Tennis is a sport played between either two players (singles) or two teams of two players each (doubles). Players use a stringed racquet to strike a ball, a hollow rubber sphere covered in felt, over a net into the opponent's court. In some places tennis is still called lawn tennis to distinguish it from real tennis (also known as royal tennis, court tennis or jeu de paume), an older form of the game that is played indoors on a very different kind of a court. Originating in England in the late 19th centuryCE, the game spread first throughout the English-speaking world, particularly among the upper classes. Tennis is now played in the Summer Olympic Games and at all levels of society, by individuals of all ages many countries around the world. Its rules have remained remarkably unchanged since the early 1900s. Along with its millions of players, tennis claims millions of people who follow the sport as spectators, being particularly interested in the four Grand Slamtournaments.
Tennis is played on a rectangular flat surface, usually made of grass, clay, or concrete. The court is 78 feet (23.77 metres) long and 27 feet (8.23 meters) wide for singles matches; for doubles matches, the width is extended by 9 feet (2.74 meters). Additional clear space around the court is required in order for players to reach overrun balls. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing the court into two equal halves. The net is 3 feet, 6 inches (1.07 meters) high at the posts, and 3 feet (91.4 centimetres) high in the center.
Each of the three primary court types (clay court, grass court, and hardcourt) imparts a different speed and spin to the ball, which affects the level of play for individual players. Some players specialize in certain surfaces on which they are more successful (for example, grasscourt specialists or clay court specialists) or in certain ball-striking techniques (shots or strokes) to which they are best inclined physically.
The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in the small city of Indian Wells, California. The official sponsored name of the event is currently the Pacific Life Open. The event is part of the ATP Masters Series on the men's tour and is a Tier 1 event on the women's tour. The event, held in March, is one of two tour events (beside Miami Masters) in which main draw play extends beyond 8 days. The women's main draw usually start on Wednesday with the final on Saturday the following week. Men's main draw start on Friday and the final is on Sunday the following week. Both singles main draws include 96 players. The 32 seeded players get a bye to the second round. The tournament is played on hard courts and is the best attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slam tournaments, with over 250,000 visitors during the event.
Novak Đoković (bantuan·maklumat) (Serbia: Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, ˈnɔvaːk 'ʥɔːkɔviʨ, lahir Mei 22, 1987 di Belgrade, Serbia adalah pemain tenis profesional Serbia bertaraf yang menduduki No.1 dunia sejak 4 Julai 2011.
