TENNIS
MAY 14, 2021
the world of tennis
Historical evidence of tennis development dates back several thousand years in ancient Greece culture. The closer forms of tennis can be well traced in northern France around 12th – 13th century from a game called jeu de paume (game of the palm). The game was played with bare hand until 13th century when gloved hand was used.
It was developed in French monasteries when monks wanted a game that they could play in the courtyards of their monastery. The ball was struck with the hand, not racket, and this game has been referred as the immediate offspring of tennis. The racket was invented later in the 16th century and the game began to be called “tennis” from the Old French term tenez. Meaning as “hold!” or “take it”.
Tennis was quickly spread in England and overtook the croquet game. The modern form of tennis originated in the late 19th century in Birmingham as “lawn tennis”. The tennis we play today is the descendant of the lawn tennis.
The modern day of tennis we know today started in 1896. The game was last listed in 1924 Olympic Games before had a boom in the 1988 Olympic Games comeback.
Today there are four Grand Slam tournaments for tennis :
- Australian Open – played in January on hard courts
- French Open – played in May on red clay courts
- Wimbledon – played in June on grass courts
- US Open – played in September on hard courts
These tournaments also called as the “Majors” and held annually. Since the Open Era in 1968, all Grand Slam competitions began enabling experts to rival the beginners – professionals versus amateurs. Winning in Grand Slam tournament is important for the career of a player as it boosts the international ranking, prize money and public exposure.
The world governing body of tennis was formed in 1913 when 12 national tennis associations founded the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) at a Paris conference. It was later renamed to current International Tennis Federation (ITF) in 1977.
The principal governing body of women’s professional tennis is Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), formed in 1973. While the governing body of men’s professional tennis is the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) that was formed in 1990 replacing the MTC.
Other high profile tennis tournaments are Olympic Games, Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Hopman Cup. In 1973, the ATF and WTA weekly and monthly ranks were introduced for the first time.
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