Tennis

Supposedly the preferred game of Henry the Eighth, before he got too fat to play, the origins of tennis are uncertain, but its popularity remains constant.

Origins

The game is believed to have developed from ancient ball games played by Egyptians and Greeks. The Romans played a game called harpastum, which was taken to the Basque country by the legions and renamed jeu do paume because the ball was hit onto a wall with the hands. As early as the twelfth century, a glove was used to protect the hand. Then starting in the sixteenth tennis racquets of varying shapes and sizes were introduced.

Fascinating facts

  1. The very first Wimbledon Championship in 1877 was watched by some 200 spectators. In 1999 it was broadcast to 174 countries, with an estimated global audience of 1 billion people. Royalty has presented the trophy to every men's singles champion at Wimbledon since the war, except in 1986 when Boris Becker received the trophy from famous French Davis Cup legend John Borotra. Each year, 24 tons of Kent strawberries are ordered for The Championships at Wimbledon.
  2. British Player Greg Rusedski has the world's fastest serve, clocked at a staggering 149 mph. In 1999 he served 685 aces, accounting for 79% of all his points for the year.
  3. Bunny Austin was the first man to ever wear a pair of shorts on court at Wimbledon in 1933. Conversely, Yvon Petra was the last champion to ever wear long trousers on court in 1946.
  4. Women's fashions have caused a similar stir. When Gussie Moran wore a short, lace trimmed skirt in 1949 she was accused by the AELTC of 'bringing vulgarity and sin into tennis'.

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