The game of
Tennis came into existence several thousand years ago. Tennis is a sport played between two
players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). A strung
racquet is used to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net
into the opponent's court.
History: The
game was first created by European monks to be played for entertainment
purposes during religious ceremonies. Initially the ball was hit with the hand. Then
leather glove came into existence. Later on for effective hitting and serving
of the ball an adaptive handle was used. Thus, racquet came into existence.
After the evolution of the racket, the tennis balls also underwent frequent
alterations. The first tennis ball was wooden. It gave way to a bouncier, leather
ball filled with cellulose material. With time game became famous in France
especially among royal family. Between 16th and 18th centuries, the game called
' Jeu de paumme' - the game of the palm was a highly regarded by kings and
noblemen. In 1874, Major Walter Wingfield acquired the patent rights for
the equipments and rules for the game which bore close resemblance to the
modern tennis. First tennis courts emerged in the United States in the same year. The
game slowly extended to different parts of the world like Russia, Canada,
China and India.
