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The Different Milestones in the History of Tennis

Although popularly known to have originated from Europe, the origins of tennis c
an be traced back in ancient Egypt around 1500BC. The earliest evidences are the
drawings discovered on the walls of Egyptian temples built more than 3000 years
ago. This proves that the Egyptians were the first to have actually played this
ball game as part of their religious traditions. Eventually, the concept of thi
s ball game reached Southern France in 800AD brought by the influence of the Moo
rs.
The first Europeans who played the early version of tennis were Christian monks.
The game was still called La Soule where players used their hands or a stick to h
it the ball. La Soule soon became a popular ball game outside of the monasteries.
Later on, around the 12th and 13th centuries, the game was further developed. I
nstead of just using the hand, players created a leather glove so that they coul
d take more control when hitting the ball with their hands. As time went by, a w
ooden stick was added to the glove which led to the birth of the tennis racket.
Meanwhile, the ball also had also evolved from solid wood to softer balls that a
re now used today. It was not long when the game became popular and has entered
the royal palaces of France.
It was during the 16th to 18th century that tennis really became the game that w
e now know today. It was also during this time that it became the popular sport
of the royalties in France and was called the game of the palm. The word tennis
came from the French word that was being shouted by early French players at the
beginning of the game tenez meaning play.
Shortly after its popularity among French aristocrats, tennis spread throughout
Europe especially in England. In fact, Henry VIII was one of the popular English
nobility who became an avid player and even built a tennis court at Hampton Cou
rt. Soon, tennis was also greatly accepted in Spain, Germany, Italy, and Holland
but its popularity declined during the French Revolution in the 18th century.
But by the turn of the new century, in the Victorian period of England, tennis w
as significantly revived. New courts were built and tennis clubs appeared. It wa
s at this time that Lawn Tennis came out. With the development of vulcanized rub
ber, large production of balls that were compatible to the grass thrived and bro
ught tennis into the open. But eventually lawn surfaces became clay and concret
e creating no problem at all with the ball.
With the success and popularity of tennis in Europe, it soon replaced croquet as
the summer sport. Although croquet enthusiasts tried so hard to revive their ga
me, the organization they formed in 1869 did not succeed in attracting people to
support their sport. The croquet club became the Lawn Tennis Club in 1877 which
was responsible for the first Lawn Tennis Tournament. The tournament gave rise
to a committee that established the rules of the tournament. After this the Wimb
ledon Championship emerged.
The Wimbledon Championship was one of the highlights in the history of tennis. I
t is responsible for the high regard given to this sport. It gave the public gre
at champions to admire and to imitate like Fred Perry, Henri Lacoste, and Billie
Jean King. With the advent of the radio in the 1930s, the game became increasi
ngly more popular than ever. However, all this suddenly came to an end during Wo
rld War II. Yet, after the war, the game became resilient as before and more peo
ple started playing the game while more technical improvements were added to the
game.

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