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Tournaments

Grand Slam tournaments

The four Grand Slam tournaments are considered to be the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world. They are held annually and include, in chronological order, the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Apart from the Olympic Games, Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and Hopman Cup, they are the only tournaments regulated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).[33] The ITF's national associations, Tennis Australia (Australian Open), the French Tennis Federation (French Open), the United States Tennis Association (US Open), and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and Lawn Tennis Association (Wimbledon), are delegated the responsibility to organize these events.

Aside from the historical significance of these events, they also carry larger prize funds than any other tour event and are worth double the number of ranking points to the champion than in the next echelon of tournaments, the Tennis Masters Series (men) and Tier I events (women).[34][35] Another distinguishing feature is the number of players in the singles draw, 128, more than any other professional tennis tournament. This draw is composed of 32 seeded players, other players ranked in the world's top 100, qualifiers, and players who receive invitations through wild cards. Grand Slam men's tournaments have best-of-five set matches throughout. Grand Slam tournaments are among the small number of events that last two weeks, the others being the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California and the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. Currently, the Grand Slam tournaments are the only tour events that have mixed doubles contests. Grand Slam tournaments are held in conjunction with wheelchair tennis tournaments (with the exception being Wimbledon, where the grass surface prevents this) and junior tennis competitions. Grand Slam tournaments are often seen as the culmination of a particular season, such as the US Open Series. These tournaments also contain their own idiosyncrasies. For example, players at Wimbledon are required to wear predominantly white, a rule that has motivated certain players, such as Andre Agassi, to skip the tournament.

The ATP Masters Series

The Tennis Masters Series is a group of nine tournaments that form the second-highest echelon in men's tennis. Each event is held annually, and a win at one of these events is worth 500 ranking points. When the Association of Tennis Professionals, led by Hamilton Jordan, began running the men's tour in 1990, the directors designated the top nine tournaments, outside of the Grand Slam events, as "Super Nine" events.[37] These eventually became the Tennis Masters Series. In November at the end of the tennis year, the world's top eight players compete in the Tennis Masters Cup, a tournament with a rotating locale. It is currently held in Shanghai, China, and will move to London in 2009.[38]

In 2009, the Tennis Masters Series will undergo several changes. The series will be renamed again, this time as the "Masters 1,000 Series", a reference to the number of points the champion of each event will garner. (All other tournaments will have their ranking points adjusted proportionately.)[39] The Tennis Masters Cup, in addition to its relocation, will be renamed the "ATP World Tour Finals". However, Shanghai will host a new Masters 1,000 Series event. The Monte Carlo and Hamburg events were originally downgraded; however, the Monte Carlo tournament was eventually granted Masters 1,000 Series status, with the exception being that the event would not be mandatory.[39] The ATP also plans to be more stringent in its examination of players who withdraw from Masters 1,000 Series events. Each player who withdraws will be examined by a medical panel. The ATP plans to fine, and even suspend, players who disregard these rules.

International Series

The International Series for men is split into two categories, both run by the ATP: the International Series and International Series Gold. Like the Tennis Masters Series, these events offer various amounts of prize money, and some regular International Series events offer larger prize monies than International Series Gold tournaments.[34] The Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships offer the largest financial incentive to players, with total prize money of US$1,426,000.

The Challenger Series for men is the lowest level of tournament administered by the ATP. It is composed of roughly 160 events and, as a result, features a more diverse range of countries hosting events.[41] The majority of players use the Challenger Series to work their way up the rankings, including World No. 1s Pete Sampras, Marcelo Ríos, Patrick Rafter, and Gustavo Kuerten. Andre Agassi, between winning Grand Slam titles, plummeted to World No. 141 and used Challenger Series events for match experience and to progress back up the rankings.[42] The Challenger Series offers prize funds of between US$25,000 and US$150,000.

Below the Challenger Series are the Futures Tournaments, the main events on the ITF Men's Circuit. These tournaments also contribute towards a player's ATP rankings points. Futures Tournaments offer prize funds of between US$10,000 and US$15,000; however, futures status is granted only to events offering a total of US$30,000, meaning that two or three tournaments are played.[43] Approximately 400 Futures Tournaments are played each year.

