A Short History of Tennis and How to Choose Your Tennis Equipment

Tennis, as we all know it today has been around a little more than a century. The game of "Sphairistike" was invented by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield and is considered the immediate ancestor of lawn tennis. It was first played by the Major in 1873 on a grassy court in Wales. The game originally was called "Sticky" and then came to be known as 'lawn tennis'. Soon this new lawn sport was being played all over England on hourglass-shaped courts. Then in 1875 the 'All England Croquet Club' opened up part of it's grounds for the new 'lawn tennis' sport. Soon after, the governing body of the old "royal" tennis sport drew up a code of rules for 'lawn tennis'.

In the United State the first championship was held at Newport, Rhode Island by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1881. Then the tournament was moved to Forest Hills in 1924, and in 1977 was again moved to the National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York.

By 1900, tennis became an international sport. Britain and the United States held the first Davis Cup Match at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Mass. in 1900. It was first played to promote international competition, and today has become a major event, hosting more than 50 countries! Tennis is growing today as both an amateur and professional sport. Back through the 1960's and 1970's tennis had the fastest growth for any participation sport. There were over 29 million players in 1976!

Choosing your tennis equipment and clothing can be a bewildering task. With all of the merchandise on the shelves today, it can be daunting! The first item you will need is a good tennis racket that feels comfortable to you. Rackets are made of aluminum and composite materials. An aluminum racket is the cheapest, while a composite one is generally more expensive. The most expensive rackets will contain more graphite and less fiberglass, but may not be the best choice for a beginning tennis player because of it's stiff and unresponsive tendencies. A racket in the mid-price range will probably be best for the club player and amateur or beginner.