1887 men's tennis season

The men's tennis season was composed of the twelfth annual pre-open era tennis circuit incorporating 126 tournaments.

The tour began in January in Napier, New Zealand and ended in December in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Summary of tour
Prior to the creation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the establishment of its world championship events in 1913 the Wimbledon Championships, the U.S. National Championships, the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships and the Northern Championships were considered by players and historians as the four most important tennis tournaments to win.

In the first big tournament of the year Ernest Renshaw wins a second Irish Lawn Tennis Championships title, in Dublin after a five-year break beating three-time defending champion Herbert Lawford in four sets. At the Wimbledon Championships Herbert Lawford avenges his Irish championships defeat by beating Ernest Renshaw for the title in five sets. At the Northern Championships in Liverpool, Harry Grove the defending champion defeats George Ernest Dixon Brown in five sets. In the United States Dick Sears wins a seventh consecutive US National Championship beating Henry Slocum in three sets.

In March in the United States the inaugural Southern California Championships is staged for the first time this year and in New Zealand the Auckland Tennis Championships are held for the first time. In April in England Ernest Lewis defeats Edward Lake Williams in three sets for his first British Covered Court Championships. In May in South Asia, Charles Edward De Fonblanque defeats Edward George Farquharson in the Ceylon Championships held on the clay courts Nuwara Eliya.

In early June at the Scottish Championships held in Edinburgh Harry Grove of England defeats two-time defending champion Patrick Bowes-Lyon in five sets. In late June at the Welsh Championships in Penarth Irish player Ernest Browne wins a second title after English player James Baldwin retired after two sets to love down. In July in North America at the Canadian National Championships held in Toronto, Canada Charles Smith Hyman wins a third title defeating Lawrence H. Baldwin in three sets. In August the Nottinghamshire Championships are staged for the first time in England this event is known today as the Nottingham Open.

In October back in the United States Philip Shelton Sears representing Harvard wins his first national Intercollegiate Championships at New Haven, Connecticut defeating G.G. Shaw jr in three sets. In late December in Australasia at Christchurch, New Zealand, Percival Clennell Fenwick wins his second national New Zealand Championships defeating Richard Dacre Harman in five sets.

Calendar
Notes 1: Challenge Round: the final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921), in some tournaments not all. * Indicates challenger

Notes 2:Tournaments in italics were events that were staged only once that season

Key

February
No events

List of tournament winners
The list of winners by number of singles titles won:
 * 🇬🇧 Ernest Wool Lewis—Bournemouth, Chiswick Park, Eastbourne, Stamford Bridge, Teignmouth, Torquay—(6)
 * 🇺🇸 Henry Slocum—Harrison, Livingston, Nahant, New Haven, Wentworth—(5)
 * 🇬🇧 Ernest W. Fletcher—Chapel Allerton, Ilkley, Stockton-on-Tees, Whitby—(4)
 * 🇬🇧 Ernest Browne—Cheltenham, Penarth, Scarborough—(3)
 * 🇬🇧 Harry Grove—Northern Championships, Liverpool, Bath, Exmouth—(3)
 * 🇬🇧 Patrick Bowes-Lyon—Dublin, Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne—(3)
 * 🇺🇸 Robert L. Beeckman—Bar Harbor, Eleberon, Hoboken—(3)
 * 🇬🇧 Willoughby Hamilton—Dublin (Fitzwilliam), Dublin (Landsdowne), Howth—(3)
 * 🇬🇧 Charles Gladstone Eames—Rochester, Stevenage—(2)
 * 🇬🇧 Grainger Chaytor—Kilkenny, Parsonstown—(2)
 * 🇬🇧 Ernest George Meers—Leyton, Leyton (2nd)—(2)
 * 🇬🇧 Frank Seymour Noon—Stafford, Stafford II –(2)
 * 🇬🇧 Frederick William Snook—Nottingham, Nottingham (2nd) –(2)
 * 🇺🇸 Henry Augustus Taylor–Stentonn, Southampton—(2)
 * 🇳🇿 Percival Clennell Fenwick—Napier, Napier (2nd) –(2)
 * 🇺🇸 Valentine Gill Hall—Hitchin, Tivoli–(2)
 * 🇬🇧 Ernest Renshaw–Irish Championships, Dublin–(1)
 * 🇬🇧 Herbert Lawford-Wimbledon, London-(1)
 * 🇺🇸 James Dwight–(1)
 * 🇬🇧 Manliffe Goodbody–(1)
 * 🇺🇸 Richard Sears–U.S. National Championships,Newport, Rhode Island–(1)