Tennis (magazine)

The magazine was established in May 1965, published out of Chicago with a regional focus. Asher Birnbaum of Skokie, IL was the founder, editor and publisher. The tennis boom of the 1970s resulted in a rapid expansion of the magazine, both in scope and circulation. In addition to top tennis stars, celebrities like Johnny Carson and Farrah Fawcett appeared on the cover. It was owned by Golf Digest / Tennis Magazine and sold to the New York Times Company.

Miller Publishing bought the magazine in 1997 from The New York Times Company.{{cite news|last1=lazarus|first1=George|title=Tennis Magazine Hopes Seles Sells New Cover Look|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1998/12/09/tennis-magazine-hopes-seles-sells-new-cover-look/|access-date=March 1, 2017|work=Chicago Tribune|publisher=Tribune Publishing|date=December 9, 1998|language=en|archive-date=March 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302195127/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-12-09/business/9812090254_1_newsstand-tennis-cover|url-status=live}} It brought on two retired champions as part owners and contributors: first Chris Evert in 2000 then Pete Sampras in 2003.{{cite news|last=Thomaselli|first=Rich|title=Pete Sampras Becomes Part Owner of "Tennis" Magazine|url=http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/pete-sampras-part-owner-tennis-magazine/38518|access-date=19 September 2011|newspaper=Advertising Age|date=October 6, 2003|archive-date=7 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707053839/http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/pete-sampras-part-owner-tennis-magazine/38518|url-status=live}} In the early 2010s the circulation was 600,000 subscriptions, the majority of which were purchased by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for its members.

In 2014, publisher and USTA board member Jeff Willams purchased controlling interest in Tennis Media Company, owner of the magazine and its offshoot website.{{cite news|last1=Kaplan|first1=Daniel|title=Tennis' publisher buys firm's controlling stake|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2014/08/18/Media/Tennis-magazine.aspx|access-date=March 1, 2017|work=Sports Business Journal|publisher=American City Business Journals|date=August 18, 2014|archive-date=March 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302113843/http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2014/08/18/Media/Tennis-magazine.aspx|url-status=live}} In 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Tennis Channel, acquired Tennis Media Company for $8 million, seeking to build synergies between the properties.{{cite news|last1=Marszalek|first1=Diana|title=Sinclair Buys 'Tennis' Magazine|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/currency/sinclair-buys-tennis-magazine/163734|access-date=March 8, 2017|work=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=NewBay Media|date=March 1, 2017|archive-date=March 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307152323/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/currency/sinclair-buys-tennis-magazine/163734|url-status=live}}

Aside from articles about the most recent events and most active players, the magazine also includes the recent ranking for both ATP and WTA, as well as brief summaries of the future tournaments, their participants and the past winners.

Chris Evert has her own personal section in the magazine—usually the first page—which is called "Chrissie's Page". Aside from Evert, other famous players and coaches also contribute to the magazine, Pete Sampras, Paul Annacone, former coach of Sampras, is the Senior Instruction Editor and Brad Gilbert, former coach of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, is Touring Instruction Editor.

{{anchor|Greatest}}

=="The 40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era" (2005)==

In celebration of its 40th anniversary (1965–2005), Tennis published a series rating the 40 best players of those four decades.culminating in the [http://backissues.com/issue/Tennis-November-2005 November/December 2005 issue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403013447/http://backissues.com/issue/Tennis-November-2005 |date=2017-04-03 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.tennis.com/features/40greatest/index.aspx |website=tennis.com |title=40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112065706/http://www.tennis.com/features/40greatest/index.aspx |archive-date=2006-11-12 |access-date=2017-06-10}}

{{div col|colwidth=19em}}

1. {{flagicon|USA}} Pete Sampras
2. {{flagicon|Czechoslovakia}}{{flagicon|USA}} Martina Navratilova
3. {{flagicon|GER}} Steffi Graf
4. {{flagicon|USA}} Chris Evert
5. {{flagicon|SWE}} Björn Borg
6. {{flagicon|AUS}} Margaret Court
7. {{flagicon|USA}} Jimmy Connors
8. {{flagicon|AUS}} Rod Laver
9. {{flagicon|USA}} Billie Jean King
10. {{flagicon|Czechoslovakia}}{{flagicon|USA}} Ivan Lendl
11. {{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe
12. {{flagicon|USA}} Andre Agassi
13. {{flagicon|YUG}}{{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}}{{flagicon|USA}} Monica Seles
14. {{flagicon|SWE}} Stefan Edberg
15. {{flagicon|SWE}} Mats Wilander
16. {{flagicon|AUS}} John Newcombe
17. {{flagicon|USA}} Serena Williams
18. {{flagicon|GER}} Boris Becker
19. {{flagicon|SUI}} Roger Federer
20. {{flagicon|AUS}} Ken Rosewall
21. {{flagicon|AUS}} Roy Emerson
22. {{flagicon|SUI}} Martina Hingis
23. {{flagicon|AUS}} Evonne Goolagong
24. {{flagicon|ARG}} Guillermo Vilas
25. {{flagicon|USA}} Venus Williams
26. {{flagicon|USA}} Jim Courier
27. {{flagicon|ESP}} Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
28. {{flagicon|ROM}} Ilie Năstase
29. {{flagicon|USA}} Lindsay Davenport
30. {{flagicon|USA}} Arthur Ashe
31. {{flagicon|BEL}} Justine Henin
32. {{flagicon|USA}} Tracy Austin
33. {{flagicon|Czechoslovakia}}{{flagicon|AUS}} Hana Mandlíková
34. {{flagicon|AUS}} Lleyton Hewitt
35. {{flagicon|USA}} Stan Smith
36. {{flagicon|USA}} Jennifer Capriati
37. {{flagicon|BRA}} Gustavo Kuerten
38. {{flagicon|GBR}} Virginia Wade
39. {{flagicon|AUS}} Patrick Rafter
40. {{flagicon|ARG}} Gabriela Sabatini

