Writing Resources
Tennis History and Evolution Most historians believe tennis first originated from the French Monasteries around the year 1000 It was known as je de paune which means game of hand in French It later adapted its modern name tennis from the French word tenez which means take this as people would say this before passing the ball The game slowly spread over Europe and by the time it got to England bouncier leather balls were used to play Although popular the sport was abandoned by the year 1700 but due to the invention of more durable natural rubber balls by Charles Goodyear the sport rose back in popularity in the 1850 s In 1874 Walter Clopton Wingfield created rules for an outdoor version of tennis called Sphairistike Greek for playing ball The court was shaped like an hourglass and the rules were highly criticized but it was the early foundation of modern tennis Three years after invention of Sphairistike the All England Club converted a croquet field into a tennis court modifies rules and the court layout and the first ever lawn tennis tournament was held in Wimbeldon London Many technological advancements have been introduced in the game of tennis
