


Tennis balls are made of rubber halves moulded together with a hollow core. The net across the middle of the court measures 0.91m high in the centre, and 1.07m at the ends. A oourt measures 23.77 metres in length, 8.23m in width for singles, with doubles courts at 10.97m wide. The first official tournament in the world was held in London in 1877, Wimbledon.Ī tennis court is a flat court surface of grass, clay or hard courts (cement, synthetic rubber, carpet etc). The influence of the English at the beginning is clearer. The name changed to tennis because before they served, the monks used to shout the word “tenez”, which means to take or to receive in French. One suggestion is that tennis originated in the 12th century, when French monks used their hands to hit the ball on a rope hanging in a courtyard. Others credit the French and English with creating the game of tennis more recently. Some talk about a version played by ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, thousands of years ago. There’s a World Real Tennis Championship which is decided by a challenge match, where a player challenges the champion to defend his title. Players use pear-shaped rackets to hit cloth balls. The courts is split into the ‘service’ side and the ‘hazard’ side in which the receiver stands. Court roofs slope over the net which is 1.5 metres high at the sides, and 0.9 metres in the middle. Otherwise, real tennis is only played at around 40 courts worldwide.Ī real tennis court is indoors, with 4 irregularly sized walls and enclosed. Real Tennis was also known as Court Tennis or Royal Tennis, and there’s even a court that’s still used at Hampton Court Palace, where Henry VIII played. That then evolved into what’s now known as “real tennis” which has been played as far back as the Middle Ages. Modern racket sports have evolved way back from an old game called “jeu de paume” or “game of the palm”. What is the origin of racket sports and their evolution * Ad – contains affiliate links What are the most played racket sports The origin of the word “racquet” comes from the Flemish work “raketsen” which came from the Middle French word “rachasser”, or “to strike the ball back”. But nowadays, racket is more frequently used which is the standard spelling in the United States. In the past I used to use racquet, as the old traditional term that’s generally used. While most people have heard of the main 4 racket sports – tennis, badminton, squash and table tennis – there are so many other variations played across the world. They also tend to be relatively cheap to start playing, assuming there are public courts available nearby. One of the reasons for the popularity of racket sports is how accessible they are. Racket sports are some of the most popular sports around the world, for both playing and watching. What is the origin of racket sports and their evolution.
