History of Lawn Tennis

Lawn tennis got its start in 13th-century France. The sport has gone through a few name changes over the years with names such as "Le Jeu du Paume," court tennis, royal tennis and lawn tennis. Over time there have been changes in rules, court shapes, court surfaces and racket technology.

  1. Origin

    • Although there are many myths and stories about the origins of the game of tennis, most historians agree that the beginnings of the game we call tennis got its start in the 13th century. It was first played by the French nobility, who called it "Le Jeu du Paume" which means the game of the palm. Players only used their hands during play. It was not long before leather gloves were used, and soon came the birth of the racket with a handle attached.

    Court Tennis

    • The sport grew in popularity until the start of the 17th century. Hundreds of courts could be found in France, mostly in Paris. With its rise in popularity, gambling began and the nobility restricted public play. Indoor courts were built for the nobility, and the game because known as "court tennis."

    Royal Tennis

    • Toward the end of the 16th century, the game spread to the England. The game, Le Jeu du Paume, was eliminated in France after the French Revolution, however, court tennis was still played in England. British royalty Edward III built a court in Windsor Castle. The British referred to the game as "royal tennis." The English played other rackets sports as well, including badminton and "rackets," which is similar to squash. These games were played outdoors on well-manicured lawns.

    Lawn Tennis

    • British cavalry officer, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield, patented the "lawn tennis" game in 1874 and created the first written rules of the game. At the time he called it "Sphairistike," which in Greek means "play." His version of the game was played outdoors on the well-manicured cricket and crochet lawns. With the rise in interest in the sport, including both men and women, new clubs were established such as the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. Revenue from lawn tennis exceeded that of crochet, and over time the club dropped crochet and became known as the All England Club, holding its first tennis tournament in 1877. This was the beginning of Wimbledon.

    Interesting Facts

    • Wingfield's court design for the early lawn tennis matches was in the shape of an hour glass. Even though the word "lawn" was in the game's name, Wingfield did not require that the game be played on turf. The main requirement for the court was that it was level.