History of Tennis – Overview
Tennis is a game played on a rectangular field divided into two. It is played in singles competition or four (in doubles competition). The field is divided into halves with the help of a net. Both the players are present on the opposite sides of each other and they had a racket to hit the ball towards each other. In this article we are going to discuss about History of Tennis – Origin, Overview, and Rules of the game and Dimensions of the Tennis court.
History and development of tennis
Some believe that it originated in Egypt (modern Egypt), but according to more popular beliefs, it is believed to have originated in France, French monks started this game in the 12th century. During which it the game was played with hands instead of rackets and was known as “Jeu de Paume” (game of the palms in French). Gradually the game became popular and the invention of the racket in the 16th century made the game a favorite sport of the then European elite, due to which it later came to be known as Royal Tennis.
The work of giving a modern form to the game was done in 1873 by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield, an officer of the British Army. It was he who codified the rules of modern tennis and started playing this game in the lawn, hence it was named lawn tennis, before that it was an indoor game (played inside a building) for many centuries. The going game). The invention of vulcanized rubber (1850) also played an important role in the development of tennis, which made it possible to adapt tennis to an outdoor game played on grass.
In the year 1877, the All-England Croquet Club organized its first tennis tournament in Wimbledon. The rules and standards of tennis set for this tournament are very similar to today’s game. Professional tennis players then started the famous annual “Davis Cup” competition in 1900, and gained global recognition in the early 20th century, following the establishment of an international governing body in 1913.
ILTF’s functions include maintaining and enforcing the Laws of Tennis, organizing and regulating various international competitions, promoting the sport and maintaining the integrity of the sport through anti-doping and anti-corruption programs. The organization also works closely with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) to regulate tennis.
About Tennis court: short history
Tennis is a game played on a rectangular court or field, which is divided into two equal parts with the help of a net. The size of the court is 78 feet (23.77 m) long and 27 feet (8.23 m) wide for singles matches, while it is 36 feet (10.97 m) wide for doubles matches. The net that divides the court into two equal halves is suspended from posts on either side of the court, with the height of the net being 3 ½ feet (1.07 m) at the posts and 3 feet in the centre of the court.
Also Read: Serena Williams- A great Tennis player but a horrible role model
Major Tennis Tournaments
International Tennis Federation (ITF), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) organize many types of tennis competitions throughout the year, but all of them have four rules of tennis held annually. Top tournaments
- US Open
- Wimbledon
- Australian Open and
- French Open are the major ones.
These are also collectively known as the Grand Slams of tennis. These tournaments are held annually and a player has to collectively win all these tournaments during a year to claim the Grand Slam title.
The journey of the Grand Slam begins with the Australian Open, which is held in Melbourne in mid-January. It is followed by the French Open in late May, Wimbledon during June–July and the US Open in August–September at the end of the calendar. The US Open and Australian Open are generally played on hard courts, while the French Open is played on clay and Wimbledon on grass. Apart from this, talking about major tennis tournaments held in India, these include Chennai Open, Delhi Open, International Premier Tennis League etc.
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