The origins of tennis are the subject of some dispute. National pride has a number of countries claiming that their countrymen invented the game anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years ago. How the game was actually invented also is the subject of some dispute, but a few clues help identify the most reasonable source of the game.
Ancient Origins
One claim is that tennis was originated by European monks who entertained themselves by hitting a ball by hand thousands of years ago. Another claim points to Italy, where villagers hit balls by hand. As the game evolved, players used a leather mitt and then a racket-like object with a handle to hit a ball in an enclosed courtyard. The ball was made of wood, then leather. As the game became popular, it was adopted by the French royal family. The term tennis likely comes from the shout of "tenez," meaning "play," that started the match.
Growth in Europe
Henry VIII, king of England in the early 1500s, kept a keen eye on all things French and adopted the game. Hampton Court, the seat of his court, included an enclosed tennis court for play that still is used today for competition. However, the emergence of revolutionary ideals made tennis a less popular sport in the late 1700s, with royal families besieged and the sport associated with the aristocracy. Tennis continued to grow as a popular sport, however, after the revolutions in France and Russia, with rules and equipment defined in the 1870s.
Scoring
Scoring is composed of a series of numbers that might not make sense without background. A zero score is called love, likely due to zero's resemblance to an egg, or l'oeuf in French. Another theory suggests that zero is because you do nothing for love; it is free. Scoring then increases by 15s, but it isn't clear why. One theory suggests that the clock on the court became a source for scoring, so 15, 30 and 45 were game scores, with 60 being the winning score. However, another theory suggests medieval numerology as the source, with 60 noted as a complete number and 15s leading up to the final score of 60. Modern games use 15, 30 and 40 before calling game.
Invention of the Open
Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open and the Australian Open comprise the four major competitions at the professional level. Winning all four is considered a premiere achievement, called a grand slam. Tennis competition at this formalized level started in the 1960s, with the creation of open events. Open events mean that anyone can play, professionals and amateurs.
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