What is tennis ?
It is a game in which two or four players strike a ball with rackets over a net stretched across a court.
The usual form (originally called lawn tennis ) is played with a felt-covered hollow rubber ball on a grass, clay, or artificial surface.
Where did tennis originate from ?
In grandslam tournaments (Aussie Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) , the men play best 3 out of 5 sets, the women play best 2 out of 3 sets.
The Four majors
The four Majors or Grand Slam tournaments, the four biggest competitions on the tennis circuit, are Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open, and the Australian Open. Since the mid 1920s they became and have remained the most prestigious events in tennis.
Winning these four tournaments in the same year is called the Grand Slam.
• Australian Open
The Australian Open was first played in 1905 as The Australasian (Australia and New Zealand) Championships.
Historically, because of its geographic remoteness, the event did not gain attendance from the top tennis players.
It became one of the major tennis tournaments starting in 1924 .
In 1927, because of New Zealand tennis authorities releasing their commitments to the tournament, it became known as the Australian Championships. For most of the 1970s and the early 1980s, the event lacked participation from top ranked tennis professionals.
Since its move to Melbourne Park in 1988, the Australian Open has gained the popularity of the other three Grand Slams.
The tournament held annually over the last fortnight of January in Melbourne, Australia.
• French Open/Roland Garros
Tennis was a sport of the English-speaking world, dominated by Great Britain and the United States.It was also popular in France, where the French Open dates to 1891 as the Championat de France International de Tennis.
This tournament was not recognised as a Major or Grand Slam tournament until it was opened to all nationalities in 1925.
It is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June.
• Wimbledon
Wimbledon championships were founded by the All England Club in 1877 to raise money for the club.
The first Championships were contested by 22 men and the winner received a Silver Gilt Cup proclaiming the winner to be "The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion of the World".
The first championships culminated in a significant debate on how to standardize the rules. The following year it was recognized as the official British Championships, although it was open to international competitors. In 1884 the Ladies Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles Championships were inaugurated, followed by the Ladies and Mixed Doubles in 1913.
The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July.
• U.S. Open
The US National Men's Singles Championship, now the US Open, was first held in 1881 at Newport, Rhode Island.
The U.S. National Women's Singles Championships were first held in 1887 in Philadelphia.
The US Open is held annually, starting on the last Monday in August, and lasting for two weeks into September, with the middle weekend coinciding with the Labor Day holiday.