To determine the number of matches that need to be played in a single-elimination tennis tournament with 30 players, we should understand the structure of such a tournament. In a single-elimination tournament, one player wins the entire event, and every other player loses exactly once and is then eliminated. Thus, the number of matches necessary to decide a winner equals the number of players minus one.
Explanation:
Each match results in one player being eliminated.
We begin with 30 players, and we need to determine a winner, which means all other players (29) must lose one match each and be eliminated.
Therefore, the total number of matches played will be 30 (total players) - 1 (the winner who is not eliminated) = 29 matches.
Thus, the correct answer is 29 matches.