Essay Example on Tennis History and Evolution

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 

Many risks and injuries exist in competitive tennis Tennis elbow for example is the repeated use of muscles in the arm and forearm causing micro tears in the tendons resulting in elbow pain Shoulder tendonitis and bursitis is another example where muscles and tendons of the rotator cuff or the bursa of the shoulder are injured resulting in inflammation and pain in the shoulder Additionally tendonitis of the wrist is where inflammation of the tendons near the wrist cause pain while extending the wrist Patellar tendonitis is an injury where excessive jumping causes strain on the tendon connecting the kneecap and shinbone resulting in microscopic tears Another common injury is ankle spraining which is the twisting of ankles from running causing damage of ligaments therefore resulting in pain inflammation and stiffness Lastly stress fractures in the back is common where excessive hyperextension bending of the back side bending and rotation of the trunk could result in fractures of the lower back bones Major events and issues The Grand Slam includes events which are now considered the most prestigious events in Tennis These include Wimbledon introduced in 1877 the US open introduced 1881 the French open introduced in 1891 and the Australian open introduced in 1905 Winning all four tournaments within the same year is knows as a Grand Slam Tennis was part of the Olympics from 1896 however was withdrawn in 1924 due to disputes From 1988 Tennis returned as a full medal sport in the Olympics There have been many scandals in Tennis especially with regards to match fixing and drug use An example of this is when Andre Agassi admitted to using methamphetamine and lied to the Association of Tennis Professionals ATP to avoid disqualification In 1997 he failed a drug test and claimed he consumed this substance without his knowledge