The Origins of Tennis - History of Tennis

Amazingly, the historical development of tennis dates back several thousands of years. So, people
who are involve in historical researches of this great sport claim to have found evidence of playing
tennis in ancient Greece culture.

The History of tennis game was developed from a 12th century French handball game
called "Paume" (palm). In this game the ball was struck with the hand. After some time "Paume"
game produced handball "Jeu de Paume" (game of the palm) and there were used racquets. The
game was first created by European monks for entertainment roles during ceremonial occasions.
At first, the ball was hit with hands. Later, the leather glove came into existence. This leather glove
was replaced with an adaptive handle for effective hitting and serving of the ball. That was a birth
of tennis racquet.

Development of tennis racquet, tennis balls also underwent frequent modifications. First tennis
ball was from wood. Later in the history of tennis ball was filled with cellulose material to give way
to a bouncier. Monks from all areas of Europe favored "Jeu de Paume" game during 14th century
much to the chagrin of the mother Church. The game spread and evolved in Europe.

The game became very popular, especially in France, where was adopted by the royal family. In
the year of 1316 French king Louis X dies after hard "Jeu de Paume" game (other terms of this
stage of game are Royal Tennis in Great Britain, Royal Tennis in Australia, Court Tennis in
the United States), but this death does null to damp the popularity of the recreation.

16th Century - History of Tennis

Between the 16th and 18th centuries the game of the palm was highly regarded by kings and
nobleman. The French players would begin the palm game by shouting the word "Tenez" (Play!).
The palm game soon came to be called "real tennis" or "royal".

1530s ▪ HISTORY OF TENNIS ▪ English king Henry VIII builds a tennis court at Hampton Court Palace
(This court no longer exist but a similar court built there in 1625 and is in use until today).

1583 ▪ FIRST RACKET IN THE HISTORY OF TENNIS ▪ The first racquet was invented in Italy (history of
tennis - web source).
19th Century History of Tennis

1870 ▪ WIMBLEDON HISTORY OF TENNIS ▪ In the Wimbledon district of London established All
England Croquet Club. Tennis is still an indoor game played by royal and rich benefactors.

1873 ▪ LAWN TENNIS ▪ Major Walter Wingfield invented a version of Real Tennis that can be
played outdoors on a lawn. The game called ‘Sphairistike’ (Greek for "playing ball”) and first
introduced it to Wales (UK). Played on hour-glass courts on Manor House lawns by rich English
people. This is really where today's tennis developed. Wingfield deals Sphairistike in boxes that
feature two net posts, a net, rackets, and India rubber balls, plus instructions about laying out the
court and actually playing the game. Wingfield’s boxes kick start the modern form of tennis,
though the one thing that doesn’t work is the name, and Wingfield soon realizes that his subtitle
"lawn tennis" is much better than Greek word "Sphairistike".

1874 ▪ FIRST LAWN TENNIS TOURNAMENT IN THE USA ▪ Joseph and Clarence Clark (brothers), take
one of Walter Wingfield’s boxes to America, leading to the first lawn tennis tournament in the USA
later that year.

1875 ▪ ALL ENGLAND CROQUET CLUB & History of tennis ▪ Henry Cavendish Jones convinced the
All England Croquet Club to replace a croquet court with a lawn tennis court. Marylebone Cricket
Club followed suit. Marylebone Cricket Club made significant changes to the game. They added
Deuce, Advantage, and 2 chances per serve. The hourglass-shaped court also changed to a
rectangular court, identical to the measurements we use today.

1877 ▪ FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP & History of tennis ▪ The very first World Tennis
Championship was held at Worple Road in Wimbledon, London (UK).The sponsors were the All
England Croquet Club. Only 22 players entered the Men’s Singles, which was the only event.
Spectators paid a mere one shilling to watch the finals. The first winner of this men’s event in
the tennis history of Wimbledon was Spencer Gore.

1880 ▪ BIRTH OF OVERHEAD SMASH ▪The overhead smash was introduced into the game for the
first time in the history of tennis by the Renshaw brothers in Wimbledon. They would dominate
Wimbledon for a decade, winning all but 1880 and 1887 championships between them in the
history of tennis. Overhead smash is a shot played above the head, hitting the ball downwards,
hard and fast into your opponents’ side of the court.

