The History Of The Sport Of Tennis



by Julia Albridge


Tennis dates back to thousands of years ago. Some would be surprised to know that this sport was originally played by monks during religious activities. Unfortunately when this first began, they did not use rackets to hit the object, they used their hands. It is hard to imagine athletes doing that now.

As the years continued, they realized using bare hands was outdated, so they introduced leather gloves into this activity. However, this was still a bit inconvenient, so they introduced handles that could be used to strike the ball. This was the first racket.

As unbelievable as it sounds, wood was used to make the first ball. It would absolutely hurt if it struck your body especially if they were using their bare hands to do such a thing. As time passed, people understood that this was not working as good as it could, so they made a ball made of leather filled with a material that made it bounce.

Tennis did not arrive in America until about 1874. It was played by the royals in France at first as a prestigious game. It was then called the "Game of the Palm". America fortunately got the patent for the equipment needed for this game and it was then born in the USA.

As you can see, women still were not allowed to play, but all of that changed in 1887. That was when they created the US Womens National Singles Championship.

As seen on TV, a lot of Americans love the US Open. This is an amazing tournament. It started in August 1881, but it was strictly for men. In 1900, another championship arrived on the scene.

As far as scoring goes, 60 was the highest total. That meant that you reached "game". It was a 4 point system where you could earn 15, 30, 45, or a 60. It has been modified today and is 15, 30, 40, and 60. It is believed they originally copied a clocks numbers like 15 after, 30 after, 15 til, and noon on the dot.

The courts were typically created inside. The players often bounced the ball off of the wall. The net measured about five feet on the sides and three feet in the middle. Of course, this has been modified.

Thankfully, tennis was created years ago and it has evolved to an amazing sport for athletes in the entire world. It gains a world of media attention and many individuals who excel.




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