• The Old Order.
• About Africa.
• About Europe.
• About the Caribbean.
• African Slave Trade.
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  Transition Period
• The Transition
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Tennis- Ancient Beginnings.
Internet research.

"..Ball games can be traced back to ancient times and the earliest representations can be found in carvings in Egyptian temples dating from 1500BC. The Ancient Egyptians and the people that followed actually played ball games as part of their religious ceremonies. These traditions and the whole concept of the ball game spread into Europe in the 8th century, the influence spread by the Moors whose Empire reached into Southern France. As strange as it may seem, it was the meeting of this eastern culture with Christianity which eventually gave rise to tennis!

Christian Monks became interested in the religious rites of the Moors and were the first Europeans to play the ball game that was to become tennis. The earliest version of the game was called 'La Soule' where players would hit a ball to each other using either their hands or a stick. The game became very popular in Monasteries all over Europe, so much so that the Church of the day even considered prohibiting the game!

This very early version of tennis, where the ball was often hit against courtyard walls, soon made it out of the monasteries and during the 12th and 13th centuries it was to develop further. Players found that they had more control over the ball using just their hands, so the natural development was to create a leather glove. It was only a matter of time before the glove was supplemented with a wooden handle - creating the very first tennis racket! The balls were refined too, moving from solid wood to much softer designs made of leather stuffed with bran. The game soon became very popular, particularly in France where it was adopted by Royalty.

Real Tennis
It was in France that the game as we know it today really came into being. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries it became the highly fashionable sport of kings and noblemen and was called ' Jeu de paumme' - the game of the palm. Early French players would begin a game by shouting 'tenez' i.e. 'Play!' and the game soon became known as Royal, or Real Tennis.

Real tennis was actually very different to the game that we know today. It was played indoors, in large galleries with jutting roofs and points were won according to how the ball was played off of the gallery walls. This is very different to today's Lawn Tennis, where the rectangular court is laid out on a grass surface and the play is within marked boundaries, not off of the walls. Another key difference is that Real tennis used a system of chases. In today's game if a ball bounces twice it is dead. In Real Tennis however, a marker would mark the point of the second bounce. This was known as the chase. In addition to playing for points, opponents would compete by trying to put their chase as close as possible to their opponents back wall. A player who had lagged behind in the points could come from behind to win the match by being more skilful at the chase.

After its initial rise in popularity with the French nobility, tennis spread throughout Europe, becoming particularly popular in England. As in France the game became recognised as the sport of kings. Henry VIII was a very keen player and built a court at his palace in Hampton Court, still used today by Real Tennis enthusiasts. Tennis wasn't just confined to France and England though, and the game also spread to Spain, Italy, Holland, Switzerland and Germany. In the 18th century however, the game went into decline, the French revolution and the Napoleonic wars virtually eliminating it across most of Europe.

Lawn Tennis
This was to change in the 19th century when Victorian prosperity in England prompted a significant revival. Courts were built in many famous country houses and the first tennis clubs providing facilities for members began to appear. In was during this period that the game of Lawn Tennis began to emerge. Enthusiasts had been trying for some time to adapt the game into an open-air sport and as strange as it may seem this was largely brought about by the development of vulcanized rubber. This enabled the production of balls that were soft enough so as not to damage the grass, but which still retained the elasticity and liveliness of rubber.

Another important factor was the ease and simplicity of Lawn Tennis. All that was needed was a flat grass surface and Lawn Tennis courts became commonplace in the rolling estates of the wealthy. Real Tennis had always been the domain of royalty and nobility but in Victorian England the sport was soon embraced by the upper classes.

The term Lawn Tennis was coined by Arthur Balfour, a British Statesman and it didn't take long before lawn surfaces were replaced with various turf derivatives and eventually clay and concrete. Within a very short time Lawn Tennis began to replace croquet as the summer sport. The biggest boost for tennis however came in 1875. The All England Croquet Club, formed in 1869 had failed to attract enough visitors and in 1875 they decided to offer Lawn Tennis as an added attraction. The new game was an instant success, so much so that in 1877 the name of the club was changed to the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. Rising rents at their four-acre site in the London suburb of Wimbledon however, meant that the club had to raise additional funds. Later that year the first ever Lawn Tennis tournament was organised. A committee was established to draw up a set of rules the first tournament went ahead with 22 players, watched by some 200 spectators. The Wimbledon Championship was born.

Wimbledon - The World's Favourite Tournament

The Wimbledon Championship was one of the most significant developments in the history of tennis. The game captured the imagination of the public and it didn't take long before the first champions emerged. The first of these was William Renshaw who won the championship title 8 times between 1881 and 1889 (he was runner-up in 1887) - a record that remains unbeaten today.

