jeu de paume
Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent’s court. The game commonly known as tennis derive from real or royal tennis. In 1979 the ITF limited racket length for professional play to 73.7 cm. Maximum racket width is 31.75 cm. The dimensions of the tennis court are 23.8 by 8.2 metres for singles and 23.8 by 11.0 metres for doubles. The height of the net at the centre is 0.91 metre, and it is supported at each side of the court by posts 1.1 metre high placed outside the court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society and at all ages. The sport can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including wheelchair users
The word tennis came into use in English in the mid-13th century from Old French, via the Anglo-Norman term tenez – hold, receive or take
The Championships, Wimbledon, or just Wimbledon as it is more commonly referred to, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and arguably the most famous. The Championships have been hosted in 1877 by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London and take place over two weeks in late June – early July. Unlike today’s tournament, which involves four junior and four invitation competitions alongside the five main contests – the men’s single and double matches, the women’s single and double matches and the mixed doubles – the first Wimbledon championships had one event, the Gentleman’s Singles. As it was not permissible for women to enter the tournament in 1877, the first Wimbledon champion from a group of twenty-two male competitors was twenty seven year old Spencer William Gore. In front of a crowd of 200, who had paid a shilling apiece to attend
Encyclopædia Britannica, www.historic-uk.com,wikipedia
pixabay – stockphoto 2018
