World Tennis Day Date in the current year: March 4, 2024

Tennis is a racket sport where each player uses a racket to strike a ball over or around a net in such a way that their opponent is unable to play a valid return. The game can be played between individual opponents (singles) or between two teams, each consisting of two players (doubles). Tennis is played with rackets strung with cord and a hollow ball made of vulcanized rubber and coated with felt.

Tennis evolved from a French ball-and-court game called jeu de paume. In its early versions, the players struck the ball with their bare hands. In time, bare hands were replaced by gloves, and gloves were replaced by paddle-like bats. Rackets were introduced in the 16th century, and the name tennis originated around that time as well. It derives from the French interjection tenez! which means “hold!” or “receive!” This early form of tennis is known today as real tennis.

The modern form of tennis, commonly known as lawn tennis, originated in England in the second half of the 19th century. It was pioneered by Harry Gem and Augurio Perera, who are credited with founding the first tennis club in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The world’s first nationwide tennis organization was the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (currently the United States Tennis Association); it was founded in 1881. The rules of lawn tennis haven’t changed much since the late 19th century.

Today, tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world; it is played both professionally and recreationally. The so-called Grand Slam tournaments are considered the most influential professional tennis tournaments. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

World Tennis Day was launched in 2013 by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the governing body of world tennis, beach tennis, and wheelchair tennis that organizes major international tennis competitions such as the Grand Slam events and tennis events at the Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Its inaugural celebration was part of the ITF’s centenary festivities. The date of World Tennis Day was chosen to fall close to the ITF’s founding anniversary (March 1).

The main goal of World Tennis Day is to promote tennis around the world and encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to pick up the sport through high profile exhibition events and other activities. You can celebrate this amazing holiday by attending an event near you, learning more about the history of tennis and famous tennis players, watching or playing a game of tennis, signing up for tennis lessons, or watching a documentary about tennis or a movie featuring the sport. And don’t forget to post about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #WorldTennisDay and #TennisDay.

World Tennis Day should not be confused with International Tennis Day. The latter was founded in 2014 by the United States Court Tennis Association and the United States Court Tennis Preservation Foundation. It is celebrated on June 20 to commemorate the anniversary of the Tennis Court Oath (Serment du Jeu de Paume), a major event of the French Revolution that took place in an indoor royal tennis court near the Palace de Versailles.