History of Tennis

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 11, 14 January 1933, Page 7

History of Tennis

Thfere are more than 20,000 public and club lawn tennis courts in Great Britain and the number of tennis players goes up every year by leaps and bounds. Set the game is barely 50 years old. The original lawn tennis was called Sphairistike. Half a century ago ■' it was played on courts of hour-glass shape with a not1 6ft high in the middle, states a correspondent. The racquets were, rather like quccrly shaped shrimping nets and the gamo was pure pat ball. It was played by ladies with wasp waists, who held up their long skirts in ono hand, and men whose costume consisted of tight knickerbockers, striped stockings, walkin" boots, jerseys, and—bowler hats. The original lawn tennis balls were of plain rubber, but later the covered ball came into fashion. In its early days it was usually coloured and often ornamented with fancy stitching.