Court tennis-also called “real tennis” and “royal tennis” in Great Britain and Australia-owes its beginnings to a game enjoyed by French monks that can be traced back to the 11th century. Games using some form of ball and racquet have been played in numerous civilizations dating back as far as Neolithic times
The Beginnings of Modern Tennis
Monks played the French game of paume (meaning “palm”) on a court.
- Paume eventually evolved into jeu de paume (“game of the palm”)
- By the year 1500, racquets constructed of wood frames and gut strings were developed, as well as balls made of cork and leather
- There were as many as 1,800 indoor courts
Evolution of Tennis Attire
At the end of the 19th century, male players wore hats and ties while pioneering women wore a version of street clothing that included corsets and bustles.
- A strict dress code was adopted by the 1890s that decreed tennis wear must be exclusively white in color (with the exception of some accent trim).
- The tradition of tennis whites lasted well into the 20th century.
- The advent of modern technology made the game more accessible to the middle class.
Outdoor Tennis
In the 1700s, the game’s popularity dwindled, but it was revived with the invention of vulcanized rubber in 1850
- The new hard rubber balls revolutionized the sport, making it possible for tennis to be adapted to an outdoor game played on grass
- Major Walter Wingfield invented a game called Sphairistikè (Greek for “playing ball”).
- Played on an hourglass-shaped court, Wingfield’s game created a sensation in Europe, the United States, and even China, and is the source from which tennis as we know it today evolved
Tennis Scoring
No one is sure where tennis scoring-love, 15, 30, 40, deuce-came from, but most sources agree it originated in France.
- One theory for the origin of the 60-point system is that it’s simply based on the number 60, which had positive connotations in medieval numerology.
- The more popular explanation is that the scoring was invented to match the face of a clock with the score given in quarter-hours.