Player  ↓     Active  ↓                      Country           Singles       Doubles       Total 
John McEnroe     1978-2006      United States    77             70                 147
Jimmy Connors     1972-1996   United States   109           15                  124
Ilie Năstase     1969-1985          Romania            57            45                  102
Ivan Lendl     1978-1994             Czechoslovakia  94            6                    100
Tom Okker     1968-1980            Netherlands        22           69                   91
Stan Smith     1968-1986            United States     35            54                   89
Todd Woodbridge  1988-2005  Australia              2              83                   85
Brian Gottfried     1972-1985      United States    25             54                   79
Raúl Ramírez     1973?-1983      Mexico              19             59                   78
Guillermo Vilas     1969-1992      Argentina        62             15                    77
Mark Woodforde     1984-2000     Australia         4               67                    71
Wojtek Fibak     1973-1989          Poland            15              52                    67
Anders Järryd     1980-1996      Sweden             8                59                    67
Rod Laver     1962[1]-1979        Australia            40             27                    67
Björn Borg     1973-1993            Sweden            63              4                       67
Pete Sampras     1988-2002      United States  64              2                      66
Roger Federer     1998-              Switzerland       57              8                      65
Frew McMillan     ?[1]-1984        South Africa       2               63                     65
Emilio Sánchez     1984-1997     Spain              15              50                     65
Boris Becker     1984-1999      Germany            49              15                      64
John Newcombe     1968-1981      Australia     31              33                      64
Tomáš Šmíd     1976-1992      Czechoslovakia   9            55                       64
Peter Fleming     1973?-1988      United States   3            60                       63
Andre Agassi     1986-2006      United States     60            1                         61
Stefan Edberg     1983-1996      Sweden             42            18                      60
Marty Riessen     1964?[1]-1982   United States  6            53                      59
Jonas Björkman     1991-      Sweden                    6             52                      58
Bob Hewitt     ?[1]-1980      South Africa                 4             54                      58
Paul Haarhuis     1989-2003      Netherlands       1            54                      55
Manuel Orantes     ?-1984      Spain                       33          22                      55
Andrés Gómez     1979-1995      Ecuador             21          33                      54
Daniel Nestor     1991-      Canada                         0            54                      54
Yevgeny Kafelnikov     1992-2003      Russia       26           27                      53
Robert Lutz     1967?[1]-1986      United States     9           43                      52
Sherwood Stewart     1973?-1990 United States  1           51                      52
Mike Bryan     1998-      United States                      0            51                     51
Bob Bryan     1998-      United States                       0           49                      49
Mark Knowles     1992-      Bahamas                       0          49                       49
Sergio Casal     1981-1995      Spain                       1          47                       48
Jacco Eltingh     1988-1998      Netherlands          4           44                       48
Arthur Ashe     1966[1]-1980      United States     33           14                       47
Rick Leach     1987-2006      United States            0            46                       46
Thomas Muster     1985-1999      Austria              44            1                       45
Mahesh Bhupathi     1995-      India                         0            43                      43
Mark Edmondson     1975-1988      Australia        6            34                       40
Leander Paes     1991-      India                               1           39                        40
Mats Wilander     1981-1996      Sweden              33           7                         40
Yannick Noah     1977-1996      France                 23           16                       39
Ken Rosewall     1950[1]-1980      Australia         25           14                       39
Martin Damm     1990-      Czech Republic            0            37                        37
Balázs Taróczy     1972-1990      Hungary             13          24                        37
John Fitzgerald     1980-1995      Australia            6            30                        36
Max Mirnyi     1996-      Belarus                                1            34                        35
Rafael Nadal     2004-      Spain                             31           4                          35
Michael Chang     1988-2003      United States   34          0                          34
Ken Flach     1983-1996      United States             0           34                        34
Sandy Mayer     ?-1986      United States               10         24                        34
Vitas Gerulaitis     1972-1986      United States     24       8                          32
Cyril Suk     1988-      Czech Republic                     0          32                        32
Kevin Curren     1979-1993      United States         5         26                        31
Goran Ivanišević     1988-2004      Croatia             22         9                         31
Kevin Ullyett     1990-      Zimbabwe                        0           31                       31

Women Tennis players
Player                          Active    Country      Singles     Doubles     Total

