History

The true history of tennis does not begin until the 1850's, when the first modern tennis balls were designed and used. The game which gave tennis its origins, dates back to ancient times with the Egyptians, who played a type of game in which a ball was stroked over the net. Similarities have also been noted with modern tennis and popular games played in Europe before and during the Middle Ages.

The establishment of tennis as the modern sport it is today can be dated to two separate inventions. Between 1859 and 1865, in Birmingham, Englnad, Marjor Harry Gem, a solicitor and his friend Aguurio Perera, a Spanish merchant, combined elements of the game of rackets and the Spanish ball game Pelota and played it on a croquet lawn in Edgbaston. In 1872, both men moved to Leamington Spa and in 1874, with two doctors from the Warenford Hospital, founded the world's first tennis club. The much noted development of tennis as we know it today, came in December 1873, when Major Walter Clopton Wingfield is credited as developing lawn tennis using a similar game which modern tennis evolved. He invented a game called "spharistike" which was designed for the amusement of his guests at a garden party on his estate at Nantclywd, in Llanelidan, Wales.

Tennis spread rapidly among the lesiure classes in Britain and the United States and it was first played in the United States at the home of Mary Ewing Outerbridge on Staten Island, New York in 1874. In 1881, the desire to play competitively led to the establishment of tennis clubs, which led to the four Grand Slams, which are regarded as the most prestigious events in the tennis circuit. The four major tournaments, the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open are collectively known as the Grand Slam, which is a term derived from bridge. In 1887, the Championships at Wimbledon were founded by the All England Club to raise money for the club.