How To Play Tennis

History Of Tennis

Tennis is an old classic sport with roots dating all the way back to ancient Greece. The great writer William Shakespeare also gave mention to the game of tennis the 16th century in his play Henry V. Modern tennis was more formally developed in the early 1860s. Spanish inventors combined elements of one of their traditional games with new rules to amuse guests at lawn parties. Early versions of it were actually played on lawns designed for the game of croquette.

Official rules for the game of tennis were developed in 1881 (the same year that the sport of basketball was invented). The world famous tennis tournament at Wimbledon in London is one of the oldest professional sporting competitions, dating back to its first occurrence in 1887. This sport became especially popular in English speaking countries such as The United States and Great Britain. The very first professional tour of tennis players took place in 1926, when a group of French and American played games in front of audiences that paid cash to watch the event.

Tennis Basics

Tennis is typically played on two different court surfaces, grass and clay. Clay courts tend to make a tennis game move slowly. Due to the hardness of the clay surfaces, ball bounce higher and slow down the returns. The grass courts are considered “faster” than clay, since the ball does not bounce as high, and therefore is more difficult to return.

The game can be played by two opponents, in what is known as singles competition, or four opponents, in doubles competition by four opponents divided into teams of two. A larger court space is allotted for the doubles competition than the singles competition.

How To Play Tennis

In its most basic form, singles tennis, players stand on opposite sides of a net and try to hit a ball back and forth to each other with a racket using various strokes. There are two basic tennis strokes, the forehand and the backhand. Forehand strokes are the most basic foundation of the game, and also the easiest stroke to make. The backhand is considered more difficult.

One of the most important tennis skills is the serve. The serve is the first element in the game, when one player stands outside the court area and sends the ball to their opponent to begin the competition. Serves by professional players can exceed speeds of 90 miles per hour. Many points can be scored if an opponent cannot return fast serves. Learning the forehand, backhand, and serve will enable a beginner to participate in a basic tennis game.