1881 ▪ FIRST US OPEN - history of tennis ▪ America founded The United States National Lawn
Tennis Association (USNLTA), and in the same year it holds its first National Championship, the
forerunner of the US Open but then restricted to American residents. It is held at Newport, Rhode
Island. First winner in the history of tennis US National Championships was Dick Sears.

1884 ▪ FIRST M/W DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS ▪ The Wimbledon Championships are open to
women for the first time. There are only 13 participants. Men’s doubles was also introduced for
the first time in the history of tennis.

1887 ▪ WOMEN U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS & history of tennis ▪ U.S. Championships are open to
women for the first time. Lottie Dod wins her first Wimbledon Ladies Singles (Lottie win her first
singles match with only 15 years).

1888 ▪ LTA & history of tennis ▪ Lawn Tennis Association founded (LTA) in order to maintain the
new rules and standards of tennis.

1891 ▪ FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIPS & history of tennis ▪ The very first French Championships are
played, these Championships were open for French residents only.

1896 ▪ OLYMPIC GAMES ▪ Tennis became one of the core sports in the first modern Olympic
Games.

1897 ▪ WOMEN ON FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIPS ▪ The French Championships are open to women for
the first time in the French tennis history.

1899 ▪ ALL ENGLAND TENNIS & CROQUET CLUB ▪ The England Croquet Club changed its name to
the All England Tennis & Croquet Club.

Tennis History of 20th Century

1900 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF DAVIS CUP ▪ Dwight F.Davis, a Harvard university student decides to
degree a team challenge match between the United States and the British Isles. The cup was
engraved as "International Lawn Tennis Challenge Trophy", later known as the Davis Cup.

1905 ▪ AUSTRALIAN OPEN FOUNDED ▪ The Australasian National Championships, later became
known as Australian Open are founded, with the venue alternating between centers in Australia
and New Zealand.

1912 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL LAWN TENNIS FEDERATION ▪ The International Lawn
Tennis Federation (ILTF) is born with an aim of operating the 4 major tennis championships
(Wimbledon Championships, U.S. Championships, Australasian Championships and French
Championships).

1913 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF ILTF ▪ Founded with 13 members representing 14 countries. The aim is
to ensure the sport grows with regular scoring and minimum difference between country
members (1977. became ITF).
1919 ▪ SUZANNE LENGLEN WON FIRST WIMBLEDON TITLE ▪ Suzanne Lenglen, the first tennis
sensation wins the Wimbledon Ladies Championships title, the first of 12 titles at what are later
become the Grand Slam tournaments. She mixes relentless accuracy with balletic elegance, and
enchances tennis's profile as a popular sport and very contributed to history of tennis.

1922 ▪ AUSTRALASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS OPEN FOR WOMEN ▪ The Australasian Championships are
open to women for the first time (tennis history source from web).

1924 ▪ TENNIS WITDRAWN FROM OLYMPIC GAMES ▪ Tennis retired from the Olympic Games
referring a lack of professionalism in the arrangement and Olympic Games desire to not
schedule Wimbledon Championships in an year of the Olympic Games.

1925 ▪ FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIPS RULE "FRENCH RESIDENTS ONLY" DROPPED ▪ Finally "French
residents only" rule is dropped by the French Championships. Australasian championships
became Australian Championships and would be hosted only in territory of Australia.

1927 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF ROLAND GARROS ▪ In the Wimbledon Championships idea of seeding
players was presented for the first time. The French win the Davis Cup, The French national
association gets land onto the edge of Paris from the city authorities, builds a new tennis stadium,
and names it Roland Garros (he was French war hero in First World War).

1928 ▪ ROLAND GARROS HOSTED FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIPS ▪ The Stadium Roland Garros hosts the
French Championships for the first time in the history of tennis.

1930 ▪ TENNIS RACQUETS IMPROVED ▪ One-piece Ash wood tennis racquets replaced with
laminated wood.

1933 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF JACK CRAWFORD ▪ Australian Jack Crawford comes within one set of
winning all four major titles in the same year. There are mutterings that he is on the verge of a
"Grand Slam" - taken from the card game Bridge. It was truly an extraordinary sporting
achievement Until today, it managed only a handful of outstanding tennis players, really a great
moment in the history of tennis, right?
1938 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF DON BUDGE ▪ The first tennis player to complete the tennis history of
Grand Slam of all 4 Championships in the same year was the American Don Budge. The New York
Times tennis correspondent Allison Danzig uses the phrase ‘a Grand Slam in tennis’, thereby
entrenching the term in tennis vocabulary of tennis history.

