"Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquillity." -Billie Jean King. A game begins with a serve, which is usually a harder shot to return. The players move around the court trying to win a point. Either there is one player against a single opponent known as singles or teams of two known as doubles. The boundaries are changed whether the game is singles or doubles. When players are up at the net getting ready to smash the ball, the players do it in silence as the spectators watch. It is very interesting to watch a game that can be so fast paced in such a peaceful environment. In order to truly be able to appreciate tennis, one must understand the history, how the game developed into the …show more content…
Various versions of tennis similar to handball have been played in ancient Greece, Italy, Egypt, Persia, and Arabia. “Most historians credit the first origins of the game to 11th or 12th century French monks, who began playing a crude game of handball against their monastery walls or over a rope strung across a courtyard.” says Jeff Cooper, tennis expert. (p 3) This game of the French was known as jeu de paume or “sport of the hands”. Many believe the name of the game, tennis, came from the French word tenez. How could this be when Louis IV had banned tennis in the tenth century? “Its history has been marred by misfortune, even kings could not prevent its rise in popularity.” (Gould pg 1) Continuing to grow despite the first ban, it was again outlawed by Louis X in the 1300s because he believed tennis to be a sport for kings only. From France, the game was taken to England in the fourteenth century where it was also outlawed because the king felt his soldiers were wasting their time playing tennis. After 200 years of being rarely played, interest slowly revived in some European countries in the sixteenth century. (Gould pg 1) Tennis was again banned because people were wagering as the game became competitive. Declining in popularity, only the wealthy were playing by the nineteenth century. Although it looks bleak for tennis, it can be attributed to various versions of tennis similar to handball from different countries and it can still rise in popularity despite the