Tennis is now one of the most well-liked sports all over the globe. Its popularity has gained fans and competitors in over 100 countries. It has also become one of the richest sports in the world attracting huge television coverage and sponsorship. Millions of people play the game for recreation and amateur tournaments, taking on the love of the game and following the footsteps of famous and outstanding players of the sport, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, and a lot more, if youre a follower of the sport you would definitely recognize these names. But how did this popular sport happen? Where on earth did this game start off and whos responsible for this sports now unstoppable fame, even its becoming a fashionable competition too.
History of Tennis. When, who and how did this start? We go back to the 12th century, from the original French game called paume, which means palm; it was played in a court and the hand was used to strike the ball. Paume changed to jeu de paume and rackets where used, the game widened and progressed in Europe. In 1873, Major Walter Wingfield created a game called Sphairistik, which is a Greek word for playing ball, he first played it on a grass court in Wales, it was given the name sticky at first and used in most books about the history of tennis, then it became known as lawn tennis, from which the present outdoor tennis advanced. L
Later in history, lovers of the game had the need to compete and prove their excellent skills of the sport, so amateur and professional tournaments were established. To name some well known tennis grand slam tournaments; the U.S. Open, which has been existing for more than 120 years, it was the first tennis tournament to introduce the tie-breaker system in 1970 after F.D. Robbins needed 100 games to defeat Dick Dell; the Wimbledon Tournament, it is Britains national championship and tennis grand slam, which was created in 1875 because of the growing popularity of tennis over croquet in England, twenty-two players entered the first Wimbledon tournament and was won by Spencer Gore over W.C. Marshall; the French Open, started way back 1891, but it was not until 1925 that it became international, it has grown to be one of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments of today.
But this sport does not stop there, it has moved forward and as we know it today, its not only an endearing game but has become a stylish game as well; from tennis racquets used, to clothes, to shoes, to bags, even to head and wrist bands, have all become so trendy and stylish not to mention branded, that to complete the set of equipments and apparels for this game would quite cost you. It has also been one of the most controversial sports, making celebrities out of players giving way to luxurious life styles and well attended matches.
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