|
|
There are 0 articles linked to the portal.
Tennis is a sport played between either two players (singles) or two teams of two players each (doubles). Players use a stringed racquet to strike a ball, a hollow rubber sphere covered in felt, over a net into the opponent's court. In some places tennis is still called lawn tennis to distinguish it from real tennis (also known as royal tennis, court tennis or jeu de paume), an older form of the game that is played indoors on a very different kind of a court. Originating in England in the late 19th century AD, the game spread first throughout the English-speaking world, particularly among the upper classes. Tennis is now played in the Summer Olympic Games and at all levels of society, by individuals of all ages many countries around the world. Its rules have remained remarkably unchanged since the early 1900s. Along with its millions of players, tennis claims millions of people who follow the sport as spectators, being particularly interested in the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Tennis is played on a rectangular flat surface, usually made of grass, clay, or concrete. The court is 78 feet (23.77 metres) long and 27 feet (8.23 meters) wide for singles matches; for doubles matches, the width is extended by 9 feet (2.74 meters). Additional clear space around the court is required in order for players to reach overrun balls. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing the court into two equal halves. The net is 3 feet, 6 inches (1.07 meters) high at the posts, and 3 feet (91.4 centimetres) high in the center.
Each of the three primary court types (clay court, grass court, and hardcourt) imparts a different speed and spin to the ball, which affects the level of play for individual players. Some players specialize in certain surfaces on which they are more successful (for example, grasscourt specialists or clay court specialists) or in certain ball-striking techniques (shots or strokes) to which they are best inclined physically.
The US Open tennis tournament is chronologically the fourth and final event of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments. 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 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 court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York City. The complex was renamed after King during the 2006 US Open.
The US Open differs from the other 3 Grand Slam tournaments in that there are final-set tiebreaks. In the other three majors, the fifth set for the men and the third set for the women continue until someone wins by two games.
Entrance to Centre Court, Wimbledon. A new, temporary roof was built for the 86 year-old stadium for Wimbledon 2008, but a three-year project to install a retractable roof will end in time for the 2009 Championships. 1,190 new seats will also be added to expand the Court's capacity from 13,810 observers to 15,000.
References
David Nalbandian (born January 1, 1982) is an Argentinian professional tennis player who is currently ranked 7th in the world according to the South African Airways/ATP Rankings of June 16th, 2008. Nalbandian has won eight ATP titles. [1]
Nalbandian began playing tennis at age five when his Iranian grandfather built a cement court in his backyard, that's why he particularly likes fast surfaces, unlike other Argentinian players, who prefer clay courts. Once in a TV show, when asked about his success at Wimbledon 2002, he joked that his run-up had been due to grass growing on the court his grandfather had once built. As a junior player, he won the 1998 Junior US Open singles against Roger Federer and the 1999 Junior Wimbledon doubles titles.
- Jul 6: Rafael Nadal scores his first victory at Wimbledon, defeating Roger Federer. He becomes the first man since Björn Borg to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.
- Jun 23: Wimbledon begins its 122nd edition. Both Roger Federer and Venus Williams return to defend their respective singles titles, and previous doubles winners Arnaud Clement/Michael Llodra and Cara Black/Liezel Huber defend their respective titles.
- Feb 18: Giorgio Galimberti became the fourth Italian man to be found guilty of betting on matches and was banned for 100 days.
- Jan 27: Novak Đoković (pictured) won his first major when he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) in the Australian Open final.
- Jan 26: Maria Sharapova won her first Australian Open title when she beat Ana Ivanović 7-5, 6-3 in the final.
- Jan 14: The Australian Open begins with 30 of the top-ranked 32 male players, and all of the top-ranked 32 women in the world in attendance, and a new hardcourt surface, the Plexicushion, replacing the Rebound Ace which has been used in previous years.
- Dec 27: The ATP reveals the results of an investigation beginning in August 2007 implicating two top Italian men professional players, Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali, in a match betting scandal.
|
|
|
|
Could not update stat
|
|
.jpg){kind=small}
