| Tennis has a long history (deriving from the | | | | 1881 the United States National Lawn Tennis |
| 'jeu de paume'), but its establishment as the | | | | Association (now the United States Tennis |
| modern sport can be dated to two separate | | | | Association) was formed to standardize the |
| roots. In 1859 Major Thomas Henry Gem, a | | | | rules and organize competitions. The |
| solicitor, and his friend Batista Pereira, a | | | | comprehensive I.L.T.F. rules promulgated in |
| Spanish merchant, who both lived in | | | | 1924 have remained remarkably stable in the |
| Birmingham, England played a game they named | | | | ensuing eighty years, the one major change |
| "pelota", after a Spanish ball game. The game | | | | being the addition of the tie-breaker system |
| was played on a lawn in Edgbaston. In 1872 | | | | designed by James van Alen. U.S. National |
| both men moved to Leamington Spa, and with | | | | Men's Singles Championship, now the U.S. |
| two doctors from the Warneford Hospital, | | | | Open, was first held in 1881 at Newport, |
| played pelota on the lawn behind the Manor | | | | Rhode Island. The U.S. National Women's |
| House Hotel (now residential apartments). | | | | Singles Championships were first held in |
| Pereira joined with Dr. Frederick Haynes and | | | | 1887. The Davis Cup, an annual competition |
| Dr. A. Wellesley Tomkins to found the first | | | | between national teams, dates to 1900. |
| lawn tennis club in the world, and played the | | | | |
| game on nearby lawns. In 1874 they formed the | | | | Tennis was for many years predominantly a |
| Leamington Tennis Club, setting out the | | | | sport of the English-speaking world, |
| original rules of the game. The Courier of 23 | | | | dominated by the United States, Britain and |
| July 1884 recorded one of the first tennis | | | | Australia. It was also popular in France, |
| tournaments, held in the grounds of Shrubland | | | | where the French Open dates to 1891. Thus |
| Hall (demolished 1948). | | | | Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open and |
| | | | the Australian Open (dating to 1905) became |
| In December 1873, Major Walter Clopton | | | | and have remained the most prestigious events |
| Wingfield devised a similar game for the | | | | in tennis. Together these four events are |
| amusement of his guests at a garden party on | | | | called the Grand Slam (a term borrowed from |
| his estate at Nantclwyd, Wales. He based the | | | | bridge). Winning the Grand Slam, by capturing |
| game on the older sport of indoor tennis or | | | | these four titles in one calendar year, is |
| real tennis ("royal tennis"), which had been | | | | the highest ambition of most tennis players. |
| invented in 12th century France and was | | | | |
| played by French aristocrats down to the time | | | | In 1926 promoter C.C. ("Cash and Carry") Pyle |
| of the French Revolution. | | | | established the first professional tennis |
| | | | tour with a group of American and French |
| According to most tennis historians, modern | | | | tennis players playing exhibition matches to |
| tennis terminology also derives from this | | | | paying audiences. The most notable of these |
| period, as Wingfield borrowed both the name | | | | early professionals were the American Vinnie |
| and much of the French vocabulary of royal | | | | Richards and the Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen. |
| tennis and applied them to his new game: | | | | For 42 years professional and amateur tennis |
| | | | remained strictly separate. Once a player |
| Tennis comes from the French tenez, the | | | | turned pro he or she could not compete in the |
| imperative form of the verb tenir, to hold: | | | | major (amateur) tournaments. In 1968, |
| This was a cry used by the player serving in | | | | commercial pressures led to the abandonment |
| royal tennis, meaning "I am about to serve!" | | | | of this distinction, inaugurating the Open |
| (rather like the cry "Fore!" in golf). | | | | era, in which all players could compete in |
| | | | all tournaments, and top players were able to |
| Racquet comes from raquette, which derives | | | | make their living from tennis. |
| from the Arabic rakhat, meaning the palm of | | | | |
| the hand. | | | | With the beginning of the Open era, the |
| | | | establishment of an international |
| Deuce comes from à deux le jeu, meaning | | | | professional tennis circuit, and revenues |
| "to both is the game" (that is, the two | | | | from the sale of television rights, tennis |
| players have equal scores). | | | | has spread all over the world and has lost |
| | | | its upper-class English-speaking image. Since |
| Love may come from l'oeuf, the egg, a | | | | the 1970s great champions have emerged from |
| reference to the egg-shaped zero symbol; | | | | Germany (Boris Becker, Steffi Graf), the |
| however, since "un oeuf" is more commonly | | | | former Czechoslovakia (Ivan Lendl, Martina |
| used, the etymology remains in question. | | | | Navratilova, and Hana Mandlikova), Sweden |
| | | | (Björn Borg, Stefan Edberg and Mats |
| The convention of numbering scores "15," "30" | | | | Wilander), Brazil (Gustavo Kuerten), Russia |
| and "40" comes from quinze, trente and | | | | (Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin), Belgium |
| quarante, which to French ears makes a | | | | (Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne), |
| euphonious sequence. | | | | Switzerland (Martina Hingis and Roger |
| | | | Federer) and from many other countries. |
| Seeing the commercial potential of the game, | | | | |
| Wingfield patented it in 1874, but never | | | | In 1954 James Van Alen founded the |
| succeeded in enforcing his patent. Tennis | | | | International Tennis Hall of Fame, a |
| spread rapidly among the leisured classes in | | | | non-profit museum in Newport, Rhode Island. |
| Britain and the United States. It was first | | | | The building contains a large collection of |
| played in the U.S. at the home of Mary Ewing | | | | tennis memorabilia as well as a hall of fame |
| Outerbridge on Staten Island, New York in | | | | honoring prominent members and tennis players |
| 1874. | | | | from all over the world. Each year, a |
| | | | grass-court tournament is hosted on the |
| In 1881 the desire to play tennis | | | | grounds that are home to the Tennis Hall of |
| competitively led to the establishment of | | | | Fame, as well as an induction ceremony |
| tennis clubs. The first championships at | | | | honoring new Hall of Fame members. |
| Wimbledon, in London were played in 1877. In | | | | |