Interesting Facts about Tennis

Did you know that prior to the use of rackets in tennis, people used their palms to hit the ball back and forth? The palm method was replaced in the 1500s when rackets were introduced. The word tennis evolved from the French term ‘tenez'. The modern game became much more structured in the 1800s, and the first Wimbledon Championships were played in 1877 in London, England. These interesting records and facts about tennis are a definite must know for all tennis fans.

 

1.) Rectangular courts were created in 1875 for Wimbledon. Originally, the court was an hour-glass shape.

2.)The first patented version of tennis, lawn tennis, was given the name Sphairistike. It was created by Major Walter Clopton and patented in 1874.

3.) Before 1986, tennis balls used at Wimbledon were not yellow. The colour was added to allow people to see the ball better while in play.

4.) Women who played in the first Wimbledon tournaments had to wear full-length dresses.

5.)The longest match was 11 hours and five minutes long. It took place over a period of three days. It was between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. Isner finally won the battle.

6.) Though he hasn’t had much success on the ATP Tour, Aussie Samuel Groth set the serve speed record in 2012, registering at 163.4 mph.

7.) American Jimmy Connors won 109 singles titles in his incredible career, which included 8 Majors. For women, Martina Navratilova was the all-time champ with 167 singles titles!

8.) The strings of the tennis racket were made of cow and sheep guts in the past for the first one hundred years modern tennis was played.

9.) Boris Becker was the first unseeded player ever to win the Wimbledon in 1985. He was only 17 years old at the time. He also became the first German and the youngest player to win the title.

10.)The first winner at Wimbledon was Spencer Gore. He didn't think the game would catch on......

Hope you enjoyed reading some fun facts about tennis. Be sure to stay tuned for my next post !