Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

The Game of Tennis Over the eight centuries before modern tennis was invented there was only one game called Tennis. As the popularity of the modern game increased, there had to be a name to distinguish ‘old tennis’ from modern tennis. Real Tennis is the name in the UK, Court Tennis in the USA, and Royal Tennis in Australia. The game originated in France sometime in the 12th century and was referred to in ecclesiastical manuscripts as "jes de paume," the game of the palm, played with the bare hand. As early as the 12th century, a glove was used to protect the hand. Starting in the 16th century and continuing until the middle of the 18th century, rackets of varying shapes and sizes were used. Around 1750, the present configuration of lopsided head, thick gut, and longer handle were used. The shape of the racket enabled the player to scoop balls out of the corners (walls and floor were considered in-bounds) and also to put ‘cut’ or ‘spin’ on the ball. Royalty and the very wealthy mainly played the game. Balls of the early days of tennis were made of leather stuffed with wool or hair. They were hard enough to cause injury and even death. Starting in the 18th century, ¾" strips of wool were wound tightly around a