Every April 23, we celebrate Play Tennis Day.
The earliest form of tennis started in France in the 1200s. Players used their hands instead of racquets. Modern Day Tennis has roots back in England in the mid-1800s.
Augurio Perera and Harry Gem invented the sport of tennis. Col. Walter Wingfield patented the game in 1874. The first Tennis Club was started in 1872. Play Tennis Day was designed to encourage people to play the game. The sport is a terrific way to stay fit and an excellent way to get out and socialize.
FAQs about Play Tennis Day
Here are frequently asked questions about Play Tennis Day.
How do I celebrate Play Tennis Day?
Grab some racquets and tennis balls, call your friends, and head for the nearest tennis courts. You can spend the entire day playing tennis and maybe have a picnic.
If you have never played tennis before, Play Tennis Day is a great day to learn the sport. Call a friend you know that plays tennis and ask them to teach you.
Play one of tennis’s cousins, badminton, platform tennis, or pickleball. All three sports mimic tennis’s gameplay but aren’t quite as strenuous.
Create a “tennis court” on your driveway or in your yard and play with family and friends. It may not be the real thing, but it would be a lot of fun.
Watch some of the all-time great tennis matches on YouTube. You can search and find hundreds. Throw in a tennis-themed watch party to make it more of an experience.
Who are Some Great Female Tennis Players?
Martina Navratilova – Martina won 18 Grand Slam Titles and 31 Major Doubles Titles. She also won 9 Wimbledon Singles Titles, 167 Singles Titles, and 177 Doubles Titles. She is the only player to have held the World Number One ranking in singles and doubles for over 200 weeks.
Serena Williams – She has 17 Grand Slam Titles, including 7 Wimbledon wins. Williams counts 15 Doubles Titles and an Olympic Gold Medal in 2012. She has an overall winning percentage of 85% and 73 total Titles in her career.
Margaret Smith Court – She won all four Grand Slam Titles in 1970. She has 19 Doubles Titles and 21 Mixed Doubles Titles. Margaret won 24 Grand Slam Titles and has 192 total career Titles.
Steffi Graf – She was the World Number One for an incredible 377 weeks. Graf has 22 overall Grand Slam Titles and seven wins at Wimbledon. She has a total of 107 Career Titles. She has won the French Open 6 times and has a career winning percentage of 88.7%.
Billie Jean King – King is the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association. She has 12 Single Grand Slam Titles and 27 Doubles Grand Slam Titles. Billie Jean has an astounding 10 Wimbledon Titles and 5 U.S. Open Titles. In her career, she had129 total Titles.
Who are Some Great Male Tennis Players?
Rafael Nadal — Nadal has won 21 Grand Slams — the most of any male professional. This Spanish pro plays left-handed and has won Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles. He is also noted for his mastery at the French Open on clay, where he has 13 French Open titles.
Roger Federer – He has amassed 20 Grand Slam Titles. The Swiss pro has held the World Number One Singles Ranking for 310 weeks, including a record 237 weeks. He is noted for his graceful and effortless style of play.
John McEnroe – John Has 9 Grand Slam Singles Titles and 11 Grand Slam Doubles Titles. He has won the career Grand Slam and has four wins at the U.S. Open. He has 71 total titles in his career. He retired from singles in 1996 and doubles in 2006.
Pete Sampras – Pete has 15 total Grand Slam Titles. He won 7 Wimbledon Titles and 5 U.S. Open Titles. His real name is Petros, and he had 64 total Career Titles.
Rod Laver – Laver won all four Grand Slam Titles in 1962 and 1969. He has 11 total Grand Salm Titles, and he was on five winning Davis Cup Teams. Rod has 200 total Career Titles.
Bjorn Borg – Bjorn Borg won 5 consecutive Wimbledon Titles and has 11 Grand Salm Titles overall. He has 6 French Open Titles and 66 total Career Titles. He also won 4 U.S. Open Titles.
How Much do Professional Tennis Players Make?
Worldwide, females and males make the same amount on tennis courts. The top five players in the world make between $7.5 and $8 million annually. Those players ranked 5 through 10 make about $3 million to $3.5 million per year.
What is the Sport of Platform Tennis?
Platform Tennis is played on courts in cooler climates. It is played on a raised court, often with heaters underneath. Courts are much smaller at just 44 feet by 22 feet compared with a tennis court which is 78 feet by 27 feet. The ball is much less lively than a tennis ball, and the racquets are solid.
What is Pickleball?
While pickleball is currently a big fad, it was actually invented in 1965. Three dads in Washington State decided to create a game their families could all play together. A pickleball court is 30 feet by 60 feet or 34 feet by 64 feet. The racquet is solid, and the ball is plastic with holes like a Wiffle ball.
Fun Facts About Tennis
- Only white tennis balls were used at Wimbledon until 1985.
- Serena and Venus Williams are the first sisters to ever win an Olympic Gold Medal in tennis.
- A tennis net is 3 feet 6 inches at the side posts and 3 feet in the center.
- Until 1877, tennis courts had an hourglass shape instead of the rectangle we know today.
- The tiebreaker made its debut at Wimbledon in 1971.
- Maria Sharapova is the holder of tennis’s loudest grunt. In 2009, she let out a whopper at 105 decibels. That is about the same as a car horn.
- Georgina Garcia Perez hit the fastest women’s serve at 137 miles per hour. Sam Growth hit the fastest men’s serve at 163 miles per hour.
- Arthur Ashe was the first African American player to win the U.S. Open in 1968.
- Wimbledon is the only major tennis tournament still played on grass.
- The U.S. Open is the only major tournament to be played on three different surfaces.
Tennis Quotes
Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility.
Billie Jean King
Tennis is the loneliest sport.
Andre Agassi
Tennis is just a game; family is forever.
Serena Williams
In most sports, like tennis, love means nothing.
Unknown
I have no sense of humor about losing.
Rafael Nadal
Tennis is a mental game. Everyone is fit; everyone hits backhands and forehands.
Novak Djokovic
The fifth set isn’t about tennis; it’s all about nerves.
Boris Becker
If you can keep playing tennis when someone is shooting a gun down the street, that’s concentration.
Serena Williams
Dialogue is the most fun to write; it’s kind of like a tennis match.
Sally Rooney
Every good tennis player has to have a short memory. Good or bad.
Alexander Zevrev
See more Tennis Quotes.
Jokes About Tennis
What did the two tennis players name their daughter?
Annette.
Two racquets started dating.
Unfortunately, he was just stringing her along and had no intentions of tying the knot.
Did you hear about the tennis player who charged the net?
She ran out of cash.
A tennis coach and a dentist have something in common.
They both use drills.
I gave a tennis racquet to my brother.
No strings attached.
Instagram Captions About Tennis
Stay Calm and Keep Playing.
Look, your shoe is untied.
I am sorry you don’t like my shorts.
It is your serve.
I could swear when we started playing, these balls were white.
Hey, this is some kind of racket.
I know; it’s all my fault.
Love to love.
You kids, stop making all that racquet.
I swear that was on the line.
When is Play Tennis Day?
Saturday, April 23, 2022.
Sunday, April 23, 2023
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
By Tim Moodie
Tim is a writer and inventor who played a little tennis for his high school team.
Overtime
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