Tennis Trivia Questions

Each answer is hidden until you open it, so you can read the questions out or test yourself first. The line under each answer is the fun fact to share once it is in.

Round 1 · Scoring, Rules & Terminology

1. 1

   In tennis scoring, what term is used for a score of zero?

   • ADuck
   • BLove
   • CBlank
   • DNil
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   B — Love

   "Love" is widely believed to come from the French "l'oeuf" (the egg), whose shape resembles a zero, while "duck" is the cricket equivalent.

2. 2

   When the score in a game reaches 40-40, what is it called?

   • ATiebreak
   • BAdvantage
   • CBreak point
   • DDeuce
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   D — Deuce

   At 40-40 the game is tied and a player must win two points in a row, which is why it is called deuce — from the French "à deux" (two points needed).

3. 3

   What is a legal serve that the receiver cannot touch with the racquet called?

   • AAce
   • BWinner
   • CLet
   • DSmash
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   A — Ace

   An ace is an untouched serve that wins the point outright, whereas a "let" is a serve that clips the net and must be replayed.

4. 4

   How high is the net at the centre of a tennis court?

   • A2 feet (0.61 m)
   • B3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m)
   • C3 feet (0.914 m)
   • D4 feet (1.22 m)
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   C — 3 feet (0.914 m)

   The net is 3 feet 6 inches high at the posts but is strapped down to exactly 3 feet (0.914 m) in the middle, making the centre the lowest part of the net.

5. 5

   What happens when a player misses both the first and second serve of a point?

   • AA let is played
   • BThe player gets a third serve
   • CThe point is replayed
   • DA double fault — the point is lost
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   D — A double fault — the point is lost

   A server has only two attempts, so missing both is a double fault and the point is immediately awarded to the receiver.

6. 6

   In tennis slang, what is a set won 6-0 commonly called?

   • AA blank
   • BA bagel
   • CA whitewash
   • DA doughnut
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   B — A bagel

   The zero in 6-0 is said to look like a bagel, and a 6-1 set is nicknamed a "breadstick" by extension.

7. 7

   What is it called when a player wins a game while the opponent is serving?

   • AA break
   • BA steal
   • CA turnover
   • DA hold
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   A — A break

   Because the server is expected to win their own service game (a "hold"), taking that game is called breaking serve.

8. 8

   What is the standard length of a tennis court, for both singles and doubles?

   • A70 feet (21.34 m)
   • B60 feet (18.29 m)
   • C78 feet (23.77 m)
   • D84 feet (25.60 m)
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   C — 78 feet (23.77 m)

   The court is always 78 feet long; only the width changes, from 27 feet for singles to 36 feet for doubles.

9. 9

   What is a serving fault called when the server's foot touches the baseline before contact with the ball?

   • ALine fault
   • BFoot fault
   • CService let
   • DCrossover
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   B — Foot fault

   The rules require the server to stay behind the baseline until the ball is struck, so stepping on or over it is a foot fault and counts as a missed serve.

Round 2 · The Four Grand Slam Tournaments

1. 10

   Which Grand Slam tournament is played on clay?

   • AThe Australian Open
   • BWimbledon
   • CThe French Open (Roland-Garros)
   • DThe US Open
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   C — The French Open (Roland-Garros)

   Roland-Garros in Paris is the only major contested on crushed red brick clay, a slow surface that produces long rallies and high bounce.

2. 11

   On which surface is Wimbledon played?

   • AClay
   • BHard court
   • CCarpet
   • DGrass
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   D — Grass

   Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam still played on grass, the sport's original surface — which is why tennis was first called "lawn tennis".

3. 12

   In which city is the Australian Open held?

   • AMelbourne
   • BBrisbane
   • CSydney
   • DPerth
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   A — Melbourne

   The tournament has been staged at Melbourne Park (originally Flinders Park) since 1988, having rotated between Australian and New Zealand cities in earlier decades.

4. 13

   The US Open is played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in which New York neighbourhood?

   • ABrooklyn Heights
   • BBattery Park
   • CFlushing Meadows
   • DForest Hills
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   C — Flushing Meadows

   The event moved to Flushing Meadows, Queens, in 1978 from its earlier home at Forest Hills, and the centre was renamed for Billie Jean King in 2006.

5. 14

   Which of the four Grand Slam tournaments is the oldest, first held in 1877?

   • AThe French Championships
   • BThe US Championships
   • CThe Australasian Championships
   • DWimbledon
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   D — Wimbledon

   Wimbledon began in 1877, well before the US (1881), French (1891) and Australasian (1905) championships.

6. 15

   What is the name of the trophy awarded to the Wimbledon ladies' singles champion?