1947 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF JACK KRAMER ▪ Jack Kramer wins Wimbledon. He had involved to turn
professional the previous year but was determined to win Wimbledon once, to give credibility to
his assault on the professional circuit, both as a player and as an entrepreneur. He was to become
one of the most influential figures of the modern tennis world.

1950 ▪ PRO TOUR BECAME POPULAR ▪ Pro Tour created by Jack Cramer becomes very popular
with both amateur tennis players and the public (history of tennis web source).

1953 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF MAUREEN CONNELLY ▪ She was first woman who win all 4
Championships in history of tennis and complete the "Grand Slam".

1960 ▪ DEBATE FOR THE IDEA OF OPEN TENNIS ▪ Determined by years of charges of
‘shamateurism’, the ILTF annual meeting debates a move to get tennis ‘open’ (to end the split
amateur and professional circuits that had plagued the sport since the 1920s). The idea is defeated
by five votes. It meant the four Grand Slam tournaments remained purely for ‘amateurs’, and any
man who had won a couple of majors in their early 20s of tennis history was likely to leave the
official circuit to earn money as a touring professional.

1967 ▪ WILSON'S FIRST METAL RACQUET ▪ The first metal tennis racquet appears thanks to Wilson.
Wimbledon holds a demonstration tournament for professionals, and declares that its 1968
championships will be open to all participants, amateurs and professionals. It's the sign for tennis
to go "open".

1968 ▪ OPEN ERA ▪ "Open Era" of tennis history begins

20th Century - Open Era of Tennis History

1968 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF OPEN ERA ▪ The first official "open" tournament takes place at
Bournemouth on the English south coast, and the first Grand Slam, the newly named French Open,
leads in a new era. Ken Rosewall, a returning professional won both events.
1969 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF ROD LAVER ▪ Rodney George "Rod" Laver of Australia becomes the
first man to win a pure "open" Grand Slam, by taking all four major titles in the same year. Rod
Laver completed his first Grand Slam in 1962 and second in 1969 - he is the only player in history
to achieve two Grand Slams.

1970 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF TIE BREAK ▪ The tiebreak is introduced to Grand Slam tennis, as the US
Open adopts the nine-point shootout (sudden death at 4-4). The winner of the tie-break was the
first person to reach five points. Jack Kramer introduces a point system for tennis tournaments
depending on how far players go in tournaments and on the end of season prize money goes to
player who had most points (tennis history web sources).

1972 ▪ ATP ASSOCIATION FORMED ▪ The Association of Tennis Professionals is formed and Jack
Kramer is chosen as first Executive Director in tennis history.

1973 ▪ NIKKI PILIC SUSPENSION ▪ Wimbledon is boycotted by the ATP following the suspension of
Yugoslav Nikki Pilic.

1976 ▪ FIRST GRAPHITE AND FIBERGLASS RACQUET ▪ Thanks to Howard Head first graphite
and fiberglass racquets appear on the tennis scene in the tennis history. In the Wimbledon
Championships Swedish player Bjorn Borg won his first title in singles.

1977 ▪ US OPEN MOVED TO FLUSHING MEADOWS ▪ As Wimbledon celebrates its centenary, the
US Open offers farewell to the private setting of the Westside Club at Forest Hills, to move to a
non-club national tennis centre nearby at Flushing Meadows. The last US Open at Forest
Hills begins with Renée Richards, a transsexual who had played in the men’s singles as Richard
Raskind in 1960, becoming the first (and only) person to have played in both the men’s and
women’s singles at Grand Slam level.

1980 ▪ TIE BREAK SHOOTOUT RECORD ▪ The tiebreak comes of age in a 34 point shootout in the
Wimbledon Championships final when Bjorn Borg has seven championship points to beat John
McEnroe in four sets, but McEnroe saves them all, and converts his seventh point to take the
match into a fifth set. Borg wins it 8-6. Great piece of tennis history.

