What is the Open Era in tennis, and why does 1968 matter?
Date the era. Compare champions fairly.
Key facts
- 1
The first open tournament was at Bournemouth in 1968, and the French Open was the first open major.
- 2
The four majors were founded in 1877 (Wimbledon), 1881 (US), 1891 (French, international from 1925) and 1905 (Australasian).
- 3
Margaret Court's 24 majors span both eras and include amateur-era Australian titles won against thin fields. Serena Williams's 23 is the Open Era women's record.
- 4
The steel T2000 racquet arrived in 1967, the Prince oversize in 1976, the Wilson Profile widebody in 1987 and Luxilon polyester strings in 1997.
- 5
Hawk-Eye challenges began in 2006, the 25-second shot clock in 2018, and the 10-point final-set tiebreak in 2022.
- 6
Forehand spin rose from about 1,800 rpm in the Sampras and Agassi era to about 2,500 for Federer and a median of about 3,200 for Nadal.
Why it works
An era is a set of constraints, and a champion is the answer to them. Four layers set those constraints: money, materials, rules and surfaces.
Money came first. Until 1968 the majors were amateur-only, so the elite split in two. Professionals toured separately, and top amateurs were paid under the table, a practice called shamateurism. When the majors opened, the fields became whole.
Materials changed the stroke. Wood held on until about 1980, even though steel arrived in 1967 and oversize heads in 1976. Polyester strings followed in 1997, and each change altered what the swing could do. Rules changed the shape of a match: the tiebreak made set length predictable, and electronic calling removed the line judge. Equipment and slower courts also narrowed the gap between surfaces.
Dominance looks different in each band. Connors won 109 titles and spent 268 weeks at No. 1. Borg won five straight Wimbledons from 1976 to 1980. Sampras finished six straight years at No. 1 from 1993 to 1998. Graf spent 377 weeks at No. 1, and Evert and Navratilova played each other 80 times.
The line to say on court“A record has a start date. Say it.”
Drill: Date the match
20 min · alone- Find ten match clips from different decades in free public archives.
- Freeze on the racquet. Is it wood, open-throat steel, oversize or graphite?
- Look for the rules: a tiebreak on the scoreboard, a player challenge, a shot clock.
- Watch the play: how often players serve and volley, how long the rallies are, how high the ball clears the net.
- Write down a decade for each clip, then check the date.
Faults and fixes
Questions players ask
When did the Open Era start in tennis?
In 1968. Bournemouth hosted the first open tournament, and the French Open was the first open major. The Australian Open's first open edition is usually dated to 1969.
Who has the most Grand Slam titles in women's tennis?
Margaret Court has 24 majors across both eras. Serena Williams has 23, the Open Era women's record. Both numbers are right once you say which era you're counting.
Why weren't professionals allowed in the majors before 1968?
The majors were amateur-only, so players who took money were banned. They toured separately while top amateurs were often paid under the table.
Can you compare tennis players from different eras?
Yes, if you name the conditions. Money, racquets, rules and surfaces all changed, and pre-tracking statistics are reconstructions, so say which era a record belongs to.
What this doesn't cover
Statistics from before tracking are reconstructions. Era signatures like serve speed and rally length aren't reliably measured for early decades, so they aren't given here. Era boundaries and dominance bands are a way to organise history, not official categories.
Sources
- Britannica, Tennis: The Open Era
- ITF, History of Tennis
- International Tennis Hall of Fame archives
- Jeff Sackmann, tennis results repositories