# Origins · Tennis Level 9: Master

Tennis · Level 9: Master · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/tennis/level-9/origins/)

Origins in Tennis (Level 9: Master) on Insporta: 40 sourced facts behind 4 tests. Covers: the game of the palm; wingfield and sphairistike; and more.

Where tennis came from: the French game of the palm, Major Wingfield's boxed game of 1874, the bouncing rubber ball, and the first Wimbledon in 1877.

## Test 1: The game of the palm

- Early players struck the ball with the palm of the hand, before rackets existed. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- Histories trace the game to monks in France, who played against courtyard walls. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- Players protected the hand first, and only much later did a strung frame take its place. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- The racket arrived in the early 1500s, after centuries of hand and glove play. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- The 'tenez' origin is the most widely repeated, though historians still debate it. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- As the game spread among the nobility, purpose-built indoor courts appeared. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- Lawn tennis borrowed its name and ideas, including the scoring, from the older real tennis. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- Each step gave more reach and protection, ending with strings in the 16th century. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- Jeu de paume developed into real tennis with rackets, and lawn tennis came in the 1870s. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- A walled indoor court with a sloping roof, the 'penthouse', is the court of real tennis. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))

## Test 2: Wingfield and Sphairistike

- Wingfield introduced and patented his game in 1874. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages)
- He gave it a Greek name meaning roughly 'ball skill'. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages)
- Sphairistike comes from Greek and means something like 'ball skill'. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages)
- Families could buy a box and set up the game on their own lawn. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages)
- The rectangular court came later, when the rules were revised. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- Once the patent expired, clubs and players developed the game on their own lines. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages)
- Others were experimenting too, but Wingfield's patent and sets spread the game widely. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages)
- The game was introduced in 1874; in 1877 the patent lapsed and the first Wimbledon took place. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages)
- The boxed set held everything needed to turn a lawn into a court. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages)
- Wingfield's court narrowed at the net; the rectangle came later. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))

## Test 3: The ball and the lawn

- Real tennis balls hardly bounced on grass; rubber balls did. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- A ball designed for hard indoor floors had too little bounce on grass. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- Croquet lawns were flat and smooth, which suited the new game. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- The All England Croquet Club took up lawn tennis and held the first Championships in 1877. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- The odd 15-30-40 count came across from the older game. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- A lawn, a boxed set and mixed play made it a popular social pastime. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame, history pages)
- One popular theory links it to a clock face, but no explanation is proven. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- A bouncing ball was the key that took the game from indoor courts to grass. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- The count runs 15, 30, 40 and then game. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))
- The rubber ball bounces well on grass; the old stuffed ball does not. (Source: ITF, History of tennis (itftennis.com))

## Test 4: The first Wimbledon

- July 1877 saw the first Championships, three years after Wingfield's game appeared. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- Only one event was played in 1877; other events came later. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- Gore beat William Marshall in the final. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- The first Championships drew 22 entrants. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- A small crowd of about 200 paid a shilling to watch. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- Women's singles arrived seven years after the first Championships. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- The first ladies' final was between two sisters, Maud and Lilian Watson. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- 1877, 1884 and 1968. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- 1874, 1877 and 1884 follow one another. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)
- 1874 is Wingfield's game, 1877 the first Wimbledon and 1884 the first Ladies' Singles. (Source: Wimbledon, history of The Championships)

Sources: ITF history, International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Grand Slam tournaments' own histories, Davis Cup, Olympedia and ATP. Original questions authored, nothing reproduced.

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