Professional Tennis

Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff
  • The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open tournaments make up tennis's “Grand Slam.”
  • In 1985, Germany's Boris Becker won the first of his three Wimbledon tournaments at age 17.
  • As an amateur in 1962, Australia's Rod Laver won all four men's Grand Slam titles. He became the only player to accomplish the feat twice when he did it again in 1969 as a professional.
  • Maureen Connolly (in 1953), Margaret Smith Court (in 1970), and Steffi Graf (in 1988) are the only three women's tennis players to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year.
  • Pete Sampras is tennis's all-time biggest money winner with over $40 million in career earnings.
  • Helen Wills Moody, whose serious demeanor on the court earned her the nickname “Little Miss Poker Face”, finished the year as the no. 1 ranked women's tennis player nine times, including seven years straight from 1927 to 1933.
  • In 1997, 16-year-old Martina Hingis became the youngest women's tennis player to be ranked no. 1 in the world since the rankings began in 1975.
  • The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, R.I.
Venus and Serena Williams
Venus and Serena Williams
AP Photos
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