1984 ▪ CLAY INDOOR SURFACE & TENNIS ON OLYMPICS AGAIN ▪ Clay develops into a temporary
indoor surface when Sweden becomes the first country to install a makeshift clay court for a Davis
Cup tie. And no ordinary tie – it’s the final, and the visit to Gothenburg’s Scandinavium arena of
one of the strongest Davis Cup teams in tennis history: world No. 1 John McEnroe, No. 2 Jimmy
Connors, and the world’s best doubles team, McEnroe and Peter Fleming. By Saturday night,
Sweden is the champion for the loss of one set, and clay is established as a surface option for
indoor ties. Tennis also returns to the Olympic Games as a test event for under-21 players at Los
Angeles and is won by Stefan Edberg and Steffi Graf.

1985 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF BORIS BECKER ▪ The German player Boris Becker was the youngest ever
and first unseeded Wimbledon Men Singles Champion with only 17 years (precisely 17 years and
227 days old).

1988 ▪ AUSTRALIAN OPEN MOVES -The Australian Open Championships moves into the modern
era of tennis history with a new national tennis center at Flinders Park (later renamed Melbourne
Park), characterized by the first tennis stadium with a retractable roof. Steffi Graf beats Chris Evert
in the first ‘indoor’ Grand Slam final.

1989 ▪ ATP TOUR TRANSFORMATION TENNIS HISTORY ▪ The ATP transforms itself from a players’
union into a tour body. In an announcement made in the US Open’s parking lot, it says it will take
over the running of the men’s tour in January 1990 from the Men’s International Professional
Tennis Council, which had operated under the ITF’s auspices, and henceforth be known as the
‘ATP Tour’. A feature of the new tour is an elite series of nine events, the ‘Super Nine’ (now the
Masters Series). With the breakaway denoting a form of civil war in tennis, the Grand Slam
tournaments form their own year-ending tournament to start in 1990 called ‘The Grand Slam Cup’.
It will share a prize money pool of (a then massive) $1.5 million among 16 players and two
reserves. The rival year-ending events were to last another 10 years in the tennis history before
peace broke out in 1999
1990 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF MARTINA NAVRATILOVA ▪ Martina Navratilova became the Wimbledon
ladies Singles Champion for a record 9th time.

1994 ▪ INDOOR GRASS TENNIS COURT ▪ Tennis on grass is played in indoor conditions for the first
time in the tennis history, when the new retractable roof on the Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle,
Germany, is closed to allow play to continue during rain. Martina Navratilova retires from singles
tennis, having won a record 167 singles titles, a record 1438 matches won, and an 9 Wimbledon
titles.

21st Century - A New Open Era of Tennis History

2001 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF GORAN IVANISEVIC ▪ In Wimbledon Championships tennis

history Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia became the first Wimbledon wildcard in history of tennis to win
the Men’s Singles title.

2002 ▪ VENUS & SERENA WILIAMS ▪ Venus and Serena Williams become the first sisters in tennis
history to be ranked #1 and #2 in the WTA world rankings list.

2003 ▪ PETE SAMPRAS ▪ Pete Sampras retires from tennis at a US Open farewell ceremony. He won
64 singles titles (4th highest ever) including a record 14 Grand Slam titles - 2 AO, 5 US Open and 7
Wimbledon.

2004 ▪ YEAR OF ROGER FEDERER IN TENNIS HISTORY ▪ Roger Federer becomes the first man in
tennis history since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three of the four grand slam events (Australian
Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open) in a calendar year. He also captured an ATP-best 11 titles in
as many finals, including the end-of-season Masters Cup. And also set an Open Era record by
winning 13 consecutive finals (dating back to 2003), surpassing Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe who
won 12 straight finals.

2005 ▪ NEW DOUBLES TIE BREAK SCORING SYSTEM ▪ The ATP (having dropped the word ‘Tour’
from its name in 2000) introduces a different scoring system for doubles matches, with sudden
death points at deuce (‘no advantage’) and a first-to-ten-points tiebreak in place of a final set.
Roger Federer's 25-match winning streak (the longest in men's tennis since 1984) ended at the
hands of 18-year-old Richard Gasquet in Monte Carlo. Another great moment in tennis history.

2006 ▪ ANDRE AGASSI RETIRES ▪ The greatest showman in tennis history - Andre Agassi - retires on
3 September 2006 following a 7-5 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5 defeat to Benjamin Becker (GER) in the third
round of the US Open. The right for players to challenge dubious line calls by electronic review is
introduced in the Miami Masters Series tournament and makes its Grand Slam debut at the US
Open later that year.

