Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket strung with a 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 manoeuvre the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. The player unable to return the ball validly will not gain a point, while the opposite player will.
A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be used to create a tennis court, each with its own characteristics which affect the playing style of the game.
Wheelchair tennis is one of the forms of tennis adapted for wheelchair users. The size of the court, net height and rackets are the same, but there are two major differences from pedestrian tennis: athletes use specially designed wheelchairs, and the ball may bounce up to two times, where the second bounce may also occur outside the court.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the governing body of world tennis, wheelchair tennis, and beach tennis. It was founded in 1913 as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by twelve national tennis associations. As of 2016, there are 211 national and six regional associations that make up the ITF's membership.
The Grand Slam Cup was a tennis tournament held annually at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany from 1990 through 1999. The event was organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), which invited the best-performing players in the year's Grand Slam events to compete in the Grand Slam Cup.
The ATP Tour is the sole worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals founded in 1990 that replaced the earlier dual Grand Prix Circuit and WCT Circuit. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organisation is the WTA Tour.
The ITF Men's World Tennis Tour is a series of professional tennis tournaments held around the world that are organized by the International Tennis Federation. The tour represents the lowest rung of the men's professional tennis ladder. ITF tournaments are incorporated into the ATP rankings, enabling young professionals to progress on to the ATP Challenger Tour and ultimately the full ATP Tour. Nearly every professional male player has spent some time on the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour.
Esther Mary Vergeer is a Dutch former professional wheelchair tennis player. Vergeer won 43 major titles, 23 year-end championships, and seven Paralympic gold medals. She was the world No. 1 in women's wheelchair singles from 1999 to her retirement in February 2013. Vergeer went undefeated in singles for ten straight years, ending her career on a winning streak of 470 matches. She has often been named the most dominant player in professional sports.
Beach tennis is a game combining elements of tennis and volleyball and played on a beach.
Shingo Kunieda is a Japanese former wheelchair tennis player. With four Paralympic gold medals, 28 major singles titles – an all-time record in singles of any tennis discipline – and 50 major titles overall, Kunieda is widely considered the greatest male wheelchair player of all time.
The St. Louis WCT was a men's tennis tournament played in St. Louis, Missouri from 1970 to 1978. The event was part of the WCT Tour and was held on indoor carpet courts except from 1974 to 1975, when it was held on outdoor clay courts.
The Geneva Open Challenger, also known as IPP Trophy was a tennis tournament held in Geneva, Switzerland from 1988 to 2014. The event is part of the ATP Challenger Tour. Previously played on outdoor clay courts, it has been played indoors on hard GreenSet courts since 2011, at Sport Center of the Queue d'Arve. Originally, it was held at the Drizia-Miremont Tennis Club. Two-time Swiss champion Stanislas Wawrinka would later enter the world top 10 in the ATP rankings in 2008.
The Levene Gouldin & Thompson Tennis Challenger was a tennis tournament held in Binghamton, New York, United States from 1994-2019. A Binghamton and Vestal area law firm, Levene Gouldin & Thompson, has been the title sponsor of the tournament since 2007. The event is part of the ATP challenger series and is played on outdoor hard courts. Former Wimbledon champion and Olympic Gold medalist Andy Murray won the event in 2005. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine.
The Cacharel Caracas Open was a men's tennis tournament founded as the Altimira International, also known as the Altamira International Invitation and Caracas International Championships. The tournament was played annually at the Altamira Tennis Club, Miranda, Caracas, Venezuela, usually in mid-March initially as part of the ILTF Caribbean Circuit.
The Bangkok Tennis Classic was a men's tennis tournament played in Bangkok, Thailand from 1980 until 1982. The event was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit and was held on indoor carpet courts.
The Arkansas International Tennis Tournament was a men's tennis tournament played at Burns Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas in the United States from 1974 to 1979. The event was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit from 1977 through 1979 and was played on indoor carpet courts. From 1977 onward the tournament was also known under its sponsored name Fairfield Bay Classic.
The ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, previously known as the ITF Women's Circuit, is a series of professional tennis tournaments run by the International Tennis Federation for female professional tennis players.
Aniek van Koot is a Dutch wheelchair tennis player who is a former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles.
Keri Phebus is a professional tennis player from the United States. During her pro career from 1991 to 1998, she won five titles on the ITF Women's Circuit, received a wildcard entry and won her first round match at the 1995 US Open. Phebus is the most decorated player in the history of UCLA women's tennis.
Wang Xiyu is a Chinese professional tennis player. She reached a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 49 on 9 January 2023, and a doubles ranking of No. 98 on 19 August 2024.
