HISTORY OF TENNIS
The stories of the true beginnings of tennis differ widely between historians. Although a game that very much resembles tennis can be found in history as early as the 12th century in France.
When the game began players would hit the ball with the palms of their hands. This later changed to using a glove and by the 16th century the tennis racket was invented! The game was then moved to a specified playing area and rules were established.
An Italian priest named Antonio Scaino da Salo, wrote the first known book about tennis titled "Trattato del Giuoco della Palla", which was published in 1555.
Two kings were known to die from tennis related causes, Louis X died from a severe chill after playing tennis. And, Charles VIII died after being hit with a tennis ball.
In 1571, King Charles IX approved a constitution to the Corporation of Tennis Professionals, this was the creation of the first professional tennis tour.
The royalty in England first became interested in the game of tennis with Henry V. But, it was his heir, Henry VIII that became a true devoted tennis player!
Evidence of tennis' long reign in popularity can be found in Shakespeare's plays and is even depicted in a painting done in 1752, called The Death of Hyacinth. The painting shows a stringed racket and three tennis balls.
Tennis became the favored sport of kings and noblemen during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. It was referred to as the game of the palm, "Jeu de Paumme". It was played indoors and fans and family members could sit and watch live tennis.
However, for many the real history of tennis didn't start until 1859 when the modern version of tennis evolved. Up until this time the game was referred to as "real tennis" and was very different from the game we know today.
Harry Gem and Augurio Perera combined elements of several games in 1859. And, by 1874 they'd established the world's first tennis club. Club members would play the game while the audience would watch live tennis!
The first known game of tennis played in the United States was in New York in 1874. Mary Ewing Outerbridge returned from Bermuda with the game and played it for the first time at the Staten Island Cricket Club!
In Newport, Rhode Island the first U.S. National Men's Singles Championship was held in 1881. It later became known as the U.S. Open! The United States National Lawn Tennis Association, now referred to as the United States Tennis Association was established on May 21, 1881 to organize competitions and regulate rules.
Dwight F. Davis from Harvard University's tennis team created a tournament format with the intention of challenging the British to a competition. The first tournament was held in Boston, Massachusetts in 1900.
As the audience watched live tennis, the British was surprised that the American team won the first three matches! By 1905 the tournament had expanded to include other countries. The Australian Open Tennis is just one of the many leagues which are now massive.
Originally known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge, it was later renamed the Davis Cup after the death of Dwight Davis in 1945. On the tournaments 100th anniversary in 1999, there was a total of 129 nations included in the competition for the coveted Davis Cup.
The need for an international tennis federation was met in 1913, when twelve National Tennis Associations formed the International Lawn Tennis Federation. The federation was renamed in 1977 and remains known today as the International Tennis Federation!
Since it's formation in 1913, the rules instated have literally remained the same. The one major addition that was added was the tie breaking system designed by James Van Alen.
James Van Alen was the founder of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. It's a non-profit museum that has a large collection of tennis related memorabilia. Each year the best tennis players are honored with induction into the Hall of Fame.
Women's professional tennis was formed in 1947. There was a series of exhibition matches between two U.S. National Champions, Pauline Betz and Sarah Palfrey Cooke. But, these matches were short lived.
In 1958, Althea Gibson and Karol Fageros joined to become the opening act for the Harlem Globetrotters. Basketball fans could watch live tennis until it was time for the Globetrotters to take the court! But, Gibson and Fageros only did their opening game for one season.
There literally wasn't a women's professional tennis for several years afterwards. Then in 1967, Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, Francoise Durr and Ann Jones were signed by George McCall to join his tour for two years.
The early years of tennis left the players with little power over when and where they played. The promoters who had professional players under a contract, made all the decisions for them.
The promoters would have the players doing tours where they played before paying audiences that sat to watch live tennis. They weren't allowed to compete in major amateur tournaments.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS
Commercial pressures led to the the Open Era in tennis. Players were no longer forced to only compete in one arena, there was no longer a difference in amateur and professional players. This allowed some players to actually make a living from playing tennis!
In 1972, the Association of Tennis Professionals was formed by Hamilton Jordan and the ATP Tour was born. The nine most highly rated events from the tour was called the Super Nine events.
Twelve of the more prestigious events were turned into the International Series Gold Tournaments. All the remaining events formed the International Series events. This format of tennis events still continues today!
The Super Nine events was renamed to the Masters Series tournaments. These tournaments offered fans the chance to watch live tennis with their favorite players at the best playing facilities! Players also had the chance to win the largest amounts of prize money!
However, women were invited to play with the chance of winning $7,500 in prize money, a far stretch from the $50,000 men could win. In protest King and Casals urged the other women players to boycott the competitions.
Instead of the proposed boycott, Gladys Heldman, an American publisher for "World Tennis" magazine established a women's tournament. The new Women's Pro Tour gave women the chance to compete for up to ten times the amount offered at other tournaments.
The game of tennis is enjoyed worldwide today! Many fans will follow their favorite players from tournament to tournament to watch live tennis and experience the thrill of the game! The Australian Open Tennis is one of LivesportsTV's favourites!
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