Tennis in Greece has always enjoyed a privileged position with a long standing history. For over a century, it has featured as an important part of Greek athletic traditions. The emergence of Greece tennis can be traced back to the nineteenth century. In the initial development phase of
tennis in Greece, it was primarily played by the bourgeoisie class. However, the growing popularity of tennis in Greece paved its way into the 1896 Olympics. The interest spurred by the first Athens Olympics was instrumental in the establishment of the official Greek tennis organization. At the beginning of the journey, there were clubs in the Greek Sporting Tennis Federation. Gradually, the numbers increased and by 1985, there were fifty clubs in the federation.
Tennis in Greece strengthened its roots and firmly established its position by the middle of the 1930s. New players began to enter the scenario, attracted by the innovative techniques used in playing the game. Consequently, Greece began to host one of the most significant sporting events in the region, the International Championship of Eastern Mediterranean. Since 1927, the participation of Greece at the Davis cup, became a regular affair.
With the turn of the 21st century,
tennis in Greece is soaring new heights of success. The name of ace tennis player Eleni Daniilidou, has come to occupy a special place in the history of Greek tennis. She has been ranked fourteenth on the WTA grading. Other popular tennis players of Greece feature Anna Gerasimou, Konstantinos Economidis, Zacharias Katsigiannakis and Christina Zachariadou. There are a number of tennis clubs in Greece, further promoting the sport. Some of the well known tennis clubs of Greece include Corfu Tennis Club, Athens Lawn Tennis Club. Marathon Tennis Club, Patra Tennis Club and Heraklio Tennis Club.