2007 ▪ TENNIS HISTORY OF RAFAEL NADAL ▪ On the 19 May, Rafael Nadal claims 81 straight wins
on clay to set a new all surface record. His run was ended by Roger Federer in the Hamburg
Masters final the following day. On the 9 September, Roger Federer became the first man in tennis
history since Bill Tilden in the 1920s to win 4 US Open titles in a row, beating Novak Djokovic in the
final.

2009 ▪ ROGER FEDERER ▪ On 7 June, Roger Federer became arguably the greatest tennis player of
all time in tennis history with his victory at the French Open. Federer joins Fred Perry, Don Budge,
Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi as winner of all four Grand Slam titles, and equals the
14 Grand Slam titles claimed by Pete Sampras - who never managed to win on the clay of Roland
Garros. On 20 April, Marat Safin and Dinara Safina became the first brother and sister to reach
world number one in tennis history. Marat became achieved the top ranking on 20 November
2000. Roger Federer secure No. 1 position on the end of season with victory over Andy Murray in
three sets at London ATP Finals on 25 November. Winning a championship takes years of hard
work, quick reflexes and amazing senses. Without great eyesight your chances of winning a match
would be low. Visiting Austin Lasik could help you with your vision problems.

World Tennis History

Origins

Some historians believe that tennis first originated in

the Ancient Egypt. There is a general belief that the
word ‘racket’ derives from the Arabic word ‘rakhat’,
which means a ‘palm’. However, the most common
point of view is that French monks started to play
tennis in 11-12 centuries. Tennis started to develop into
a professional sport from 1872, when the first lawn
tennis club was established. Hoa Pereira, a Portuguese merchant, and doctors Wellesley Tomkins
and Frederick Haynes played a Spanish game with the ball called ‘pelota’ on lawns of the
Leamington resort. Later, the original rules for lawn tennis were secured (tennis on a lawn).

Wingfield

Although it is impossible to state a definite origin of this

game, it is recognized that a British army officer Walter
Clopton Wingfield invented rules for tennis, later calling
it ‘lawn tennis’ in 1873. He had noticed a significant
commercial potential of lawn tennis and patented the
game, though he failed to justify its creation. Mr.
Winfield said that he had borrowed the principles of the
Greek game called “Sphairistike” (Greek for playing ball). However, many researchers believe that
he just used the principles of popular English games - playing at courts, squash rackets, playing
badminton outdoors. Very first tennis players preferred to call Wingfield’s game “tennis on the
green”, because they would play tennis on a small, grassy lawn.

Court Tennis

Lawn tennis is also known, as ‘court tennis’ was very

popular in medieval France even among the upper
classes. During the same time it was also very popular in
Great Britain, especially in the times of Henry VIII.
Historians hold a belief that the most of tennis terms
derived from the French vocabulary. In fact, the word
‘tennis’ comes from the word ‘tenez’ (‘tenir’ means to
hold/ catch in French). When tennis players were going to hit a serve, they would scream out
‘tenez’. The word ‘Deuce’ came from the French word ‘deux le jeu’ that means ‘equally’ - in other
words to draw a score at the present stage of the game. Calling the score 15-30-40 derived from
the euphonic French words ‘quinze’, ‘trente’ and ‘quarante’, or quarters (15-30-45, where 45 was
transformed into 40).

The Davis Cup

In the beginning tennis ball was made out of wool and

filled with sawdust, sand and wool. Later on a high-
bound ball was invented, which allowed players to play
on courts. In the USA the game was first organized
thanks to Merry Young, and the country saw its first
ever tennis match in 1874 on the courts of the cricket
and baseball club on the Staten Island. The first amateur
championship was played on the courts of the global
English tennis and cricket club Wimbledon (men’s championship in 1877 and women’s
championship in 1884). In 1900 was the first lawn tennis team championship called Davis Cup and
it attracted great attention of the international tennis community. In 1963 the similar women’s
championship was played called the Fed Cup. Both of those championships helped to enhance the
prestige of lawn tennis.

Tennis Association

In the 20s when tennis started to bring much bigger

profits, majority of the amateur players went
professional. In the end of the 19th century tennis
started to spread throughout English colonies, first
Australia, and then further around the world. In the
United States the rules for lawn tennis were constantly evolving until the 1991 when the USTA
(United States Lawn Tennis Association) was established. The association has fixed the rules for
lawn tennis and tournament procedures. Annual men’s single competitions were held in Newport
under the aegis of the association (1881). The first women’s competition was organized in
Philadelphia in 1887.

