The History of Tennis

Most historians credit the origins of the game of tennis to the 11th or 12th century French monks who would play a handball game, and took on the name jeu de paume, meaning “game of the hand.” The word tennis may have derived from the French word tenez, which idiomatically means “let’s play” or “take this.”

As the game became more popular, bare handed play moved to the use of leather gloves. Following this technique, webbing or the use of a solid paddle became standard. As the game evolved, the use of webbing in the paddle became popular, resembling the racquet used today. The ball was made of wood, wool, or cork and was wrapped in sting or a leather ball filled with air. The rubber ball came with the introduction of lawn tennis the late 1800’s, using vulcanized rubber. The game of tennis game became popular in France by the royal family and caught on from there, worldwide.

The rules have undergone a fair amount of changes until it developed into the modern game of tennis as we know today.

Tennis Court Options

Typically there are four different kinds of tennis courts. Each tennis court has there own advantages and disadvantages. Today, professional and amateur tennis players have become accustom to playing on a variety of different courts. These courts include:

Clay Tennis Courts
Hard Tennis Courts
Grass Tennis Courts
Tennis Court Tiles

VersaCourt provides a unique way to perfect your tennis game with our state-of-the-are tennis court tiles. These tiles are design to help improve your game while keeping you safe on the tennis court.

For more information about VersaCourt’s tennis court surface options, call .