tennis

Tennis is a racket sport played on a rectangular court with a net across the center. It can be played as singles with two players or doubles with four. Players use a stringed racket to hit a ball over the net and into the opponent’s court, aiming to land the ball in a spot the opponent cannot return.

Tennis is played on several surface types, including natural grass, clay, and hard courts, each influencing ball speed and bounce. A singles court measures 23.77 meters in length; the width is 8.23 meters for singles and 10.97 meters for doubles. The net is 1.07 meters high at the center. Balls are typically bright yellow and made of felt-covered rubber.

The game uses a point-based scoring system: 0 (love), 15, 30, 40, and then game. If both players reach 40, the score becomes deuce and a player must win two consecutive points to claim the game. Games form a set, usually requiring at least six games with a margin of two; at 6–6 a tiebreak is commonly played, though some events use extended formats. A match is typically best of three sets for women and many men’s events, with the men’s Grand Slam tournaments deciding the match in five sets.

Governance and competition are organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), with separate professional tours for men (ATP) and women (WTA). The sport features major annual tournaments known as the Grand Slams—the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open—along with team events such as the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. Tennis has a long history dating from late 19th-century Britain and has grown into a global sport with a wide professional and amateur participation base.