The Game Tennis
The word “Tennis” is derived from the French word “tenez” which means ‘take heed’. The game which has origins in the country of France, dating back to the 12th century. The game is played between two players or two sets of players in each team; involves hitting the ball with the help of racquets. In earlier times, while playing the game of tennis, balls were supposed to be hit with bare hands or by wearing gloves. Later on as the game evolved; racquets were introduced in place of use of hands.
The game of tennis which was widely played in the country of France in the earlier centuries was made popular in the rest of the world by King Henry VIII in the 16th century. The first professional tour for the game of tennis was organized in the year 1571, when King Charles IX formulated a constitution of the Corporation of Tennis Professionals. Initially, there were three categories wherein players were categorized namely; ‘Apprentice’, ‘Associate’ and ‘Master’. The first known rules for the game of real tennis were formulated in the year 1599 by a professional player named ‘Forbet’. The game was very popular during the 17h century in the European countries, but during the 18th & 19th century, the interest in the game died down. There is also little mention about the game of real tennis during the times of ‘French Revolution’.
In the late 19th century, the game again picked up its popularity and there was wide spread interest across countries like Australia, America along with Europe, mainly because of the outdoor nature of the game. New playing rules and methods were introduced to make the game more interesting keeping in mind its widespread popularity.