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Tennis is aracket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses atennis racket strung with a cord to strike a hollow rubberball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent'scourt. The object is to manoeuvre the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. If a player is unable to return the ball successfully, the opponent scores apoint.
Tennis can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, includingwheelchair users, and is played by people at every level of society and across all ages. The original forms of tennis developed inFrance during the lateMiddle Ages. The modern form of tennis originated inBirmingham, England, in the late 19th century aslawn tennis. It had close connections to various field (lawn) games such ascroquet andbowls as well as to the older racket sport today calledreal tennis.
The rules of modern tennis have changed little since the 1890s. The two exceptions being the server needing to have one foot on the ground at all times prior to 1961, and the adoption of thetiebreak in the 1970s. A recent addition to professional tennis has been the adoption of electronic review technology coupled with a point-challenge system, which allows a player to contest theline call of a point, a system known asHawk-Eye. (Full article...)









Ricardo Alonso "Pancho"González (May 9, 1928 – July 3, 1995), known sometimes asRichard Gonzales, was an Americantennis player. He won 15 major singles titles, including twoU.S. National Championships in 1948 and 1949, and 13Professional majors. He also won threeTournament of Champions professional events in 1957, 1958, and 1959. Gonzales was ranked as the amateur world No. 1 in 1948 byNed Potter and in 1949 by Potter and John Olliff.
Gonzales was a prominent professional champion in the 1950s and 1960s, winning world professional championship tours between 1954 and 1961; he was the world number one ranked male tennis player professional between 1952 and 1961. Gonzales was a determined competitor with a fierce temper. He was often at odds with officials and promoters. However, he was a fan favorite who drew many spectators. (Full article...)

| “ | I have no sense of humor about losing. | ” |
| — Rafael Nadal,in Rafa | ||
American tennis playersVincent Richards andHelen Wills at theRacing Club de France in 1926.

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