220px tennis racket and balls

Evolution of Tennis

By chrisog
  • 1000

    First Sign of Evidence

    First Sign of Evidence
    Around the year 1000, there were first signs of the game we know as tennis today being played. The Monks would use their hands to hit a wooden ball over a net.

  • Spreading to Europe

    Spreading to Europe
    Over the next serval hundred years, the game started to spread in Europe. By this time the sport was moved inside and was played with a bouncer, leather ball, and a paddle with webbings.

  • Tennis Comes to England

    Tennis Comes to England
    One of the first early courts that was made in 1625 is still used today. The court was constructed in Hampton Court Palace. Henry VII and Henry VIII directed that buildings were made for courts.

  • Death of Tennis????

    Death of Tennis????
    Even though during the past years Tennis was becoming more and more popular it was said that around the year 1700 the game was almost dead.

  • Birth of Lawn Tennis

    Birth of Lawn Tennis
    Charles Goodyear created a process that made natural rubber much more durable and allowed it more applicable for everyday use. This rubber allowed the ball to bounce of grass.

  • Rules Starting to Shape

    Rules Starting to Shape
    Walter Clopton Wingfield created the rules, balls, and racquets for an outdoor version of tennis. Walter didn't call this game tennis though he called it sphairistike which is Greek for play ball.

  • England's Repair

    England's Repair
    Three years after Walter Clopton Wingfield created rules and rackets for his sphairistike England wanted to raise money to repair some broken equipment. Not only that the courts they had could easily be fixed to sphairistike.

  • First Tennis Tournament

    First Tennis Tournament
    The club decided to hold the first tennis tournament, in a suburb of London. They called this tournament Wimbledon. The thing was the Tournament didn't allow Wingfield's hourglass-shaped court and rewrote many of the rules, this was starting the shape of the court we know today.

  • USTA

    USTA
    During the year 1881, the USTA was founded. The USTA is United States Tennis Association, The USTA is a not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis.

  • ITF

    ITF
    The ITF was founded March 1, 1913. The ITF sets up the four major tournaments also known as the four grand slams Wimbledon, U.S Open, Australian Open, and French Open.