Tennis
Considered one of the most popular racquet and ball games in the world, the game of tennis has become one of the more iconic and physically challenging sports in today's society. It is played both competitively and informally by more than 20 million Americans and perhaps twice that many people worldwide (Flink, 1999). It has become a major part of physical education programs at schools and universities and is notably one of the only sports played year round, around the world through organized individual, doubles and team competitions.
The word tennis is derived from the Old French name for the game, tenetz (Flink) and in the late-13th Century a game similar to tennis was played in Paris amongst the social elite and upper classes. The French version of the game has been compared to an Italian version that was also played around that time, even though the French game was referred to as 'jeu de paume' or 'game of the palm' because it involved players using their hands to strike the ball. It was only approximately 100 years later that racquets would be introduced into the game, giving players greater reach, and less bruised hands.
The British started playing an indoor version of the game around this time which was similar to badminton, and in 1873, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield adapted the game into what we know as lawn tennis today. In December of that year, Wingfield announced a new set of rules for his new racquet game: it was to be played outdoors on grass, on an hourglass-shaped court with a high net (Flink). He later patented the sport in 1874 just as it was growing in popularity throughout Great...
This led to the first U.S. tennis championship that was held in 1881 in Newport, Rhode Island, which eventually moved to Forest Hill, NY where it was held from 1915-1920. The championship saw itself yo-yoing back and forth between Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia and Forest Hill, where it returned in 1924 until 1977. In 1978 the game moved to Flushing Meadow, NY where it has stayed ever since.
Wimbledon, the British equivalent was first played in 1877, while the French championship was first played in 1891 and the Australian championship in 1905 (Flink). These tournaments have continued the tennis tradition and represent the Grand Slam of tennis hosting championships in Men and Women's singles and doubles. On an international team level, the Davis Cup -started in 1900- has tennis players competing not for an individual title but an international title.
Tennis has created some of the most well-known names in sports, and many players have helped the shape the sport into what it is today. Some players are known for breaking the barriers that divided male and female players, such as the case with Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, but there are other players who helped mold the game dynamics into the methodology that compromises any tennis player's game.
Take for example Rod Laver. At 17 years of age he won…