Over the next few years the sport gained tremendous popularity, not just in England but all over the world and in 1905 May Sutton from the USA became the first international player. In this year the tournament attracted 71 players. A few years later in 1909 the now titled All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club adopted the purple and green colours still used today.

The growth of tennis continued and the 1927 Championship saw the first ever radio braodcast of a tennis event. This increased it's popularity further and in the 1930s the game became highly fashionable, led by British stars such as Fred Perry and Don Budge and International Champions such as Henri Lacoste. You'll notice from the photographs that tennis fashions were somewhat different in those days! Long trousers were the order of the day for men, and for women it was long dresses and stockings.

Fashion trends became a development in their own right and Bunny Austin from the USA shocked the crowds in 1933 when he became the first player to step out on to centre court wearing shorts! The 1930's became Wimbledon's boom time and in 1937, the championship was broadcast on the radio for the first time. This was a significant event, truly introducing tennis to the world.

Fred Perry
Henri Lacoste
All this came to a sudden end in 1939 when the second world war closed the championships until 1946. (Incidentally this was the last year at Wimbledon when a player wore long trousers on court!) The post war generation went on to transform the sport, adding technical improvements which turned it into a sophisticated pastime for the middle classes. The 1960s were dominated by Australian Players Rod Laver and Roy Emerson and with the spread of television introducing the game to a much wider audience, tennis became a big-money, international sport. The first colour television broadcast from Wimbledon came in 1967.

Billie Jean King
Thoughout the 1970s and 1980s the game became dominated by the new legion of international players and crowds became captivated by the likes of Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe. In the ladies game stars such as Sue Barker, Chris Evert Lloyd and Martina Navratilova filled the courts with fans. Britain's foremost ladies player was Virginia Wade, the last Brit to win the Championships in 1977. The prize money went up, as did the hemlines of players clothing! In 1986 the Championships adopted yellow tennis balls for the first time - partly to make the speeding balls more visible for television cameras

Virginia Wade
Bjorn Borg
Jimmy Connors
Sue Barker
Martina Navratilova
Into the 1990s the championships became more popular than ever - particularly as Great Britain's hopes for a champion became rekindled with the likes of Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman. Despite being a truly international event, Wimbledon has become the British sporting event of the year.

Tennis - The Sport for All
Today, tennis is a world-class competitive sport captivating millions of players and fans all round the world. A constant programme of tournaments and events takes place throughout the year and top players have become sporting icons for a new generation. Something that was once the pastime of Kings has become a sport for all.

That's why the Cliff Richard Tennis Foundation is so passionate about taking tennis into every school in the country. We may or may not find the next Wimbledon Champion, but we will at least introduce thousands to a sport that will change their lives in so many positive ways.

If you have found this history of tennis interesting we strongly recommend a visit to the Tennis Museum at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club - the home of the Wimbledon Championships. The Museum has a vast collection of tennis memorabilia and exhibits covering the history of the game, the development of rackets and balls and the paraphernalia of the modern game. There is also a chance to view Centre Court - one of the Museum's main attractions. To visit the website, where you'll find details of opening times and admission fees, click on the Wimbledon Championships logo....."

Source
© The Cliff Richard Tennis Development Trust 2000. Registered Charity No. 1005647. Disclaimer
Hosted by EasySpace Developed & Managed by Avalon Internet.
Below is a historical quotation in support of tennis:

" To see Good Tennis! What divine joy Can fill our leisure, or our minds employ? Let other people play at other things; The King of Games is still the Game of Kings " from Parker's Piece by J.K.Stephen

History of The Championships Part II: The All England Club, 1946-present

The Beginning
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which is responsible for staging the world's leading tennis tournament, is a private Club founded in 1868, originally as 'The All England Croquet Club' and its first ground was situated off Worple Road, Wimbledon

In 1875 lawn tennis, a game introduced by major Walter Clpton Wingfield year or so earlier and originally called 'Sphairistike', was added to the activities of the Club. In the spring of 1877 the Club was re-titled 'The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club' and signalled its change of name by instituting the first Lawn Tennis Championship. A new code of laws, hitherto administered by the M.C.C. was drawn up for the meeting. These have stood the test of time and today's rules are similar except for details such as the height of the net and posts and the distance of the service line from the net.

The only event held in 1877 was the Gentlemen's Singles which was won by Spencer Gore, an old Harrovian rackets player, from a field of 22. Spectators paid one shilling to watch the final. About 200 spectators paid one shilling to watch the final.

The lawns at the Ground were arranged in such a way that the principal court was situated in the middle with the others arranged around it; hence the title 'Centre Court', which was retained when the Club moved in 1922 to the present site in Church Road, although not a true description of its location. However, in 1980- four new courts were brought into commission on the north side of the ground, which meant the Centre Court was once more correctly defined. The opening on the new No.1 Court in 1997 emphasised the description.