Martina Navratilova     1975-2006      Czechoslovakia /
 United States     167     177     344
Billie Jean King     1959[1]-1983      United States     67     101     168
Chris Evert     1972-1989      United States     154     8     162
Margaret Court     1959[1]-1977      Australia     92     48     140
Pam Shriver     1979-1997      United States     21     106     127
Steffi Graf     1982-1999      Germany     107     11     118
Jana Novotná     1987-1999      Czech Republic     24     76     100
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario     1985-2002      Spain     29     67     96
Lindsay Davenport     1993-      United States     55     37     92
Natasha Zvereva     1988-2002      Belarus     4     80     84
Martina Hingis     1994-2007      Switzerland     43     37     80
Evonne Goolagong Cawley     1967-1983      Australia     68     11     79
Helena Suková     1981-1998      Czech Republic     10     68     78
Lisa Raymond     1993-      United States     4     66     70
Gigi Fernández     1983-1997      United States     2     66     68
Wendy Turnbull     1970-1989      Australia     13     55     68
Monica Seles     1989-2008      Yugoslavia /
 United States     53     6     59
Rennae Stubbs     1986-      Australia     0     59     59
Virginia Wade     1962[1]-1986      United Kingdom     55     0     55
Paola Suárez     1991-2007      Argentina     4     44     48
Venus Williams     1994-      United States     38     11     49
Conchita Martínez     1988-2006      Spain     33     13     46
Kim Clijsters     1999-2007      Belgium     34     11     45
Justine Henin     1999-2008      Belgium     41     2     43
Virginia Ruano Pascual     1992-      Spain     3     40     43
Serena Williams     1995-      United States     31     12     43
Cara Black     1998-      Zimbabwe     1     41     42
Ai Sugiyama     1992-      Japan     6     36     42
Gabriela Sabatini     1985-1996      Argentina     27     14     41
Tracy Austin     1978-1994      United States     30     4     34
Hana Mandlikova     1978-1990      Czechoslovakia /
 Australia     27     6     33
Sue Barker     1973-1984      United Kingdom     15     16     31

http://www.tennisdvdvideo.com

Jimmy Connors, Guillermo vilas, Jose Luis Clerc, Illie Nastase, Bjorn Borg, Michael Chang, Vitas Gerulaitis, Ivan Lendl, Mats wilander, Stan Smith, Peter Flemming, Arthur Ashe, Stefan Edberg, Adriano panatta, ronald agenor, patrick mcenre, John mcenroe, Igor Andreev, Fernando Gonzalez, Fernando Verdasco, Paul Annacone, Corrado Barazzutti, Marcos Baghdatis, Jeremy Bates, Jonas Bjorkman, Sergi Brugera, Bob Bryan, Pat Cash, Andrei Chesnokov, Alex Corretja, Jim Courier, Kevin Curren, nikolay davydenko, Taylor dent, rolland garros, wimbledon, us open, australian open, french open

WIMBLEDON

The Wimbledon championship, is the oldest and the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. The name of the tournament is derived from Wimbledon, (a suburb of London), where it has been held since 1877. The All England Club is the chosen venue for the tournament. Out of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, Wimbledon is the only one played on grass courts, the others being played on grass, hard as well as clay courts. Wimbledon is held for a period of two weeks, starting from late June until early July. Wimbledon championship is preceded by Australian Open (played on hard court) and French Open (played on clay court). U.S. Open tournament are held after Wimbledon. Go through the following lines to get interesting information on the origin and history of Wimbledon.

History & Origin Of Wimbledon

All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club

A private club named All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club came into existence in 1868, with its ground located off Worple Road, Wimbledon. Lawn tennis was invented by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield in 1873. The game of lawn tennis was introduced as one of the activities of the Club in 1875. The Club was rechristened as The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club in 1877. Soon after the Club's name was changed, the Lawn Tennis Championship was started. Consequently, a new code of laws was formulated especially for the event. In 1877, Gentlemen's Singles title - the only tennis event held in the year - was bagged by Spencer Gore. The event was witnessed by about 200 spectators, who paid one shilling each to watch the final match.

Various sporting activities were performed at The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club until 1882, when it was decided that lawn tennis would be the only activity of the Club, thereafter. Consequently, the word 'croquet' was removed from the name of the Club. However, with the intention of not hurting the sentiments of the people associated with the Club, the word 'croquet' was restored to the name of the club in 1899, this time, with a slight change in the phrasing - the Club now came to be called The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Entrance Of Women In The Game
Women's Singles tennis events were started in 1884. Initially, 13 players entered the tournament. The first win of the tournament was registered by Maud Watson. In the same year, the Gentlemen's Doubles event was also started. Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club sponsored the trophy for the tournament. With the passing time, Wimbledon championship gained immense popularity. The facility for the spectators was improvised. The temporary accommodation for the players was replaced by permanent stands. More and more people started flocking the grounds by the mid 1880s.

