Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players each. Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent’s court. Yellow tennis balls were used at Wimbledon for the first time in 1986. The fastest server in the women’s tennis was done by Venus Williams who recorded a serve of 205 km/h. Henry “Bunny” Austin was the first player to wear shorts at Wimbledon in 1932.
Every year, 24 tons of Kent strawberries are ordered for the Championships at Wimbledon. Wimbledon is the only major tennis tournament still played on grass. Margaret Smith Court holds the record with 24 Grand Slam singles titles. Doc Watson says, “A game in tennis is basically played to four points. You start at love. First point is 15, second is 30, third is 40, and fourth is game.” The first women to play in the Wimbledon tournament wore full length dresses. The game of tennis comes from Great Britain. Venus and Serena Williams became the first set of sisters to ever win Olympic gold medals in tennis. Doc Watson says, “You win a set in tennis if you’re the first one to win six games. And you have to win by two. If both opponents get to 6-6, then you play a tiebreaker to see who wins the set.” The first African American to win the US open was Arthur Ashe. 1873 ▪ LAWN TENNIS ▪ Major Walter Wingfield invented a version of Real Tennis that can be played outdoors on a lawn. The game is called ‘Sphairistike’ (Greek for “playing ball” ) and first introduced to Wales(UK). Played on hour-glass courts on Manor House lawns by rich English people.
Tennis is believed to have originated in the monastic cloisters in northern France in the 12th century. Interestingly, the ball was then struck with the palm of the hand. At that time it was named “jeu de paume” (game of the palm). Rackets came into use during the 16th century. Doc Watson says, “ I’m honestly not sure how the word “love” came to mean zero in tennis, but that’s what it means. And it’s been used that way for a very long time.” The word tennis came into use in English in the mid-14th century from Old French, via the Anglo-Norman term Tenez, which can be translated as “hold!”, “receive!” or “take!”, a call from the server to his opponent indicating that he is about to serve. Doc Watson says, “We usually say “deuce” when a game is tied at 40 all. In professional or advantage scoring, you’re supposed to win a game by two points, so when opponents are tied at 40 all, that means either player is two points away from winning the game. Deuce means two, so that’s where that comes from.” Between 1859 and 1865, Birmingham, England. Singles or doubles and yes, separate tours & mixed doubles. Doc Watson says, “ No real time violations in tennis. The main types of courts are clay courts, grass courts (like Wimbledon), and hard courts. Hard courts are the most popular, and that’s all we ever play on in high school tennis.” Tennis is a lifetime sport. Tennis can be played for life because it is a low-impact and non-contact sport. Doc Watson says, “In conference and state tourneys, like most tournaments, we play best two out of three sets. In matches with individual schools, we will usually just play pro-8 sets to move things along faster, which means playing just one longer set (first one to win
8 games).” Isner Defeats Mahut In Tennis’ Longest Match, 10 Years On. Editor’s Note: Ten years ago, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut completed the longest match in history in the first round at Wimbledon.
Racket, tennis ball, shoes, and a dress code are mandatory equipment for the sport. Apart from player needs, the tennis court needs a net to separate the playing area of each player. Roger Federate has the most grand slam wins of all time. He has the most ATP tournament victories of all time. He is commonly recognized as the greatest player to ever live. Tennis isn’t posh at all. In fact tennis is probably less expensive than most sports. People think that just because tennis is old it’s posh but it’s not. I think tennis is a posh game because it’s expensive, and it’s not as if it’s a popular sport.
