History of Tennis in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: July 13, 2026

Tennis is a racket sport played either individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players. The objective is to strike a ball with a racket, maneuvering it over a net into the opponent's court in a way that prevents them from making a valid return. Players earn points by winning rallies, with games structured into sets and matches governed by a standard scoring system—15, 30, 40, and game. Matches are played on various surfaces, including grass, clay, and hard courts, each significantly influencing the speed and bounce of the ball. Professional tennis is overseen by international governing bodies, with the most prestigious events being the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Known for demanding high levels of agility, physical stamina, and strategic precision, tennis is a popular global sport that combines individual athleticism with complex tactical play.

1900: Founding of the Davis Cup

In 1900, the Davis Cup was established as an annual international tennis competition featuring teams representing men's national squads.

1905: Inception of the Australian Open

The Australian Open tennis tournament was established in 1905, eventually becoming one of the four prestigious Grand Slam events in the sport.

1913: Founding of the International Lawn Tennis Federation

In 1913, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) was established, setting the stage for organized global tennis by designating three primary tournaments: the World Grass Court Championships in Great Britain, the World Hard Court Championships in France and Belgium, and the annual World Covered Court Championships hosted by various European nations.

1920: Beginning of Bill Tilden's Championship Era

Starting in 1920, Bill Tilden began a period of dominance, securing multiple singles titles at Wimbledon and the US Championships over the following decade.

March 1923: Creation of the Official Championship Category

During a meeting held in Paris in March 1923, the International Lawn Tennis Federation retired the 'World Championship' title and introduced the 'Official Championship' designation, which identified the major tournaments in Great Britain, France, the US, and Australia, eventually becoming known as the Grand Slam events.

1924: ILTF Promulgates Comprehensive Rules and Olympic Withdrawal

In 1924, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) established a set of comprehensive rules that would dictate the sport for the next eight decades. Additionally, following the 1924 Olympic Games, tennis was removed from the Olympic program.

1925: French Championships Open to International Players

In 1925, the French Championships underwent a significant change by removing the restriction that previously limited tournament participation exclusively to members of French tennis clubs, allowing international competition.

1926: Establishment of the First Professional Tennis Tour

In 1926, promoter C. C. Pyle organized the inaugural professional tennis tour, featuring exhibition matches played by prominent American and French athletes, such as Vinnie Richards and Suzanne Lenglen, before paying audiences. A significant consequence of this transition to professional status in 1926 was that players were subsequently barred from participating in major amateur tournaments.

1930: Conclusion of Tilden's Primary Championship Streak

By 1930, Bill Tilden concluded an influential decade of tennis in which he captured three Wimbledon singles titles and seven US Championships singles titles.

1937: Donald Budge's Consecutive Major Title Run Begins

In 1937, Donald Budge began a streak of winning six consecutive major tennis titles, a run that continued into 1938.

1938: Donald Budge Achieves the Grand Slam

In 1938, Donald Budge became the first player in history to win all four major singles titles within the same calendar year, marking the first recorded Grand Slam.

1950: Associated Press Poll Names Bill Tilden Greatest Player

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

1954: Founding of the International Tennis Hall of Fame

In 1954, Jimmy Van Alen established the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, as a nonprofit museum dedicated to preserving tennis history and honoring distinguished figures in the sport.

1961: Change to Server Foot Placement Rule

Prior to 1961, tennis rules mandated that a server must keep at least one foot on the ground at all times; this requirement was modified in 1961 as part of the evolution of the sport's modern regulations.

1962: Rod Laver's First Calendar Year Grand Slam

In 1962, Rod Laver achieved a historic milestone by winning the calendar year Grand Slam, becoming the only male player to achieve this feat twice in his career.

1963: Founding of the Federation Cup

In 1963, the Federation Cup (now known as the Fed Cup) was founded to serve as the women's equivalent to the Davis Cup, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation.

1967: Rod Laver's Professional Grand Slam

In 1967, Rod Laver successfully won the calendar year Professional Grand Slam, a significant achievement during the era of professional tennis.

1968: Inauguration of the Open Era

In 1968, the tennis world underwent a major transition known as the Open Era. Due to commercial pressures and the prevalence of amateurs receiving under-the-table payments, the distinction between amateur and professional players was abolished, allowing all athletes to compete in all tournaments and earn a living through the sport.

1969: Rod Laver's Second Calendar Year Grand Slam

During the 1969 season, Rod Laver secured his second calendar year Grand Slam, solidifying his unique standing in tennis history as the only male player to do so twice.

1979: Release of Jack Kramer's Autobiography

In 1979, tennis legend Jack Kramer published his autobiography, in which he argued that Donald Budge was the greatest player in tennis history based on consistent performance.

