Tennis is among the most popular sports in the world. Millions of people play in tournaments and leagues all over the world. Since so many people play tennis at such a high level, it’s not surprising that there are a lot of interesting tennis facts that most people did not know.
From the 12th century people started playing tennis as a sport. Over time, it has changed a lot. Its history is very interesting. Aside from that, the idea of sitting on the lawn with a cup of coffee and watching a game never gets old. It’s a good way to end your weekends. Still, in this post we’re going to tell you some fun facts about tennis.
Interesting Tennis Facts That Make It the World’s Most Entertaining Sport
Here is a list of 30 amusing fun facts about tennis which will make your eyes widen in surprise. So without any further ado, let’s jump right into it.
1. Fastest Match Ever
The first interesting tennis fact is, Natasha Zvereva lost to Steffi Graf in the final of the French Open in 1988. It was a very one-sided match. The 34-minute match was the quickest grand slam match that had ever been played.
2. Tennis Ball Color
Yellow tennis balls weren’t used until Wimbledon in 1986, before that they used to play with white balls. Officials thought that a yellow ball would make it easier for people watching TV to keep up with the game.
3. Loudest Cheer
Another fun fact about tennis is that Maria Sharapova’s grunt or shriek on the tennis court has been measured at up to 101 decibels. She was louder than a small plane landing, a lawnmower, or a motorcycle.
4. Original Shape Of Tennis Court
Lawn tennis was first played on an hourglass-shaped compound with a 4ft 8 inches high net. A modern net is 3.5 feet wide at the edges and 3 feet wide in the middle. When the All England Croquet Club at Wimbledon decided to add tennis to its list of sports in 1875, it made the courts square.
Also Read: 25 Interesting Basketball Facts Which Will Leave Your Jaw Dropped
5. Wild Card Winner
Goran Ivanisevic is the only winner of Wimbledon who got in as a “wild card” (in 2001). He is also the only winner whose name goes from consonants to vowels and back again isn’t it an interesting tennis fact?
6. Career Grand Slam
If a player wins all four majors at any point in their career, this is called a “Career Grand Slam.” A player gets a Non-calendar-Year Grand Slam if they win the four majors in a row but not in the same year. They get a Grand Slam if they win all four majors in the same year.
7. Youngest Player Ever
In 1907, a tennis player from Austria named Mita Klima was the youngest person to ever play at Wimbledon. She was only 13 when she took part in the important tournament. She lost in the first round, which was too bad.
8. Fashion In Tennis
Here’s another amazing tennis fact that you probably didn’t know, players can show off their style at major world tennis tournaments. Fashionistas all over the world look at what they wear, and their clothes have been in style for a long time.
9. Palm Tennis
Before racquets, people would hit the ball back and forth with their palms. When racquets came along, the palm method was no longer used. The first tennis rackets were made of wood, but they didn’t have much power.
10. Meaning Of “Love” Point
Fans of tennis have often asked why the word “love” is used in tennis to mean “zero.” The exact reason is still up for debate, but one interesting theory is that the word “love” comes from the French word “l’oeuf,” which means “egg.”
11. Tiebreaker
Van Alen made the game so that there were two ways to break a tie. The one that ended after 9 points was called the “sudden-death tiebreaker,” and the one that ended after 12 points was called the “lingering-death tiebreaker.” The 12-point tiebreaker keeps going until a player or team wins by at least two points and has at least seven points.
12. Royal Tennis Court
At Hampton Court Palace, King Henry VIII built a tennis court that is still used today. It still exists, and most of the time, the royal families play on it. Also, the All England Court Club was built in the Wimbledon neighborhood.
13. First Player Who Played As Man And Woman
Richard Raskind played in the men’s singles draw of the US Open five times. Raskind then had surgery to change his gender, and from 1977 to 1981 he played in the women’s singles draw of the same tournament. He was the first player to play in both the men’s and women’s Grand Slam tournaments.
14. Strawberry’s Craze
Every year, 24 tons of strawberries are ordered for the Wimbledon Championship. Wimbledon is also the only big tennis tournament where the courts are still grass making it another interesting tennis fact.
