Interesting Tennis Facts, Data & Statistics
We have collated some of the most interesting and unique tennis facts, data and statistics around for your enjoyment.
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— Grand Slam Stats —
Wimbledon Stats, Data & Fun Facts
1877
The first Wimbledon was played in 1877 and was the first of the four grand slams to be founded.
£11 Shillings
At the first Wimbledon in 1877, 22 players paid a £11 shilling entrance fee to enter the tournament. They had to bring their own rackets and shoes.
500,397
An estimated 500,397 people attended Wimbledon over the course of the 2019 tournament.
9.6 million
The 2019 Wimbledon men’s singles final had a peak audience of 9.6 million people watching on BBC1.
10 minutes
The maximum amount of time that the roof on center court will take to close is 10 minutes.
10,000+
Rufus the Hawk who helps keep the skies clear at Wimbledon has over 10,000 followers on the Twitter page set up for him.
1986
In 1986 Wimbledon introduced yellow tennis balls to the game. Before this, tennis balls were white.
15 Years Old
Lottie Dod was just 15 when she became the youngest Wimbledon ladies singles champion in 1887.
13 Years Old
Martina Hingis became the youngest player to win the junior Wimbledon title at the age of 13 in 1994.
17 Years Old
Dennis Ralton is the youngest ever men’s doubles champion after winning Wimbledon in 1960 at the age of 17.
15 Years Old
Martina Hingis became the youngest winner of the Wimbledon’s woman’s doubles title after winning in 1996.
20 Years Old
Rod Laver is the youngest man to win Wimbledon’s mixed doubles title after winning in 1959 at 20 years old. He played with Darlene Hard.
16 Years Old
Serena Williams is the youngest woman to win Wimbledon’s mixed doubles title after winning in 1998 at 16 years old. She played with Max Mirnyi.
US Open Stats, Data & Fun Facts
1881
The first US open was held in 1881 although at the time it was known as the U.S. National Championship.
737,872
In 2019, approximately 737,872 people attended the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
1.2 million
The average ESPN and ESPN2 audience size over the 2 weeks of the 2019 US Open was 1.265 million.
45,896
As many as 45,896 people can be in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center where the 2019 US Open was help at any one time.
19
The youngest player to win the mens singles title at the US open was Pete Sampras who was 19 years old at the time of winning.
16
Tracy Austin became the youngest women to win the singles title at the US open after winning at the age of 16 in 1979.
38
The oldest man to win the US Open singles title was William Larned who won in 1911 at 38 years old. In the open era, Ken Rosewell was the oldest winning in 1970 at 35 years old.
42
The oldest woman to win the US Open singles title was Molla Bjurstedt Mallory who won in 1926 at 42 years old. In the open era, Flavia Pennetta was the oldest winning in 2015 at 33 years old.
1977
In 1977 the sound of a shot which was later found to have came from outside the grounds but still hit a fan in the leg briefly stopped a match between John McEnroe and Eddie Dibbs.
1978
Since 1978, hard court surfaces covered in DecoTurf II have been used at the US Open.
2005
In 2005, the inbound courts were made blue as this was the color which gave the most contrast to the yellow Wilson tennis balls used for both players and spectators.
5
The most mens singles US Open titles won in the open era is 5 and has been achieved by 3 different players – Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and John McEnroe.
6
The most women’s singles US Open titles won in the open era is 6 and has been achieved by 2 different players – Chris Evert and Serena Williams.
French Open/Roland-Garros Stats, Data & Fun Facts
1891
The French Open (otherwise known as Roland-Garros) began some 126 years ago in 1891. At the time it was known as the French Clay-Court Championships.
1925
In 1925, international players were allowed to compete for the first time marking the start of the French Open.
17
Michael Chang was just 17 years old when he won the French Open in 1989. His win made him the youngest person to win the men’s singles title.
16
Monica Seles was just 16 years old when she won the French Open in 1990. Her win makes her the youngest person to win the women’s singles title.
34
Andres Gimeno was 34 years old when he won the men’s singles title at Roland-Garros. His win makes him the oldest person to win the men’s singles title in the French Open era.
33
Zsuzsa “Suzy” Kormoczy won the women’s singles title in 1958 at 33 years old. This makes her the oldest person to win the women’s singles title.
€42 million
The 2019 Roland-Garros tournaments total prize fund increased by 8% from the previous year totalling €42 million.
1953
In 1953, stunning trophies (modern ones designed by La Maison Mellerio) started being awarded to winners of the Roland-Garros.
12
Rafael Nadal has won the French Open 12 times meaning he holds the title for most men’s singles titles (this is also the record for the most wins by any player male or female in any of the Grand Slams).
7
Chris Evert has won the French Open 7 times and she shares the title with Nadal for most Roland-Garros wins.
Roland-Garros
The stadium where the French Open is held was named after the French fighter pilot Roland Garros, the first man to fly over the Mediterranean Sea.
Australian Open Stats, Data & Fun Facts
1905
In 1905, the first Australian Open took place at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne.
1.5M+
More than 1.5 million people tuned in to watch the men’s singles final of the 2019 Australian Open.
43
There are 43 tennis courts in total at Melbourne Park, the venue where the 2019 Australian Open was held.
32,820
The three main stadiums at Melbourne Park (Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Arena and Margaret Court Arena) has approximately 32,820 seats.
18
Ken Rosewall was 19 years and 76 days old when he won his first Australian Open in 1953.
37
Ken Rosewall is even more unique considering he is not only the youngest winner of the Australian Open but also the oldest men’s singles winner (and oldest winner of any grand slam for that fact!) after winning in 1972 at 37 years old.
16
Martina Hingis was just 16 years old when she defeated world number 3 Mary Pierce in the single’s final of the 1997 Australian Open. This made her the youngest ever winner, man or woman, of not only this tournament but of any grand slam.
15
Bernard Tomic was 15 years old when he won the junior final of the Australian Open final making him the youngest junior singles winner.
Tennis Fun Facts & General Knowledge
11h 5m
The longest tennis match ever played lasted an impressive 11 hours and 5 minutes. A no doubt exhausted John Isner eventually defeated Nicolas Mahut to end the game.
1900
The first Davis Cup took place in 1900 as a competition between the USA and Great Britain.
1963
The Fed Cup was founded in 1963 to mark the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
1968
In 1968 the open era in professional tennis began. The French Open was the first to “go open”.
11,204
Roger Federer has scored over 11,000 aces in professional matches according to ATP Tour data.
13,509
Ivo Karlovic holds the title for most aces scored in professional matches with an impressive 13,509 aces (as of 21st September 2019).
$128 million
Novak Djokovic tops the list of highest paid male tennis players with career earnings sitting at $128 million.
$88.6 million
Serena Williams tops the list of highest paid female tennis players with career earnings sitting at $88.6 million.
56 – 59.4 grams
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) requires tennis balls to weigh between 56.0 and 59.4 grams.
4
There are 4 main types of court surfaces used in professional tennis (clay, hard, grass and carpet (includes astroturf and hard rubber).
20m
The shortest recorded tennis match lasted just 20 minutes and was played between Susan Tutt and Marion Brandy in 1969.
101 decibels
The loudest grunt reached 101 decibels and came from Maria Sharapova in a 2009 Wimbledon match.
