To a large extent the game of tennis has stayed the same over the course of the last century, even though today's game is played at a pace which would be virtually unrecognisable to the more genteel players of yore.

The introduction of graphite rackets, which supplanted wooden ones, enabled players to hit the ball harder than ever before and execute top spin and cross-court passes ever more effectively.

The leading players of today in both the men's and women's games tend to hog the baseline rather than rushing to the net at opportune moments - as the likes of John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova did in their heyday in the 1980s.

The popularity of the sport has certainly never been greater, with television coverage on both terrestrial and satellite television almost reaching saturation point.

Prize money is also now huge, with leading players able to accumulate vast fortunes by the time they are in their early 20s. Commercial opportunities away from the court have also exploded in terms of the revenue that can be generated by individuals.

Sometimes players, particularly on the Women's Tour, can make more money from the way they look - as was amply evidenced by the retired Anna Kournikova. She never won a notable singles title in her entire professional career, but by the time she quit the sport she was a multi-millionaire thanks to the endorsements she enjoyed through her looks.

Despite that anomaly, modern players are bigger, better, faster and stronger than ever, and just like the sport itself, they continue to go from strength to strength.