Tennis has been around longer than most people realize. It existed before it was a multi-billion dollar industry where players are treated as celebrities. From its humble beginnings, it's now popular around the world and has attracted large numbers of faithful fans as well as television broadcasts, books and training academies.
Beginnings
Tennis may date to ancient Egypt, according to the BBC Sports Academy, although most historians believe it was developed as a courtyard ball game by French monks in the 11th or 12th century. The name tennis is likely derived from the French word "tenez," meaning "take this." Tennis grew in popularity when the aristocracy took up the game, adding bats to hit the ball instead of hands. By the 13th century, it's estimated there may have been as many as 1,800 indoor courts. The now-familiar frame racket came into being around 1500, made from cork and gut strings. In 1874, the invention of rubber vulcanization made possible bouncier balls that could be played outdoors on grass.
Organization
By 1911, the need for an international governing body to unite the various national tennis organizations at the time led to the formation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation, or ITF. The "Open Era" began in 1968, when tournaments starting allowing professional players to compete with amateurs, providing many more tennis players an opportunity to make the sport a profession. Professional male players formed the ATP, or Association of Tennis Players, in 1973, and the females followed suit a year later with the WTA, or Women's Tennis Association. The ITF also oversees ITF Circuits and team events for juniors, seniors, wheelchair players and beach tennis players.
Grand Slams
The four major Grand Slam tournaments are the pinnacle of the professional tennis world. The oldest was established in 1877 as the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club tournament, still its official name but better known as Wimbledon. The U.S. Open followed four years later, then the French Open in 1891 and the Australian Open in 1905. The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club and Wimbledon helped to establish modern rules by 1882, including lowering the net, allowing an overarm serve, reducing the size of the service box and introducing the "'let" rule. These rules have remained the same, except for the introduction of the tiebreak in 1971.
Popularity
The International Tennis Federation has 205 National Associations, more than most other international sporting federations, with top players in the game now making millions of dollars each year. After a bit of a decline in participation in the 1990s, there has been an 11 percent increase in tennis players since 2000, according to a study by the Active Marketing Group. They also found that in 2009, more than 11 million Americans played tennis and nearly 3 million of these played frequently. The United States Tennis Association notes that the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows is the largest attended sporting event in the world.
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