Tennis

Tennis is a sport played with racquet between either two players ("singles") or two teams of two players ("doubles"). The players use a stringed racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered in felt over a net into the court of the opponent. In some places, it is still called lawn tennis in order to distinguish it from real tennis (also known as royal tennis or court tennis), an older form of the game that is played indoors on a very different kind of a court. DO YOU KNOW Until the mid-1950s, Bill Tilden was generally considered the greatest player ever His only rivals was Vines, Budge, and Kramer. In 1950s and 1960s, many thought Gonzales had claimed that title. Roger Federer is now considered by many observers to have the most "complete" game in modern tennis. Among the women, Suzanne Lenglen and Helen Wills Moody vie for the distinction of greatest of all time, along with several modern players: Margaret Smith Court, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Billie Jean King, and Maureen Connolly Brinker. HISTORY OF TENNIS The earliest version of the game was known as 'La Soule' where players would hit a ball to each other using either their hands or a stick. In 16th, 17th and 18th centuries the game became the highly fashionable sport of kings and noblemen and was called ' Jeu de paumme' - the game of the palm. Wimbledon Championship was one of the most significant developments in the history of tennis. The first championships at Wimbledon (London) were played in 1877. William Renshaw has won the championship title 8 times between 1881 and 1889 (he was runner-up in 1887) - a record that remains unbeaten till today. The development of tennis continued and the 1927 Championship saw the first ever radio braodcast of a tennis event. Bunny Austin from the USA shocked the crowds in the year 1933 when he became the first player to step out on to centre court wearing shorts. TENNIS COURT Rectangular, flat surface, usually grass, clay, or a hardcourt of concrete and/or asphalt. 78 feet (23.77 m) long and 27 feet (8.23 m) wide for singles. 78 feet (23.77 m) long 36 feet (10.97 m) wide for doubles matches. Net is 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high at the posts and 3 feet (914 mm) high in the center.

TYPES OF TENNIS COURTS Clay court - (green clay, mainly in the U.S. and red clay) Grass court Hardcourt - (cement, rebound ace, coated ashphalt) Indoor (most commonly wood, cement, or carpet)