A Look at the History of Tennis Trading Cards
The release of 2024 Topps Chrome Tennis is a historic moment for Topps, tennis, and The Hobby. Topps Chrome Tennis’ debut set was released in 2021. It was created through a licensing deal with the Tennis Hall of Fame, whereas this year’s entry was built with a license from the Professional Tennis Players Association. Only established in 2019, the PTPA was founded by players Vasek Popsisil and Novak Djokovic. It represents a group of singles players in the top 500 and doubles players in the top 200 of the ATP and WTA rankings. This exciting new relationship has brought many opportunities for Topps and tennis trading cards. 2024 Topps Chrome Tennis is the start of a new era in the tennis hobby landscape. To mark the occasion, let’s look at the history of tennis trading cards and some of the most important cards from one of the world’s most popular sports.
Early Tennis Cards
Many tennis trading cards throughout history were a part of multi-sport sets, as opposed to tennis-specific products. It was in this way that tennis players were first introduced on cards. A few legends of 1920s tennis were showcased in the famous 1921 W551 Strip Card Set. Bill Tilden, the world’s number one amateur from 1920-1925 and winner of 138 of the 192 tennis tournaments, and 1921-1926 world’s number one tennis phenom Suzanne Lenglen were included alongside cards of champions of boxing, golf, and more. The set is best known for Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Walter Johnson baseball cards. The showpiece court at Roland Garros, home of the French Open, is named after Lenglen, who led off the first ever tennis-specific set when tobacco company Cope’s & Co. put out 20 tobacco cards in 1924, named Cope’s Lawn Tennis Strokes.
1921 W551 Strip Card #34 Bill Tilden
1924 Cope’s Lawn Tennis Strokes #1 Suzanne Lenglen
The Open Era
The theme of tennis players being showcased on cards as part of larger sets continued well into the Open Era, which began in 1968. This is where collectors can find the first-ever cards of champions such as Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, and Jimmy Connors. Connors’ rookie card, for example, was part of the 1976 Americana Munchen Sport-Parade, featuring tennis stars like Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King alongside legends like Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Many 1970s tennis players crop up in the 1977-79 Sportscaster series, an extensive card product across the world of sports. However, the tennis offerings have not found a lasting presence in the hobby world.
1976 AMERICANA MUNCHEN SPORT-PARADE #203 JIMMY CONNORS RC
Agassi and the Williams Sisters Bring Cool To Tennis Cards
An important development in tennis and The Hobby came in 1989 when Sports Illustrated Kids began to include a page of nine perforated cards in each issue. Perhaps the most important card from this era is the famous Andre Agassi rookie card. The bad boy of the era, Agassi played a huge part in helping expand the appeal and celebrity of tennis players as he played out his famous rivalry with Pete Sampras. The card features a well-coiffed Agassi in white shirt and jean shorts hitting a trademark forehand.
1989 Sports Illustrated for Kids Series 1 #47 Andre Agassi RC
The biggest impact that the SI Kids series had in the tennis collecting world was, without question, made by the Williams sisters. Dominant players and massive celebrities from the jump, their star power has had staying power in The Hobby. Venus’ rookie card from 1998 and the sisters’ dual card from 2000 are highly sought after, but nothing compares to Serena’s 1999 rookie card. One of the most covetable tennis cards of all time, a mint 10 sold in January 2022 for $117,000.
1999 Sports Illustrated for Kids Series 4 #814 Serena Williams RC
It was not until 1991 that an officially licensed, tennis-specific card set was introduced, when NetPro came out with their inaugural release. Unsurprisingly, Netpro’s first Agassi and Sampras cards were the pick of the bunch, and remain important pieces of tennis trading card history.
2003: Tennis Levels Up
2003 remains a defining year for tennis in The Hobby. The lapse in releases created a historically loaded rookie class, including Serena and Venus Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafa Nadal. Serena and Federer would go onto become two of the biggest global sports stars in modern history. These two worldwide phenomenons did more than anybody to raise the profile of the game, on and off the court, and in the world of the hobby.
2003 NetPro #1 Serena Williams RC
2003 NetPro International Series #11 Roger Federer RC
Their reverberating effect has helped to solidify and expand tennis products for collectors, and improve the long-term prospects for tennis cards. All-time leader in men’s grand slam wins, Novak Djokovic and more recently, Coco Gauff, have had historic entries into the space. Djokovic’s 2006 Ace Authentic rookie card and Gauff’s 2021 Topps Chrome Tennis rookie card are prime examples of collectibles that have emerged as Serena and Federer have exited the stage. Djokovic’s 2006 Ace Authentic rookie patch card is perhaps the most coveted card in the post-Williams and Federer era.
2006 Ace Authentic Center Court Stars #CC-2 Novak Djokovic RC
2021 Topps Chrome Tennis #100 Coco Gauff RC
Who’s Got Next?
While Djokovic is incredibly still competing at the very top of the game, tennis has a young generation of stars that are helping the sport finally move on from the Big Four Era of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Andy Murray and the long shadow of Serena Williams. Players like Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, Jannick Sinner, and Gauff have emerged as potential global superstars. It is fitting, as the sport itself finally enters a new era with new champions, personalities, and celebrities, that Topps begins its partnership with the PTPA, and kicks things off with the phenomenal 2024 Topps Chrome Tennis set.
