Recognized as the 6th most played sport around the world by an estimated 60 million men and women, is Tennis. Names of players like “Federer”, “Nadal”, and “Djokovic” will go down in history. Tennis goes beyond just players and matches, it’s history already displays this, but how did tennis become the phenomenon it is today?
Tennis: A Brief History
The French game “Je de Paum” (Game of Hand), a primitive courtyard ball game played in Monasteries around the 1000s, can be considered the roots of the sport. Due to the game’s increased popularity over time, by the 13th Century, there were 1,800 indoor courts built around Europe. King Louis I and the Pope tried unsuccessfully to outlaw the game because of its notoriety. In addition to Monasteries, members of the nobility also began to play. In England, Kings Henry VII and VIII developed an affinity for the game and ordered the construction of numerous courts across the country, even the Hampton Court Palace, built in 1625, which still stands today.
Some decades later, Major Walter C. Wignfield, licensed the rules and tools for a game similar to tennis but known as Sphairistike, which is Greek for “playing at ball”, in London in 1874. His regulations were criticized and adapted, but their influence on Tennis cannot be underestimated. In 1874, the United States saw the introduction of the first courts, and a year later, sets of equipment to play the game were being sold in China, India, Russia, and Canada.
The organizing committee substituted a rectangular court for Whigfield’s oddly shaped one and instituted a set of regulations that effectively define the current game. The event, which was first held to raise funds to repair a damaged roller at the club, quickly became probably the most renowned Tennis Championships in the world.
The initial Wimbledon Championships solely featured men’s single matches; women weren’t permitted to compete until 1884. Players were also required to wear caps, ties, and shoes with heels and were sanctioned if they did not. Tennis balls were sewn by hand, and only underarm serves were permitted. The Championship was also held in a private club just off Worple Street; it wasn’t until 1922 that it moved to its current site on Church Road.
Tennis and Wimbledon have not significantly changed since its first competition. The tiebreaker rules’ implementation and women being authorized to compete as the only significant alterations to the regulations.
Tennis at Graded:
The sport isn’t only popular in Europe, it is here at Graded too. Mr. Vergara, the head coach of Varsity Tennis at Graded, explained that when he joined the school, the Tennis program was already set, however, it was much more of a program for beginners than a competitive one. “I helped to formalize the program, bringing better coaches and internal competition to later compete against other schools, like other Varsity sports do. Last year was the first SAAC Tennis, a big milestone, and Graded set a high bar as hosts.”. Mr. V mentioned that this was proof that the initial goal of making the program more serious was achieved – this was the first year High School Tennis had its own tryouts due to how popular it became. He finalizes the interview by stating that even though the program developed, there is still much to grow, revealing that his next goal is to raise the program’s bar, bringing Athletes to a UTR Ranking, with external competition to make athletes part of Brazil’s Tennis Confederation.
Mr. Boerner, the Graded superintendent, told The Talon the story behind the construction of the Graded Athletic Center and Tennis Courts. Jorge Paulo Lemann, the Brazilian-Swiss economist, businessman, and Graded supporter (his children were Graded alumni, and he donated to both the Outreach Program and the Arts Center) brought the Tennis facility to Graded. “When I entered Graded, back in 2016, the Athletic Center project was being developed and we wanted some assistance to fund it. When I met Lemann and showed him the Athletics Center project, he mentioned that he would only be interested in supporting this project if we added tennis to it, as the sport wasn’t going to be part of the renovation.”, stated Mr. Boerner “Graded was losing its old tennis courts (located where the beach tennis court is), so we redesigned the whole project to fit the tennis courts, it was a perfect match”. In fact, Lemann is quite an accomplished tennis player, he already played the Wimbledon championship in the 60s and is a strong believer in the impact sports can have on one’s life. The gift agreement was made back in 2016, and the opening happened in 2018. Lemann was supposed to play at the courts’ opening, at the age of 79, however, he was having a double knee surgery, thus he just spoke at the inauguration event.
Rivalries, Championships, Gender Equality
In 1986, tennis became an Olympic sport, being featured regularly around the world and increasing its popularity. As with other sports in the Olympics, the public became attached to the players who represented their countries and started to follow them in their careers. Tennis became much more well-known with the introduction of the TV in the middle of the 20th Century. Players like Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova, etc. became more recognized as a result of major tournaments like the Grand Slams: Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the Australian Open, and Roland Garros being broadcasted to a global audience. The results of these tournaments give points to players, creating a global ranking.
As a consequence of the game being aired, the public began to pay attention to players with charisma as well as skill, bringing to life historic rivalries like Borg vs. McEnroe and Federer vs. Nadal. These rivalries captured the imagination of sports fans and brought a new level of excitement to the game – making tennis the phenomenon we know. People don’t need to play or even understand the game, but by being aired so frequently with such excitement from fans, it is close to impossible to not be aware of the current “Legends of Tennis”.
Tennis fans carefully followed these player’s head-to-head competitions, which escalated them to a global event. Federer, Nadal and Djovokic, often referred to as the “Big Three”, have dominated men’s Tennis for more than a decade. Their rivalry is so intense as all three of them have won more than 20 Grand Slam Championships (Wimbledon, US Open, Roland Garros, and Australian Open) and have regularly competed at the greatest level.
Due to its family nature and significant influence on women’s tennis, the rivalry between Serena and Venus Williams is also iconic. These sisters, champions on their own, have competed against each other in Grand Slam finals, engaged in high-level matches, and held the No.1 ranking. It has gone beyond sports, motivating a new generation of athletes and raising women’s tennis profile and appeal on a global scale.
Men’s tennis has historically been more appreciated than women’s due to aspects like longer matches, marketing, and media attention; which reflects on the behavior of society over time. Male athletes dominated the sport and drew in large numbers of viewers from around the world. Men’s matches were frequently scheduled with prime-time slots and main courts. However, with the rise of athletes such as Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, and more recently, Naomi Osaka and Ashleigh Barty, women’s tennis has been slowly moving in the direction of equity. Current players like Bia Haddad Maia, Iga Świątek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff are slowly winning the public’s hearts. Changes in match scheduling, pay equity, and diversity initiatives, have all contributed to ending with the popularity difference. Despite past differences, women’s tennis continues to grow and evolve gaining the attention and respect it has long waited for. The 2023 US Open, celebrated the fact that 50 years ago, the competition was the first sporting event to offer equal price for both women and men.
Even with 60 million women and men playing Tennis, the sport continues to grow, even here at Graded. From a game played in monasteries to a global phenomenon, Tennis’ influence cannot be underestimated. After all, it reflects changes in society, a testament to the lives changed and impacted.
Sources:
https://www.history.co.uk/history-of-sports/history-of-tennis
https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/atoz/history.html
https://www.rookieroad.com/tennis/top-10-tennis-rivalries-all-time/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Three_(tennis)
