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Tennis Facts

Tennis Facts
Prior to the use of rackets in tennis, people used their palms to hit the ball back and forth. The palm method was replaced in the 1500s when rackets were introduced. The word tennis evolved from the French term ‘tenez'. The modern game became much more structured in the 1800s, and the first Wimbledon Championships were played in 1877 in London, England. The first U.S. championship was played in 1880 in Tomkinsville, Staten Island in New York. Today, the most famous tennis events are The U.S. Open, the French Open, the Australian Open, and Wimbledon.
Interesting Tennis Facts:
The first patented version of tennis, lawn tennis, was given the name Sphairistike. It was created by Major Walter Clopton and patented in 1874.
Rectangular courts were created in 1875 for Wimbledon. Originally, the court was an hour-glass shape.
The first winner at Wimbledon was Spencer Gore. He didn't think the game would catch on.
In 1498, Charles VIII of France hit his head on the door of a primitive tennis court and died.
A tennis match takes approximately 2.5 hours. The ball is only in play for approximately 20 minutes of the 2.5 hours.
The longest match was 11 hours and five minutes long. It took place over a period of three days.
Before 1986, the tennis balls used at Wimbledon were not yellow. The color was added to allow people to see the ball better while in play.
Venus Williams has the fastest recorded serve (for women) at 205km per hour.
Venus Williams and her sister Serena both won Olympic gold medals for tennis. They are the first set of sisters to accomplish this.
The only major tennis tournament still being played on grass is at Wimbledon. At the U.S. Open and the Australian Open they play on hard courts, and at the French Open they play on red clay courts.
Women who played in the first Wimbledon tournaments had to wear full-length dresses.
The first person to wear shorts at Wimbledon did so in 1932. His name was Henry Austin and it is said that he shocked Queen Mary.
Arthur Ashe was the first African American to win the U.S. Open.
Tennis was first played in the Olympics in 1896, and then removed in 1924. In 1988 it was re-added to the Olympics as a real event.
Tennis has been part of the Paralympic Games since 1992.
The person to hold the records for the most Grand Slam single titles is Margaret Smith Court, with 24.
Tiffany & Co. make the U.S. Open Trophy.
Millions of people play tennis recreationally.
For the first one hundred years that modern tennis was played, the strings of the racquets were made from the guts of animals.
Until 1997, the maximum length of a racquet frame was 32 inches. In 1997 it was changed to 29 inches.
For those under the age of 18, who are still under a parent or guardian's supervision, they can play junior tennis. With a parent's signature, they can still play on the adult tours, as well as junior tournaments.


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