ADVANCED SPORT SCIENCE

Advanced Sport Science

Advanced Sport Science

About the game Tennis

The modern game of lawn tennis is derived from a game developed by European monks and played in cloistered monasteries, which was later adopted by the aristocracy. Jeu de la paume, or “real” tennis, as it was later known, was played initially with the hand, with racquets appearing by the turn of the sixteenth century. The origins of the name have been contested, though the most likely explanation is that it derives from the French verb “to stretch out.” John Minsheu noted in 1617 that French players would use this word when striking the ball. It is thought to have arrived in England from France sometime in the fourteenth century, and despite the fact that the lower classes were banned by royal proclamation (first by Edward III in 1365) from playing ball games, including tennis, it became enormously popular in the public houses, where, like many recreational activities of the time, it was linked closely with gambling (Vicario 2000, 10 - 12).

While it gradually fell from popular favor, by the late nineteenth century the game had been revived and codified into the form that is enjoyed today. Tennis is now played on a level court, indoors or outdoors, by two players (singles) or four players (doubles). The courts are made of a variety of surfaces, including grass, clay, and hardcourt, which is now the most common. The 78-foot by 27-foot court is divided in half by a net measuring 4 feet at the sides and 3 feet in the middle, and there are further subdivisions of the halves designed to regulate the service game. The court is slightly larger for doubles play, though the object of the game remains the same: to hit a small ball to an opponent and to score when the opponent fails to return the ball over the net (Elliott & Morton 1984, 111-116).

Emergence of Tennis

The modern game of tennis emerged in an era when most modern sports were being codified to satisfy the Victorian need for rational, standardized activities. In 1874, a version of lawn tennis, known as “Sphairistike,” was patented by Major Walter C. Wingfield, who developed a set of rules to accompany the lawn tennis equipment he was marketing. Despite Wingfield's claiming to be the originator of the game, lawn tennis had been played in England since the 1850s, with the first club established at Leamington Spa in 1874. Wingfield's version of lawn tennis enjoyed early success, with its hourglass court, high net, and scoring system, but it was eventually replaced by a set of rules established by representatives of the Marylebone Cricket Club and the All England Croquet Club, the latter expanding its name to include lawn tennis in 1877. The standardization of lawn tennis allowed its popularity to spread rapidly through the English middle classes and aristocracy. Tennis conformed to middle-class Victorian ideals of respectability, and, significantly, the genteel game was considered appropriate for women to play at a time ...