest player

In 2006, Billie Jean King stated that Martina Navratilova is the greatest singles, doubles, and mixed doubles player ever.

2006: US Open and other tournaments adopt Hawk-Eye challenge system

In 2006, the US Open, Miami Masters, US Open Series, and World Team Tennis began using the Hawk-Eye challenge system, which allows players to appeal line calls via 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 Hawk-Eye challenge system

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

June 2008: Bleacher Report ranks Martina Navratilova as top female player

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

2009: Coaching allowed on court in WTA Tour events

In 2009, a rule change in women's tennis for WTA Tour events allowed coaching on court on a limited basis during a match, with the player able to request her coach once per set.

2009: Masters Series renamed to ATP Masters 1000

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

July 2010: Serena Williams proclaimed greatest female tennis player ever

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

2011: Six of the nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments are combined ATP and WTA events

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

March 2012: Tennis Channel publishes list of greatest players

In March 2012, the Tennis Channel published a combined list of the 100 greatest men and women tennis players of all time.

2012: Dubai Tennis Championships offer largest financial incentive

In 2012, the Dubai Tennis Championships offered the largest financial incentive to players, with total prize money of US$2,313,975.

November 2018: Tennis.com Poll Names Graf as Greatest Women's Tennis Player

In November 2018, Tennis.com polled its readers, and Graf was chosen as the greatest women's tennis player of all time.

2018: Prize money distribution at the US Open

As of 2018, at the US Open, the men's and women's singles prize money (US$40,912,000) accounts for 80.9 percent of total player base compensation, while men's and women's doubles (US$6,140,840), men's and women's singles qualifying (US$3,008,000), and mixed doubles (US$505,000) account for 12.1 percent, 5.9 percent, and 1.0 percent, respectively. The singles winner receives US$3,800,000, while the doubles winning pair receives $700,000 and the mixed doubles winning pair receives US$155,000.

2018: Tennis.com panel selected Serena Williams as greatest female tennis player

In 2018, a Tennis.com panel selected Serena Williams as the greatest female tennis player in the Open Era.

May 2020: Tennis Channel Ranks Serena Williams as Greatest Female Tennis Player

In May 2020, the Tennis Channel ranked Serena Williams as the greatest female tennis player of all time.

July 2020: The Guardian Poll Names Graf as Greatest Female Tennis Player

In July 2020, The Guardian polled its readers to determine the greatest female tennis player of the past 50 years, with Graf being the clear favorite.