Also Read: 40 Most Interesting Football Facts Which Will Leave You Jaw Dropped
15. History Of Playing Ball
Major Walter Wingfield came up with lawn tennis outside in 1873. Sphairistike is a Greek word that means “playing ball.” He gave the game this name. In 1874, the USA held its first lawn tennis match.
16. Who Is Rufus?
At every Wimbledon match, a Harris hawk was on duty to help keep the sky clear of any pigeons. Rufus is his name. Rufus has more than 10,000 people who follow him on Twitter.
17. Six Grand Slam Titles In Row!
Don Budge is the only man in tennis history to have won six Grand Slam singles titles in a row, from the 1937 Wimbledon Championships to the 1938 US Open.
18. Tennis Star
Roger Federer has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, and Margaret Court has won 24 singles majors in the women’s game. Rafael Nadal is second on the list of men who have won the most Grand Slam singles titles, with 19.
19. Tiebreaker History
In 1989, the Davis Cup started using tiebreakers in all sets except the last one. In 2016, they changed their rules to use tiebreakers in all five sets.
20. How To Get A Free Point?
Another amazing tennis fact on this list is that in tennis the other player gets a point if the ball hits any part of his or her body or clothing. Even if the ball went outside, the rule still stands.
21. Tournaments And Leagues
Wimbledon is a tournament where the courts are made of grass. The Australian Open and the US Open, on the other hand, are played on hard courts. At the French Open, they play on a surface made of red clay.
22. Feminism At Its Best
This fun fact about tennis will make your jaw drop. In 1973, tennis great Billie Jean King spoke out against Bobby Riggs’s sexist behavior on the court. In response, Riggs asked Billie Jean to play a match. He lost three sets in a row, in front of 50 million people watching on TV.
Also Read: 20 Interesting Baseball Facts That Will Blow Your Mind (2023)
23. Longest Rally
In 1984, Vicki Nelson-Dunbar and Jean Hepner had the longest rally in a competitive tennis game. During a 29-minute match, the two women hit each other 643 times.
24. Titanic Survior And A Winner
Norris Williams, an American, won the gentlemen’s double at Wimbledon eight years after he was on the Titanic and survived the shipwreck. He is the only Titanic passenger to win at Wimbledon.
25. Scoring System
The 15, 30, and 40 scoring system doesn’t have a clear history, but the most common explanation is that it was based on a clock face at one end of the court. The first point was when the minute hand hit the first-quarter mark.
26. Roger Federer The GOAT
Roger Federer is one of the best tennis player ever lived as he have given us so many interesting tennis facts to share with you, here’s another one. He has hit more than 12,000 aces, which puts him third on the list of players with the most aces. He also has more prize money than any other man who has ever played tennis. In 2020, he had more than $130 million in his bank account.
27. Oldest Tennis Court
The oldest tennis court in the world is the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace in London. It is still used today. Henry VIII’s favorite place to play tennis was there. It was built between 1526 and 1529. The story goes that he was playing tennis when he got the news that Queen Anne Boleyn had been killed. On this court, tennis is played a little differently than it is today.
Also Read: 50 Most Interesting Cricket Facts That You Should Know
28. Trophy Miniature
Winners of Wimbledon don’t get to take home their trophies, so the trophy stays on display in the museum of the All England Club. They are, however, given small versions of the real trophies.
29. First Player To Get Kicked Out
Tim Henman was the first player ever to be kicked out of Wimbledon. They did this when he hit a ball into a ball girl by accident when he was angry. After that, Henman told the ball girl he was sorry and gave her a bouquet of flowers.
30. Youngest Wimbledon Winner
In 1985, Boris Becker was the first player who wasn’t a favorite to win Wimbledon. At the time, he was only 17 years old. He was also the first German to win the title and the youngest player to do so.
We hope the different fun facts about tennis that we have shared in this article were knowledgeable for you. If you liked this post, share it with your friends. Moreover, share your thoughts with us in the comments box below, we would love to hear from you.