   • AThe Suzanne Lenglen Cup
   • BThe Venus Rosewater Dish
   • CThe Challenge Salver
   • DThe Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   B — The Venus Rosewater Dish

   The Wimbledon ladies' champion receives a silver salver decorated with mythological figures, known as the Venus Rosewater Dish, while the men receive a gilt cup.

7. 16

   The men's singles trophy at Roland-Garros is known as the Coupe des Mousquetaires, named after a famous group of which nationality?

   • AFrench
   • BSpanish
   • CItalian
   • DAustralian
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   A — French

   It honours the "Four Musketeers" — Lacoste, Cochet, Borotra and Brugnon — the French stars who dominated tennis in the 1920s and 30s.

8. 17

   Since 1988, on what type of surface has the Australian Open been played?

   • AHard court
   • BIndoor carpet
   • CGrass
   • DClay
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   A — Hard court

   The event switched from grass at Kooyong to hard courts when it moved to Melbourne Park in 1988, and has used various acrylic hard surfaces since.

9. 18

   Which tournament has a strict rule requiring players to wear almost entirely white clothing?

   • AThe Australian Open
   • BThe US Open
   • CWimbledon
   • DThe French Open
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   C — Wimbledon

   Wimbledon's famous dress code dates back to Victorian times, when white clothing was preferred because it showed sweat stains less obviously.

10. 19

    Winning all four Grand Slam singles titles in the same calendar year is known as what?

    • AThe Golden Slam
    • BThe Grand Slam
    • CThe Career Slam
    • DThe Super Slam
    + Show answer− Hide answer

    B — The Grand Slam

    A calendar-year sweep of all four majors is the Grand Slam; adding an Olympic gold medal in the same year makes it a Golden Slam.

Round 3 · Team Competitions & Historic Moments

1. 20

   In which year was the Davis Cup first contested?

   • A1877
   • B1923
   • C1946
   • D1900
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   D — 1900

   The first tie took place in 1900 between the United States and the British Isles, making it one of the oldest international team competitions in any sport.

2. 21

   The Billie Jean King Cup, the premier women's international team event, was previously known by which name?

   • AThe Wightman Cup
   • BThe Hopman Cup
   • CThe Fed Cup (Federation Cup)
   • DThe Bonne Bell Cup
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   C — The Fed Cup (Federation Cup)

   Founded in 1963 as the Federation Cup, it was shortened to Fed Cup in 1995 and renamed in honour of Billie Jean King in 2020.

3. 22

   The Davis Cup is named after Dwight F. Davis, who was what at the time he donated the trophy?

   • AAn Australian tennis coach
   • BA US Harvard student and player
   • CThe president of the ILTF
   • DA British newspaper owner
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   B — A US Harvard student and player

   Dwight Davis was a student at Harvard who both bought the silver trophy and played in the inaugural 1900 competition for the United States.

4. 23

   In the famous 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" match, Billie Jean King defeated which former men's champion?

   • ABobby Riggs
   • BPancho Gonzales
   • CJack Kramer
   • DRod Laver
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   A — Bobby Riggs

   King beat 55-year-old former Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs in straight sets in the Houston Astrodome before a huge global television audience.

5. 24

   The famous 1980 Wimbledon men's final, featuring an 18-16 fourth-set tiebreak, was contested between John McEnroe and which player?

   • AGuillermo Vilas
   • BJimmy Connors
   • CIvan Lendl
   • DBjörn Borg
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   D — Björn Borg

   Borg lost that epic tiebreak but won the fifth set 8-6 to claim his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title.

6. 25

   The longest match in tennis history, lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days at Wimbledon in 2010, was played between John Isner and which opponent?

   • ANicolas Mahut
   • BGilles Simon
   • COlivier Rochus
   • DArnaud Clément
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   A — Nicolas Mahut

   Isner beat Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set, a marathon that helped prompt the later introduction of final-set tiebreaks at the majors.

7. 26

   The Open Era, when professionals were first allowed to compete alongside amateurs at the Grand Slams, began in which year?

   • A1973
   • B1958
   • C1962
   • D1968
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   D — 1968

   In 1968 the sport's governing bodies agreed to "open" tournaments to professionals, and the French Championships that year became the first open major.

8. 27

   In 1988 tennis returned as a full medal sport to which multi-sport event?

   • AThe Commonwealth Games
   • BThe Pan American Games
   • CThe Olympic Games
   • DThe World Games
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   C — The Olympic Games

   Tennis was reinstated as a full Olympic medal sport at the 1988 Seoul Games after an absence of more than 60 years.

