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TENNIS HIGHLIGHTS
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.
The game of tennis can be dated back to around the 5th
century where it was played in Italy except then, people
would hit a ball with their hands and the streets were the
~courts.~ Then in the 16th and 17th centuries, the game
grew even more popular, played by many royals such as
Prince Albert and Edward VII.
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.
The Grand Slam all started back in 1933 when an Australian
tennis player by the name of Jack Crawford tried to win
all four. His attempt was so incredible that a
journalist, John Kieran, coined the name. Although
Crawford failed, Donald Budge, an American tennis player
succeeded in 1938.
Interestingly, Fred Perry, a tennis player from Great
Britain came close when he won the four championships but
unfortunately for him, not within the same calendar year.
Winning the Grand Slam is not an easy feat and since
Budge, just four other tennis players have followed suit.
Maureen Connolly won the Grand Slam in 1953, Rod Laver in
1962 and he was just an amateur, Margaret Court in 1971,
and Steffi Graf in 1988. However, Laver is the only player
to win a Grand Slam twice, the first in 1962 and the
second in 1969.
A woman by the name of Mary Ewing Outerbridge who lived in
New York had been to Bermuda where she was introduced to
the game. Thanks to her, she introduced America to this
wonderful sport in 1873 and the rest is history. Today,
the competition is still tough, new techniques are still
being developed, and people are still enjoying the game.
For some people, they stay glued to the television during
competitions while other people spend Saturday afternoons
on the court. In addition to tremendous fun, tennis is
also an excellent way to get into shape!
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