By 1882 activity at the Club was almost exclusively confined to lawn tennis and that year the word 'croquet' was dropped from the title. However, for sentimental reasons, it was restored in 1899 and since then the title has remained 'The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club'.

Enter the Ladies
Lottie Dod
© Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
In 1884 the Ladies' Singles was inaugurated and from an entry of 13 players, Maud Watson became the champion. That same year, the Gentlemen's Doubles was started, the trophy being donated to the Club by Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club upon cessation of their doubles championship, played from 1879 to 1883.

As the popularity of Wimbledon increased, the facilities for spectators were suitably improved. Permanent stands gradually took the place of temporary accommodation as by the mid-1880s crowds flocked to see the prowess of British twins, Ernest and William Renshaw, who separately and as doubles partners won 13 titles between 1881 and 1889. The boom in popularity of the game in this period became known as the 'Renshaw Rush'.

For a period in the nineties public affection for Wimbledon waned, but in 1897 the legendary Doherty brothers, Laurie and Reggie, began their ten-year rule of the courts and soon capacity crowds reappeared.

Overseas Champions
By the turn of the century, Wimbledon had assumed an international character and in 1905, May Sutton of the United States became the first Champion from overseas when she won the Ladies' Singles. She repeated her success in 1907, the year when Norman Brookes of Australia became the first Gentlemen's Singles champion from overseas.
Since that year, only two players from Great Britain, Arthur Gore and Fred Perry, have managed to win the event. Anthony Wilding of New Zealand became champion from 1910-1913 and as the war clouds gathered over Europe, Norman Brookes regained the title.

A New Home
Prior to the First World War the facilities at Worple Road were expanded to meet the ever growing demand of the public and a move to larger premises was planned. This was not achieved until 1922 when the present ground in Church Road was opened by King George V. The foresight of building the present stadium , designed to hold 14,000 people, did more to popularise the game worldwide than anything that has happened to date.
The new ground, which many thought would turn out to be a 'white elephant' was financed partly from the accumulated reserves of the Club and partly by the issue of Debentures. Misgivings about the future popularity of The Championships were soon dispelled and applications for tickets in the first year were such that they had to be issued by a ballot - a system that has been adopted for every Championship since.

The move to Church Road coincided with a break in tradition, whereby the Challenge Round was abolished in favour of the holder playing through each round.

Wimbledon Thrives
Fred Perry and Jack Crawford
© Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
Each year during the twenties, France produced at least one singles champion. Towards the end of Suzanne Lenglen's reign the famous 'Four Musketeers', Jean Borota, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and Rene Lacoste, appeared on the scene and during the next ten years won six titles and five doubles titles between them. Britain's Kitty McKane (Godfree) won the Ladies' Singles in 1924 and 1926 and a year later Helen Wills of the United States stated her conquest.
Wimbledon continued to thrive in the thirties. Bill Tilden returned at the age of 38 to gain his third crown and in 1931 Cilly Assem registered Germany's first win in the Ladies' Singles. The following year over 200,000 spectators were present for the first time.

The years from 1934 to 1937 were a golden era for British tennis, when a total of 11 titles were captured, including three singles in succession by Fred Perry and two by Dorothy Round. During the same period Great Britain successfully defended the Davis Cup three times in Challenge Rounds staged on the Centre Court. The years just before the Second World War belonged to the United States. Donald Budge won all three events in 1937 and 1938, Helen Wills Moody captured the Ladies' Singles for the eight time and Alice Marble brought a new dimension to ladies' tennis with her serve and volley game.

Wartime Wimbledon
During the Second World War the Club managed to remain open despite a severe curtailment of staff. The premises were used for a variety of civil defence and military functions such as fire and ambulance services, Home Guard and a decontamination unit. Troops stationed within the vicinity were allowed to use the main concourse for drilling. Another familiar sight around the ground was a small farmyard consisting of pigs, hens, geese, rabbits, etc. In October 1940 a 'stick' of five 500lb bombs struck Centre Court, resulting in the loss of 1,200 seats.
With the war in Europe over, signs of normality began to return to Wimbledon during June and July 1945, when a series of matches between Allied servicemen took place on the old No.1 Court, which had escaped enemy action. During August the final stages of the United States European Championships were played and Charles Hare, an Englishman serving in the US Army, became champion.

History of The Championships Part II: The All England Club, 1946-present --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Information taken from 'This is Wimbledon, 2003'- available in The Wimbledon Online Shop (£2.00)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wimbledon History Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum

History of The Championships Part I History of The Championships Part II

Statistics and Records Crowd Attendances Figures Prize Money 1968-2003 Wimbledon Surplus 1877-2003 Rolls of Honour....."

Source: Internet research

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