Round 4 · Legendary Players

1. 28

   Which player won the calendar-year Grand Slam twice, in 1962 and 1969?

   • AKen Rosewall
   • BRod Laver
   • CRoy Emerson
   • DJohn Newcombe
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   B — Rod Laver

   Australian Rod Laver is the only man to sweep all four majors in a single year twice, once as an amateur and once in the Open Era.

2. 29

   In 1988, which player completed the "Golden Slam" by winning all four majors plus Olympic singles gold in the same year?

   • AChris Evert
   • BSteffi Graf
   • CMartina Navratilova
   • DMonica Seles
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   B — Steffi Graf

   Steffi Graf won all four Grand Slam titles in 1988 and added gold at the Seoul Olympics, a feat no other singles player has achieved.

3. 30

   Which player holds the record for the most Wimbledon women's singles titles, with nine?

   • AMartina Navratilova
   • BBillie Jean King
   • CSteffi Graf
   • DMargaret Court
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   A — Martina Navratilova

   Navratilova's grass-court serve-and-volley game brought her nine Wimbledon singles crowns between 1978 and 1990.

4. 31

   Which Australian won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any woman?

   • ADaphne Akhurst
   • BEvonne Goolagong Cawley
   • CNancye Wynne Bolton
   • DMargaret Court
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   D — Margaret Court

   Margaret Court won her 24 major singles titles across the amateur and Open Eras, one more than Serena Williams.

5. 32

   In 1975, which player became the first Black man to win the Wimbledon men's singles title?

   • AYannick Noah
   • BAlthea Gibson
   • CArthur Ashe
   • DMaliVai Washington
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   C — Arthur Ashe

   Arthur Ashe outfoxed heavy favourite Jimmy Connors in the 1975 final, and he had already won the first US Open in 1968.

6. 33

   In 1956, which player became the first Black athlete to win a Grand Slam singles title, at the French Championships?

   • AEvonne Goolagong
   • BZina Garrison
   • CAlthea Gibson
   • DOra Washington
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   C — Althea Gibson

   Althea Gibson broke the colour barrier in international tennis in 1956 and went on to win Wimbledon and the US Championships in 1957 and 1958.

7. 34

   Which Swedish player won five consecutive Wimbledon men's singles titles from 1976 to 1980?

   • ABjörn Borg
   • BJonas Björkman
   • CMats Wilander
   • DStefan Edberg
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   A — Björn Borg

   Borg's five straight Wimbledon titles were remarkable because he combined them with clay-court dominance at Roland-Garros.

Round 5 · Expert Round

1. 35

   Who won the very first Wimbledon men's singles title in 1877?

   • AJohn Hartley
   • BSpencer Gore
   • CHerbert Lawford
   • DWilliam Renshaw
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   B — Spencer Gore

   Spencer Gore, a rackets player, beat a field of 22 entrants in 1877 and famously doubted that lawn tennis would ever catch on.

2. 36

   Roland-Garros stadium in Paris is named after Roland Garros, who was famous as what?

   • AA stadium architect
   • BA French tennis federation president
   • CA tennis champion
   • DA pioneering aviator
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   D — A pioneering aviator

   Roland Garros was a French aviation pioneer and World War I pilot, honoured when the stadium was built in 1928 to host the Davis Cup.

3. 37

   Who is credited with inventing the tiebreak, which was adopted at the US Open in 1970?

   • AHarry Hopman
   • BJack Kramer
   • CBill Tilden
   • DJames Van Alen
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   D — James Van Alen

   American James Van Alen devised the tiebreak as part of his simplified scoring system to stop sets from dragging on indefinitely.

4. 38

   Who was the first man to win all four Grand Slam singles titles in the same calendar year, achieving it in 1938?

   • AJack Crawford
   • BDon Budge
   • CBill Tilden
   • DFred Perry
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   B — Don Budge

   American Don Budge swept all four majors in 1938, the first time anyone had completed the calendar Grand Slam in singles.

5. 39

   In 1953, who became the first woman to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam?

   • ALouise Brough
   • BDoris Hart
   • CMaureen Connolly
   • DShirley Fry
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   C — Maureen Connolly

   Maureen "Little Mo" Connolly won all four majors in 1953 at just 18, before a riding accident ended her career the following year.

6. 40

   Which Grand Slam tournament was the first to introduce electronic line-calling review (Hawk-Eye) for players, in 2006?

   • AThe US Open
   • BWimbledon
   • CThe French Open
   • DThe Australian Open
   + Show answer− Hide answer

   A — The US Open

   The US Open pioneered player challenges with Hawk-Eye in 2006, with Wimbledon and the Australian Open following in 2007.