20th Century

In the 1968 the championship was renamed into now

well-known ‘US Open’ and set to be played in the
national tennis center, NY. At the beginning of the 20th
century Wimbledon and US Open were the largest
tournaments at the time. In the 1968 a new era in
tennis began with both amateur and professional
players having a right to participate in large-scale
competitions. In 1971 the Women’s Tennis Association – professional women’s tournament was
established that ensured the same financial support for both men and women. Lawn tennis
tournaments can easily compete with the popularity of the Olympic Games, where tennis players
have been participating since 1988.

A Game 1000 Years in the Making

What we call the game of tennis took about a millennium to evolve into the game we know today.
Although there is some evidence that early forms of tennis were played in ancient Egypt, Greece
and Rome, most historians agree that the sport originated in French monasteries around the year
1000. The monks played a game called name je de paume, 'game of the hand,' in which they used
their hand to hit a wooden ball over a rope stretched across the courtyard. Historians believe that
the name 'tennis' came from the French term tenez, meaning 'take this!' During the game, the
monks would shout, 'tenez!' as they served the ball.

Over the next several hundred years, the game spread throughout Europe, becoming extremely
popular with the nobility. By the 13th century, there were as many as 1800 courts in France. By
this time the sport had moved inside and was played with bouncier, leather balls and a paddle
with webbing. The game soon came to England where Henry VII and Henry VIII directed the
building of courts throughout the country. The one constructed in Hampton Court Palace in 1625
is still used today.
 Court tennis in Paris, France

The Birth of Lawn Tennis

Court tennis, as the sport is called today, was played in narrow, indoor courts with a drooping net.
The ball bounced off the walls and the players scored points by hitting the ball into openings
behind their opponent. Despite the game's huge popularity in the preceding centuries, by the
1700s the game had been all but abandoned.

An invention in 1850, however, would breathe new life into the sport. Charles Goodyear, the
namesake of Goodyear tires, created a process that made natural rubber much more durable and
thus more applicable for everyday use. This breakthrough allowed for the creation of bouncier
balls that could be used outside on grass.

In 1874 Walter Clopton Wingfield created the rules, balls and racquets for an outdoor version of
tennis that he called sphairistike, Greek for 'playing ball'. Wingfield's court was shaped like an
hourglass and his rules were highly criticized, but the framework for modern tennis had been set.
In the same year, courts showed up in the United States, and by the following year the game had
spread to Russia, India and Canada.
Sphairistike as designed by Walter C. Wingfield

Three years after the invention of sphairistike, the All England Croquet Club needed to raise
money to fix some broken equipment. Since the croquet field could be easily modified into a
tennis court, the club decided to hold the first tennis tournament, in a suburb of London called
Wimbledon. The tournament committee rejected Wingfield's hourglass-shaped court and rewrote
many of the rules. Their version became lawn tennis and quickly developed into the most
prestigious tennis tournament in the world. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club has
hosted the Wimbledon Championships every year since.

Modern Tennis

The rules developed by the All England Club remain largely the same to this day. The court is
rectangular, divided by a net 3.5 feet high. The game can be played one-on-one (singles) or two-
on-two (doubles). Players use racquets, generally made of a light metal strung with synthetic
fibers, to hit a hollow, rubber ball covered in felt. The object of the game is to hit the ball in such a
way that the opponent cannot play a legal return. If a player is unable to return the ball, the
opponent is awarded a point.

One player serves for an entire game. The first player to score four points (with at least a two
point lead) wins the game. Tennis has a unique scoring system with the points starting at 'love'
(zero) and progressing to 'fifteen', 'thirty' and 'forty'. To win the set, a player must win six games
with at least two more games than the opponent. And, finally, the match is determined by the
best three of five sets. Phew! As you can imagine, this scoring system can lead to some very long
matches. At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played for eleven
hours and five minutes over the course of three days and 183 games.

Scoreboard showing the fifth set with Isner leading Mahut 51-50. It
was 8:03pm and they had been playing for 8 hours and 53 minutes.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-history-evolution-of-tennis.html

http://schooltennis.ru/en/about_tenis/world-tennis-history.php

https://www.tennistheme.com/tennishistory.html