The maximum crowd was seen during the matches played by British twins Ernest and William Renshaw, who emerged as outstanding players. They won 13 titles (separately as well as doubles partners) between 1881 and 1889. The era was dubbed as 'Renshaw Rush'. However, the public affection for Wimbledon waned with the advent of the 1890s. The popularity picked up pace in 1897, when the legendary Doherty brothers, Laurie and Reggie, entered the championships. In following decade, the championship was simply ruled by them.

Winners From Overseas
With the advent of the 20th century, players from outside England started winning titles, one of the first wins being registered by May Sutton of the United States in 1905. With the win, she became the first Wimbledon Champion from overseas. Sutton registered another success in 1907. In the same year, Norman Brookes of Australia created history by becoming the first Gentlemen's Singles title winner from overseas. The year saw only two players of British origin - Arthur Gore and Fred Perry - to have won the Men's Singles, while five British women - Kitty McKane Godfree, Dorothy Round, Angela Mortimer, Ann Jones and Virginia Wade - managed to grab the Ladies' Wimbledon Champions.

Relocation
The facilities of ground at Worple Road were improvised prior to the First World War, to meet the increasing needs of the spectators. Larger premises were planned, as to ensure maximum footfall of spectators. The tennis ground was relocated in 1922, to the present location in Church Road. The stadium was built to accommodated as many as 14000 spectators, which helped in the popularization of the game. The expenses for the ground were handled partly by the reserves of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and partly by the issue of Debentures.

Increase In Popularity
During the 1920s, the French tennis players set a record, by winning at least one Wimbledon Single's Championship. Players from countries including US also emerged as winners. Some of the prominent names in the championship, during the time, were Jean Borota, Jacques Brugnon, Rene Lacoste, Kitty McKane and Helen Wills. Wimbledon continued to thrive in the 1930s, with more and more players emerging as outstanding winners. Bill Tilden (American tennis player) made a comeback at the age of 38 and grabbed his third crown in 1931. In the following year, the number of spectators increased to 200,000. The period from 1934 to 1937 was ruled by British tennis players, while tennis players of US origin managed to register consecutive wins just before the Second World War.

Wimbledon During World War II
Although the Club had limited staff during the Second World War, it managed to remain open and carry out its activities. The premises of the club were used to conduct a variety of civil defense and military functions, including fire and ambulance services. In addition to this, a decontamination unit was also set up in the premises of the Club. The main concourse was used by the troops, who camped within the vicinity of the Club. A small farmyard was also established around the ground. The Center Court became a storehouse for five 500lb bombs, which resulted in the loss of as many as 1200 seats. Therefore, it can be said that Wimbledon faced a downfall during wartime.

Post World War II
Things were brought back to normality post World War II. In 1945, between June and July, a series of Wimbledon matches were organized between Allied service members, on the No. 1 Court, which was left unscathed by the enemy action. In August, the final stages of the US European Championships were played. The war damage were cleared and repairs were carried out, to resume the game. Consequently, the ground was brought back to its previous form, a situation that was hard to achieve until 1949.

In the 1950s, US tennis players continued to dominate Wimbledon. Some of the outstanding players were Jack Kramer, Ted Schroeder, Tony Trabert, Louise Brough and Maureen Connolly. The wind changed its direction, when Aussie players registered wins in 1956. From 1956 to 1970, the Gentlemen's Singles titles were won by Australian tennis players - Lew Hoad, Neale Fraser, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and John Newcombe. On the other hand, the stranglehold of US players on Ladies's Singles was broken by Maria Bueno of Brazil, in 1959.

In the 1950s, more and more overseas players were competing at Wimbledon and other tennis tournaments held in different parts of the world. Consequently, in 1959, Herman David put forward the proposal that the Wimbledon Championships be made open to all the players. This proposal was rejected by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and arguments persisted in the following years, at all the levels of the game. After persuasion, in 1964, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) declared the Wimbledon Championships to be open to all tennis players.

Present Day
Wimbledon has emerged as one of the premier tennis tournaments, with worldwide recognition. The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which has been hosting the tournament since the inception of the same, continues to maintain its leadership in the 21st century as well. With the passing time, the quality of the event has been improved. Seating capacity for the spectators has also been improved. Wimbledon has evolved as one of the most prestigious titles.

US TENNIS OPEN

The US Open, formally the United States Open tennis championships, is a tennis tournament which is the modern incarnation of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, with the U.S. National Championship, which for mens' singles was first contested in 1881. Since 1987, the US Open has been chronologically the fourth and final Grand Slam tennis tournament each year.

