The history of tennis

The history of tennis dates back several thousand years. For the first time in tennis started playing evropeyskiyskie monks for entertainment during religious ceremonies. Then beat off the ball and fed by hand. Soon there were leather gloves, which in turn were replaced by a special pen for effective impact and batting. Thus was born the first racket. With the development of racket, tennis ball has also undergone a lot of frequent changes. The first ball was made of wood, then there were leather, filled with cellulose balls. In European monasteries of the 14th century, much to the chagrin of the Church, loved to play tennis.

The game soon became very popular, mainly in France, where he was admitted to the royal family. In the period between the 16th and 18th centuries game called «Jeu ​​de paumme» ("game in hand") has been very popular among the kings and nobles. French players begin the game, shouting the word "TENEZ", which means "Play." Soon the game became known as the "royal" or "real" tennis.In 1874, Major Walter Wingfield patented the equipment and rules for the game, which had a close resemblance to the more modern tennis. In the same year, the first tennis courts emerged in the United States. The game quickly spread to different parts of the world such as Russia, Canada, China and India. In those days, smooth croquet grounds were used as a ready-made tennis courts. The original view of the tennis courts Wingfield was designed in the shape of an hourglass. He was smaller than modern courts, which are played today. His version of the tennis courts and the rules of the game has undergone a lot of changes and additions to be in that game that the whole world is playing today.