|
     
|
|  |
ALL ABOUT TENNIS
by Jerry Hill
http://www.yotennis.com
Tennis, or whatever name you put to it, is nothing more
than hitting a ball with a tennis racquet over a net. But
people across the globe love tennis. They get just as much
satisfaction watching matches and cheering people on as
they do actually playing it as a form of exercise.
Its roots lie in 5th century Italy but racquets hadn~t
been invented so hands were the only tools and ~courts~
were just Italian roads. It took until the 16th and 17th
century for its attractiveness to be recognised and even
Royals such as Prince Albert and Edward VII tried their
hand at it.
Lawn tennis with actual tennis courts wasn~t introduced
until 1874. Tennis court designs vary from place to place
but tennis is still a firm favourite. Professional tennis
sprung up shortly after courts were designed. New playing
methods were invented and championships such as the French
Open, US Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open began. To
win all four of these is known as a Grand Slam.
It was the amazing efforts of an Australian tennis player,
Jack Crawford that started off the term Grand Slam.
Journalist John Kieran called his efforts this when
Crawford tried to gain all four championships in 1933. He
failed, but US player Donald Budge made it in 1938.
It~s no mean feat to try and get the Grand Slam. A British
tennis player, Fred Perry, came close when he won all
four, but it wasn~t within the same calendar year so it
didn~t count. Only four other tennis players have won the
Grand Slam since Budge; Maureen Connolly back in 1953, non
professional Rod Laver in 1962, Margaret Court in 1971 and
the great Steffi Graff in 1988. There~s only one man in
the world that has won it twice and that~s Laver in 1962
and 1969.
It took a woman from New York, Mary Ewing Outerbridge, to
bring the fantastic game of tennis over to America in 1873
after she played it in Bermuda. Matches are incredibly
tough in tennis today and new methodologies are invented
all the time. People still adore it though, whether they
prefer to watch the big trophy games on television or be
playing it themselves on Saturday afternoons. After all,
it~s not just a spectator sport for your enjoyment, it~s a
fabulous form of keep fit too!
Submit An Article
|
©
COPYRIGHT 2005 ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED fttennis.com
|
Get Exposure For Your Site! Advertise with us.
Click
Here For Details
on a Great Deal! |
|
|
Would you like
more information on tennis?
Sign up here for our mailing list. You will get great information
before it becomes available on our website!
|
|
