Brain Teasers
Indoors or Out
Riddle
Riddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.Riddle
Played one on one,
Or perhaps two on two;
With four majors,
Two eras,
And my own hall of fame.
Bjorn, Pete, and Ivan all played me;
Indoors or out, I delight both young and old!
Tell me now, what am I?
Or perhaps two on two;
With four majors,
Two eras,
And my own hall of fame.
Bjorn, Pete, and Ivan all played me;
Indoors or out, I delight both young and old!
Tell me now, what am I?
Answer
I am the sport of tennis!Tennis can be played "singles" (one on one) or "doubles" (two on two). There are four majors, or Grand Slams, in tennis: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. In 1881, the first competitive tennis clubs were formed. The period of tennis from 1881 to 1967 is known as the Golden Era, while the period from 1968 to the present is called the Open Era. In 1954, the International Tennis Hall of Fame was founded by James Van Alen in Newport, Rhode Island. Tennis can be played on both indoor and outdoor courts, and can be enjoyed by everyone, from toddlers to grandparents.
There have been many outstanding players in the game of tennis, including Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, and Ivan Lendl. During a 9 year career, Borg won 41 percent of the Grand Slam singles tournaments he entered (11 of 27) and 89.8 percent of the Grand Slam singles matches he played. Both are male open era records. In addition, Borg's six French Open singles titles are an all-time record. He is the only player to have won in three consecutive years both Wimbledon and the French Open.
During his 15 year career, Sampras won a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles in 52 appearances and finished the year as No. 1 on the ATP rankings for six consecutive years, a record for the Open Era and tying him for third all-time. Sampras won the singles title at Wimbledon seven times (an all-time record shared with William Renshaw) and had five singles titles at the U.S. Open (an Open Era record shared with Jimmy Connors).
Lendl was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He captured eight Grand Slam singles titles during his career and competed in a total of 19 Grand Slam singles finals (a record for a male player). He first attained the World No. 1 ranking on the men's professional tour in February 1983, and continued to be ranked No. 1 for much of the next eight years through to 1990. He finished four years ranked as the world's top player (1985-87 and 1989) and was ranked World No. 1 for a total of 270 weeks.
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