Tennis underwent significant changes beginning with the advent of Open tennis in 1968. With the shift to more powerful rackets and more focus on physical conditioning, and the adoption of new strokes and strategies, the game still is evolving. Combined with advances in teaching, this has prompted a re-examination of the rules of the game.
Professional Tennis
Prior to 1968, the Davis Cup and four major tournaments that comprised the Grand Slam allowed only amateurs to play. For decades, the top players in the world could not compete at Wimbledon or the Australian, French and U.S. Open tournaments. That changed when professional players were allowed to play. That year, Rod Laver, one of only two men to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year as an amateur, won the slam again as a professional.
Rackets
When Howard Head introduced the oversize racket in 1978, it revolutionized the game. Almost a decade later, Wilson introduced a thicker racket, again dramatically changing the game by allowing players to hit the ball harder. The International Tennis Federation allowed players to use both rackets but set limits on head size and racket length. When professional tennis player Ilie Nastase used a new string pattern to break fellow pro Guillermo Vilas' 53-match winning streak on clay in 1977, the ITF banned these "spaghetti" strings.
Tie-Break
Another major rules change occurred during the 1970s with the introduction of the sudden-death tie-break. Up until the introduction of the tie-break, players had to win sets by at least two games, which led to some matches lasting many hours or even more than a day. In addition to set-ending tie-breaks, no-ad scoring allowed players to end games with a sudden-death point at 3-all. Up until no-ad scoring, all tennis games had to be won by two points or more, with some games lasting 20 minutes or more.
Instant Replay
In 2006, the professional tour introduced the Hawkeye electronic line-calling system that allowed players to challenge umpires' calls. If a player challenges, the chair umpire reviews an electronic display that shows where the ball landed, then either upholds or overrules the line umpire's call. If the line umpire made the correct call, the player who asked for the review loses one of her three challenge opportunities per set. A player may make unlimited challenges if she continues to win her challenges.
Junior Tournaments
In 2010, the ITF adopted the QuickStart format for junior tournament play in the 10 and under divisions. Children now use modified courts, nets, balls, rackets and scoring, rather than playing full-court tennis.
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