Tennis: Then and now

Tennis was born in the 11th century when a game called ‘Jeu de Paume’ became popular in French monasteries and palaces.

The sport developed in England, where croquet lawns were used to stage the first official Lawn Tennis matches.

At Athens 1896, the first Olympic Tennis tournament was won by Irish student John Boland. He went to the Games just to watch, but returned an Olympic champion.

Compare that to today, when competitors are among the biggest names in world sport, used to playing for millions on the international circuit.

How to play – and win

Tennis is played on a rectangular court by two players (Singles) or four (Doubles). The players use rackets to hit a small ball over a three foot (0.91m) high net.

The idea is to hit the ball in a way that makes it impossible for your opponent to hit it back from the other side. You score a point whenever your opponent fails to get the ball back in play. The ball is only allowed to bounce once (if at all).

Tennis at the Games

Tennis was one of the sports played at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens 1896. Arguments over the ‘amateur’ status of players saw it dropped from the programme in 1922, but it eventually returned at Seoul 1988.
 
Some of the world’s most famous players have since become Olympic champions, including the USA‘s Andre Agassi and his wife, Germany’s Steffi Graf.

Facts about Tennis

• The first Tennis balls were made of wool or hair, wrapped up in leather.
• The first Tennis rackets were wooden, with strings made of sheep or bovine intestines.
• The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon hosted its first Tennis tournament in 1877.
  King Henry VIII was a champion in Real (or ‘royal’) Tennis – a precursor of the modern sport.
• ‘Love’ - the term for ‘no points’ in Tennis - is thought to come from the French word ‘l’oeuf’, meaning ‘egg’ - the shape of a zero.
• Tennis gets its name from the French ‘Tenez’, which means ‘Here you go’. Players used to shout this phrase before they served the ball.
• One theory behind the unusual scoring system used in a Tennis game relates to the presence of a clock on the court. People think that the clock hand was moved forward by 15 minutes a time to record the score.

Jargon buster

• Lob: A ball hit high in the air and deep into the opponent's court.
• Half volley: A shot played just after the ball has bounced.
• Match point: A point that, if won, wins the match.
• Straight sets: Win without losing a set.
• Baseline: The end boundary line of a tennis court.
• Love: no points; zero.
• Serve: To put the ball in play at the beginning of a point.
• Ace: A winning legal serve that the opposing player fails to touch with their racket.

Get involved

Your local club is the best place to learn, but you will probably be able to find public courts in your nearest park. The LTA website includes a ‘Find a Club’ facility (see 'related websites').

Tennis is already one of the most popular sports in the country and the Lawn Tennis Association is running schemes to help youngsters get started and create more winners in British Tennis.

These include mini tennis which is especially designed for juniors under 10. There are also regular competitions for people of all ages and abilities to help more people progress in the sport.

For more information and to look at the ‘Blueprint’ for the future of the sport, see LTA website.