Tennis history

Major Walter Clopton Wingfield helped turn the indoor tradition into an outdoor lawn game, patenting a kit called Sphairistikè in 1874.

The All England Club held the first Wimbledon Championships in 1877. National championships followed in the United States in 1881, France in 1891 and Australia in 1905, forming the major-event framework.

The Davis Cup began in 1900, adding international team competition.

For many years, the majors excluded professionals, meaning great players disappeared from those events when turning professional. The Open Era began in 1968, allowing professionals and amateurs to compete together.

Many modern record comparisons explicitly distinguish the Open Era. ATP and WTA structures and computerized rankings developed in the 1970s. Billie Jean King's 1973 Battle of the Sexes victory and equal US Open prize money were major moments in sporting equality.

• Rod Laver: calendar Grand Slams in both 1962 and 1969.
• Björn Borg and John McEnroe: their contrasting temperaments and 1980 Wimbledon final helped popularize the sport.
• Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert: an eighty-match rivalry and contrasting net and baseline styles.
• Steffi Graf: the four majors plus Seoul Olympic gold in 1988.
• Serena Williams: twenty-three Open Era major singles titles and a transformative power game.
• Federer, Nadal and Djokovic: the Big Three dominated a generation with distinct styles.

See The four Grand Slams for a record comparison dated 2025.

Tennis reached Korea around the late nineteenth century and developed alongside soft tennis, known as jeonggu.

Lee Hyung-taik reached the US Open fourth round in 2000 and 2007 and won Sydney in 2003, becoming the first Korean ATP singles champion. Chung Hyeon reached the 2018 Australian Open semifinal. Kwon Soon-woo followed with an Astana title in 2021.

Recreational participation expanded in the 2020s, with younger players and stronger competition for court reservations. See Tennis in Korea.

• Wood, through the 1970s: small heads encouraged flatter hitting and serve-and-volley skills.
• Metal and oversized heads in the 1970s–1980s: frames such as the Wilson T2000 and Prince's larger heads broadened power possibilities.
• Graphite from the 1980s: lighter, stiffer composite frames supported faster swings.
• Polyester strings from the 2000s: stronger spin potential helped establish modern heavy-topspin baseline tennis.

Electronic review systems such as Hawk-Eye brought technology into line judging; live electronic calling later reduced the role of human line judges at some events.