1984: Tennis Returns to the Olympics as a Demonstration Sport

After a 60-year absence, tennis returned to the Olympic stage in 1984 as a 21-and-under demonstration event, a milestone achieved through the collaborative efforts of ITF leadership and the IOC president.

1988: Tennis Reinstated as a Full-Medal Olympic Sport

Following the success of the 1984 demonstration event, the International Olympic Committee officially reintroduced tennis as a full-medal sport during the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

1988: Tennis reinstated at the Summer Olympic Games

In 1988, tennis became a consistent fixture of the Summer Olympic Games, solidifying its place as a regular competitive sport after its history as one of the original Olympic sports.

1988: Andre Agassi Begins Wimbledon Boycott

Starting in 1988, tennis player Andre Agassi chose to boycott the Wimbledon tournament due to his disagreement with the event's strict traditionalism and mandatory predominantly white dress code.

1990: Conclusion of Agassi's Wimbledon Protest

By 1990, Andre Agassi had continued his absence from the Wimbledon tournament, maintaining his protest against the event's adherence to traditionalist clothing regulations that required participants to wear white.

1990: Establishment of the Super 9 Tournaments

In 1990, the ATP, under the leadership of Hamilton Jordan, took control of the men's tour and officially designated the top nine non-Grand Slam tournaments as Super 9 events.

1997: Reduction of Maximum Tennis Racket Frame Length

In 1997, tennis governing bodies implemented a rule change that reduced the maximum allowable length of a tennis racket frame from 32 inches (81 cm) down to 29 inches (74 cm) to regulate the impact of engineering and material advances on the game.

2000: 2000 Olympics Team USA Selection Controversy

In 2000, tennis player Lisa Raymond was controversially excluded from the Team USA Olympic squad by captain Billie Jean King, despite holding the world number one ranking in doubles at the time; Raymond's subsequent challenge against the selection of Serena Williams proved unsuccessful.

2000: Rebranding to Tennis Masters Series

In 2000, the tournament series previously known as the Super 9 was rebranded as the Tennis Masters Series.

2004: Rebranding to ATP Masters Series

The tournament series underwent another name change in 2004, becoming officially known as the ATP Masters Series.

August 2007: ATP Announces Major Tour Restructuring

In August 2007, the ATP officially announced significant structural changes to the professional tennis tour, which included rebranding the Masters Series to the ATP Masters 1000 to reflect the ranking points awarded to winners.

June 2008: Bleacher Report Top-10 Female Tennis Players Ranking

In June 2008, the Bleacher Report published a list ranking the top-10 female tennis players of all time, in which Martina Navratilova was named the greatest female player to ever play the sport.

2009: Introduction of On-Court Coaching in WTA Tour

In 2009, women's tennis officially implemented a rule change for WTA Tour events allowing players to request coaching on the court once per set.

2009: Implementation of ATP Tour Changes

Starting in 2009, the new tour format was implemented, featuring the rebranding of Masters tournaments, the adjustment of the Hamburg Masters to a 500-point event, the transition of the Madrid Masters to clay courts in May, and the addition of a new tournament in Shanghai.

July 2010: Sports Illustrated Debate on Greatest Female Tennis Player

In July 2010, sportswriter John Wertheim published an article in Sports Illustrated arguing that Serena Williams is the greatest female tennis player in history due to her dominance on neutral surfaces. Following this, the Yahoo sports blog Busted Racket released a counter-ranking of the top-10 female tennis players of all time, which placed Martina Navratilova in the first position.

2011: Integration of ATP and WTA Events

By 2011, six out of the nine Masters 1000 level tournaments had transitioned into combined events featuring both ATP and WTA circuits.

March 2012: Tennis Channel Greatest Players List

In March 2012, the Tennis Channel released a comprehensive list ranking the 100 greatest tennis players of all time, both men and women. The rankings, which were decided by an international panel, placed Steffi Graf as the top female player at 3rd overall, with Martina Navratilova and Margaret Court also featuring in the top ten.

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2012: Dubai Tennis Championships Financial Milestone

In 2012, the Dubai Tennis Championships distinguished itself as the tournament providing the highest financial reward in the ATP 500 series, offering a total prize purse of US$2,313,975.

2018: US Open Prize Money Structure 2018

In 2018, the US Open tournament prize money allocation favored singles competitions, which accounted for 80.9 percent of the total player compensation, while doubles and qualifying rounds made up the remaining percentages. As of 2018, singles winners earned US$3,800,000, whereas doubles pairs received US$700,000 and mixed doubles pairs were awarded US$155,000.

2021: WTA Rebranding and Tournament Level System

In 2021, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) underwent a rebranding effort to align its tournament structure more closely with the men's series. This new system was designed to simplify tennis categories for fans and consumers, clarifying that the numerical designations represent tournament levels rather than prize money or ranking point values.