Tennis Timeline

The first lawn tennis club in the world is formed in Leamington, Warwickshire

Wimbledon has an attendance of more than 300,000 for the first time and stages a tournament just for professionals. The British LTA defies the threat of expulsion by voting to remove the distinction between amateurs and professionals

Major Wingerfield invented the game called "Spharistike" introduced in to the UK

The first rules for tennis published.The Marylebone Cricket Club made significant changes to the game. They added Deuce, Advantage and two chances per serve

The "Open Era" of tennis begins so both amateurs and professionals compete in the same tennis tournaments

The All England Croquet Club stages the first men's singles championship at Wimbledon, held at Worple Road. Only 22 players entered the tournament

Rod Laver becomes the only player to win the Grand Slam twice

Jack Kramer introduces a points system for tennis tournaments. The tie break is also introduced at the US Open for the first time

The Overhead Smash was introduced into the game by the Renshaw brothers

Peace agreement between ITF and WCT came too late to allow WCT players to compete at French Open and Wimbledon

The United States National Lawn Tennis Association (USNLTA) is founded, and the first US Championships are played, though only for American citizens until 1885

Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert, both engaged to be married at the time, win both singles events at Wimbledon

Wimbledon championships are open to women for the first time

Arthur Ashe defeats defending champion Jimmy Connors in Wimbledon final. US Open switches from grass to all-weather synthetic clay surface

Lottie Dod of England wins the Wimbledon Ladies Singles title for the first of 5 times

The French Open is played for the first time but is only open to French residents

Virginia Wade wins the women's singles title at Wimbledon

Tennis included for the first time in the staging of the modern Olympics

US Open moves from Forest Hills to Flushing Meadows

Davis Cup introduced, but entries only from Britain and the United States

At Wimbledon the tie-break was changed to come into play at a score in games of 6-6

The first Australasian Championships are played. May Sutton also became the first tennis player to win the Wimbledon Ladies Singles from overseas

Bjorn Borg defeats John McEnroe in a classic Wimbledon final, with the American winning the infamous tie-break 18-16

The International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) is founded in Paris with 12 nations, with the aim of operation 4 major tennis Championships

McEnroe ends Borg's five-year reign at Wimbledon but was denied membership for 12 months due to his poor behaviour

Mats Wilander wins French Open title aged 17 years, 10 months

Suzanne Lenglen of France becomes the first player to win three different titles at Wimbledon

Germany's Boris Becker was the youngest and first unseeded Wimbledon's mens singles champion, aged 17 years 227 days.

The Australasian Championships are open to women for the first time

The French Championships open to non-French residents for the first time

Australian Open staged at Kooyong for last time

Steffi Graf wins Grand Slam and Olympic Gold medal in Seoul

France break the stranglehold on the Davis Cup from Britain, USA and Australia

Michael Chang, 17 years 3 months wins French Open to become youngest winner of a Grand Slam men's singles title

New home for the French Championships at Roland Garros

Britain win Davis Cup back from France. Bunny Austin first man to wear shorts at Wimbledon

ATP Tour launched. McEnroe first to be defaulted at a Grand Slam tournament

Monica Seles stabbed in the back while playing in Hamburg

Fred Perry's victory at the Championships makes him the first player to win all four of the Grand Slam titles

Martina Navratilova retires from singles tennis, having won a record 167 titles

Wimbledon is the first tennis tournament to be televised

Tim Henman becomes the first player to be disqualified at Wimbledon

Don Budge becomes the first tennis player to complete the Grand Slam of all four majors in the same year

Martina Hingis wins the Australian Open to become the youngest player this century to win a Grand Slam title, 16 years 4 months

From 1940 to 1945, World War II puts a hold on Wimbledon and the French Open. In October 1940 a bomb hits Centre Court, destroying 1200 seats

A record 131 entries for the Davis Cup.

The ATP Champions Race is launched and the Tennis Masters Series is established

Jack Kramer becomes the first men's singles champion to wear shorts

Croatian wildcard entry Goran Ivanisevic win's Wimbledon on fourth appearance in final

Gertrude Morgan shocked Wimbledon with her lace trimmed panties

Serena Williams wins Australian Open to record a non calendar Grand Slam

The Pro Tour is created by Jack Kramer and becomes popular with amateur players and the public

Roger Federer becomes the first man since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three of the four Grand Slam events. He also captured a seasons best 11 ATP titles. Russians dominate women's Grand Slam singles

Maureen Connolly, aged 18 wins the Grand Slam, losing just one set in 22 matches

Changes in rules so that news balls were changed after the first seven games and then each subsequent nine instead of after each set

Hawk Eye, the electronic line calling system is used for the first time on the Tour at the Nasdaq event in Miami

Rafa Nadal ends Federer's chance of an Open Era record of winning six consecutive Wimbledon's, as well as ending his 237 week reign as world number one

Hurricane Donna delays finals of the US Open for a week

Rod Laver wins Grand Slam for the first time and turns professional

Roger Federer wins the French Open by defeating Robin Soderling in the final to become only the sixth male in tennis history to complete the Grand Slam by winning all four majors and the first since Agassi.

Wimbledon introduces rule that players must wear predominately white clothing

Australians win Davis Cup for the 11th time in 14 years

Wimbledon starts the 2009 Championships with a roof on its Centre Court for the first time

Manola Santana becomes the first Spaniard to win a Grand Slam title on grass at Wimbledon

Roger Federer wins his 15th Grand Slam at Wimbledon to surpass Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slams