{{div col end}}

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Open Era in tennis (1968–2018), the magazine published a series rating the 50 best players of those five decades (25 men and 25 women).{{cite web|title=The 50 greatest players of the Open Era|url=http://www.tennis.com/tags/50-greatest-players-open-era/|website=Tennis,com|access-date=2018-02-02|archive-date=2018-02-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203064156/http://www.tennis.com/tags/50-greatest-players-open-era/|url-status=live}}

• Active players are marked in boldface.

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

Men

:1. {{flagicon|SUI}} Roger Federer

:2. {{flagicon|AUS}} Rod Laver

:3. {{flagicon|ESP}} Rafael Nadal

:4. {{flagicon|USA}} Pete Sampras

:5. {{flagicon|SER}} Novak Djokovic

:6. {{flagicon|SWE}} Björn Borg

:7. {{flagicon|AUS}} Ken Rosewall

:8. {{flagicon|TCH}}{{flagicon|USA}} Ivan Lendl

:9. {{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe

:10. {{flagicon|USA}} Jimmy Connors

:11. {{flagicon|USA}} Andre Agassi

:12. {{flagicon|SWE}} Mats Wilander

:13. {{flagicon|GER}} Boris Becker

:14. {{flagicon|SWE}} Stefan Edberg

:15. {{flagicon|AUS}} John Newcombe

:16. {{flagicon|ARG}} Guillermo Vilas

:17. {{flagicon|USA}} Jim Courier

:18. {{flagicon|GBR}} Andy Murray

:19. {{flagicon|ROM}} Ilie Năstase

:20. {{flagicon|USA}} Arthur Ashe

:21. {{flagicon|BRA}} Gustavo Kuerten

:22. {{flagicon|AUS}} Lleyton Hewitt

:23. {{flagicon|USA}} Stan Smith

:24. {{flagicon|SUI}} Stan Wawrinka

:25. {{flagicon|USA}} Andy Roddick

{{col-2}}

Women

:1. {{flagicon|USA}} Serena Williams

:2. {{flagicon|GER}} Steffi Graf

:3. {{flagicon|TCH}}{{flagicon|USA}} Martina Navratilova

:4. {{flagicon|AUS}} Margaret Court

:5. {{flagicon|USA}} Chris Evert

:6. {{flagicon|USA}} Billie Jean King

:7. {{flagicon|YUG}}{{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}}{{flagicon|USA}} Monica Seles

:8. {{flagicon|USA}} Venus Williams

:9. {{flagicon|BEL}} Justine Henin

:10. {{flagicon|AUS}} Evonne Goolagong

:11. {{flagicon|SUI}} Martina Hingis

:12. {{flagicon|RUS}} Maria Sharapova

:13. {{flagicon|ESP}} Arantxa Sánchez Vicario

:14. {{flagicon|BEL}} Kim Clijsters

:15. {{flagicon|USA}} Lindsay Davenport

:16. {{flagicon|GBR}} Virginia Wade

:17. {{flagicon|USA}} Jennifer Capriati

:18. {{flagicon|USA}} Tracy Austin

:19. {{flagicon|TCH}}{{flagicon|AUS}} Hana Mandlíková

:20. {{flagicon|ARG}} Gabriela Sabatini

:21. {{flagicon|FRA}} Amélie Mauresmo

:22. {{flagicon|BLR}} Victoria Azarenka

:23. {{flagicon|GER}} Angelique Kerber

:24. {{flagicon|DEN}} Caroline Wozniacki

:25. {{flagicon|CHN}} Na Li

{{col-end}}

{{Portal|Tennis}}

• Inside Tennis
• Tennis Week

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.tennis.com}}

{{SBGI}}

Tennis

Category:Eight times annually magazines published in the United States

Tennis

Category:Magazines established in 1965

Category:Magazines published in New York City

Category:Tennis magazines

Category:2017 mergers and acquisitions

Category:Sinclair Broadcast Group