Series: Aces Through Time – The History of Men’s Professional Tennis
Long before the thunderous aces of Federer or the grinding rallies of Nadal, tennis was a genteel pastime played on manicured lawns by aristocrats in crisp white attire. The early history of men’s tennis is as much about societal transformation as it is about sport — a game navigating class divides, amateur ideals, and the slow emergence of professionalism. This is the story of men’s tennis before the revolution of the Open Era in 1968.
The Roots: From Royalty to Lawn Sports
Tennis can trace its lineage back to 12th-century France, where monks played a crude form of the game in monastery courtyards. Over time, “real tennis” evolved into a complex indoor game enjoyed by European nobility. But the tennis we know today—lawn tennis—was born in England in the 1870s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1877_Wimbledon_Championship
Major Walter Clopton Wingfield is credited with codifying the rules in 1873. By 1877, the first Wimbledon Championships were held, making it the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament still in existence. At this stage, tennis was very much an elite sport — a summer hobby for the upper classes, not a profession.
The Age of Amateurs
Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tennis was governed by strict amateur codes. Prize money was forbidden, and players had to maintain an image of gentlemanly decorum. To earn money through tennis was to be considered a professional — and thus banned from the major tournaments.
This amateur ideal was deeply rooted in British sporting tradition. Sports were seen as character-building pursuits, not livelihoods. As a result, the best players were often independently wealthy or reliant on patronage.
Early International Growth
Tennis spread quickly across the British Empire and beyond. By the early 1900s, tournaments like the US National Championships (now the US Open, founded in 1881), the French Championships (1891), and Australian Championships (1905) emerged. The Davis Cup, launched in 1900, fostered international team competition, drawing national pride into the sport.
Heroes of the Pre-Open Era
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Bill Tilden (USA) – Known as “Big Bill,” he dominated the 1920s, becoming the first American tennis superstar. His charisma and theatrical style brought tennis into the limelight. https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/bill-tilden
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Don Budge (USA) – In 1938, Budge became the first man to win all four majors in a calendar year — the original Grand Slam. https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/don-budge
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Fred Perry (UK) – A working-class outsider, Perry defied tennis’s elite hierarchy to win Wimbledon three times in the 1930s, becoming a British icon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Perry
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Pancho Gonzales (USA) – After winning two US Championships as an amateur, he turned pro and was barred from majors. He dominated professional tours through the 1950s. https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/richard-pancho-gonzales
The Amateur–Professional Divide
By the 1940s and ’50s, cracks were forming in tennis’s amateur façade. Prize money existed—under the table. Top players were paid “expenses” that far exceeded actual costs, and some quietly turned professional to play lucrative exhibition tours organized by promoters like Jack Kramer. https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/jack-kramer
However, turning pro came at a cost: exile from the Grand Slams. Players like Gonzales and Kramer were banished from the sport’s most prestigious stages, despite being arguably the best in the world.
️ The Pressure Builds
By the 1960s, the hypocrisy became impossible to ignore. The public wanted to see the best players compete, regardless of amateur status. Behind closed doors, administrators debated change. The push toward professionalism gained momentum, fueled by media interest and the growing popularity of the game.
⚡ The Spark Before the Storm
One symbolic moment came in 1967, when Wimbledon hosted the “Wimbledon Pro” – a tournament featuring professionals like Rod Laver and Pancho Gonzales. It was a hit. The line between amateur and professional was finally blurring.
Just one year later, in 1968, tennis would take the leap into a bold new age — the Open Era — where the sport as we know it today would begin.
Final Thoughts
The amateur era of men’s tennis was complex, elegant, and often contradictory — a time of great champions and greater inequities. It laid the foundation for the modern game, even as it kept many of its brightest stars in the shadows.
