HISTORY OF TENNIS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 11, 26 September 1944, Page 7

HISTORY OF TENNIS

AN ANCIENT GAME With the approach of summer and the possibility of a few games of tennis in the weather and the ball situation permitting, it is interesting to look back over the tory of the in its. modern form, is of comparatively recent origin, but in its old guis« is centuries old. The ancient game of tennis, played 500 years before Lawn Tennis, was played in a walled court by two or four persons with a racquet each and one ball a rope dividing the opposing players,. or later a net. The game was actually first played in the open air and by hand, but the practice was; changed. The old-, est existing tennis court is at Hampton Court Palace, and was. built in J 530 for Henry VIII. He and his successors as well as the French r kings were, enthusiastic players. Even before that there is mention in history of tennis on several occasions and as far back as 1424 there was reported to be at tlie French royal court a damsel who played tennis better than any man —proof of women's interest in the game even at that early stage. Founding of Lawn Tennis Modern lawn tennis had its> foundation in 1875, when the tennis committee of. the Marylebone Cricket Club issued a code of laws, the All England Croquet Club giving up one of its lawns at Wimbles don for the game the same year. In 1877 the first championships were played at Wimbledon, where they have, taken place annually in peacetime ever since. In 18S8 a Lawn Tennis Association was formed which took over all authority and has since governed the rules of the game. The championships. at. Wimbledon speedily proved such a sucoes.s that the game was organised elsewhere and in a lew years spread throughout the world.