It is held annually in August and September over a two-week period (the weeks before and after Labor Day weekend). The main tournament consists of five different event championships: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, with additional tournaments for senior, junior, and wheelchair players. Since 1978, the tournament has been played on acrylic hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York City.

The US Open is unique in that there are final-set tiebreaks; in the other three Grand Slam tournaments, the deciding set (fifth for men, third for women) continues until it is won by two games.

ROLLAND GARROS - FRENCH OPEN

Officially named in French Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros (the "French Internationals of Roland Garros" or "Roland Garros Tournament" in English), the tournament is often referred to as the "French Open" and always as "Roland Garros" in French.

A French national tournament began in 1891, that was open only to tennis players who were members of French clubs. It was known as the Championnat de France International de Tennis. The first women's tournament was held in 1897. This 'French club members only' tournament was played until 1924. Another tournament, the World Hard Court Championships held on Clay courts at Stade Français in Saint Cloud, which was played from 1912 to 1923 (except the war years), is often considered as the precursor to Roland Garros as it was open to international competitors. Winners of this tournament included world number #1's such as Tony Wilding (1913, 1914) and Bill Tilden (1921). In 1924 there was no World Hard Court Championships due to the tennis being played at the Paris Olympic Games.

In 1925, the French Championships opened itself to international competitors with the event held on a grass surface[citation needed] alternately between the Racing Club de France and the Stade Français.[7] After the Mousquetaires or Philadelphia Four (René Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet, and Jacques Brugnon) won the Davis Cup on American soil in 1927, the French decided to defend the cup in 1928 at a new tennis stadium at Porte d’Auteuil. The Stade de France had offered the tennis authorities three hectares of land with the condition that the new stadium must be named after the World War I pilot, Roland Garros. The new Stade de Roland Garros, and its Center Court, which was named Court Philippe Chatrier in 1988, hosted that Davis Cup challenge.

From 1945 through 1947, the Peter vong Championships were held after Wimbledon, making it the third Grand Slam event of the year.

In 1968, the French Championships became the first Grand Slam tournament to go open, allowing both amateurs and professionals to compete.[7]
Court number 2 at the French Open.

Since 1981, new prizes have been presented: the Prix Orange (for the player demonstrating the best sportsmanship and cooperative attitude with the press), the Prix Citron (for the player with the strongest character and personality) and the Prix Bourgeon (for the tennis player revelation of the year).

Another novelty, since 2006 the tournament has begun on a Sunday, featuring 12 singles matches played on the three main courts.

Additionally, on the eve of the tournament's opening, the traditional Peter Vongovic exhibition day takes place, where the profits go to different charity associations.

In March 2007, it was announced that the event will provide equal prize money for both men and women in all rounds for the first time ever.[8] In 2010, it was announced that the French Open was considering a move away from Roland Garros as part of a continuing rejuvenation of the tournament.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

The Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year. The tournament is held in January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass  in 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been held on hard courts at Melbourne Park. Mats Wilander is the only person to have won the tournament on both grass and hard courts.

Like all other Grand Slam tournaments, there are men's and women's singles competitions; men's, women's, and mixed doubles; and junior's, wheelchair, exhibition, and legends' competitions.

The two main courts used in the tournament are Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena and feature retractable roofs, which are shut during rain or extreme heat. The Australian Open and Wimbledon are the only Grand Slam tournaments with indoor play.

Held in the middle of the Australian summer, the Australian Open can have extremely hot days. An extreme-heat policy is put into play when temperatures (and humidity) reach dangerous levels.

The Australian Open typically has very high attendance, with the 2010 Australian Open achieving the highest ever single-day day/night attendance record for any Grand Slam tournament of 77,043 and an overall attendance of 653,860.[2]

In 2008, the Rebound Ace surface, which had been in place for the past 20 years at Melbourne Park, was replaced by a cushioned, medium-paced,[3] acrylic surface known as Plexicushion Prestige. The main benefits of the new surface are better consistency and less retention of heat because of a thinner top layer. This change was accompanied by changes in the surfaces of all lead-up tournaments to the Australian Open. The change was controversial because of the new surface's similarity to DecoTurf, the surface used by the US Open.[4]

The singles winners in 2010 were Roger Federer and Serena Williams. In men's doubles, the winners were Bob and Mike Bryan, and in women's doubles, the winners were Serena and Venus Williams - the second time in history and the second consecutive year that both Australian Open doubles titles were won by siblings. In mixed doubles, the winners were Cara Black and Leander Paes.