If you’re looking for a sport that will keep you healthy and that will be fun for you, the piece below gives an overview on why tennis could be that sport.
The history of this sport dates back to the second half of the 19th century. That’s when the term “lawn tennis” appeared, translated as tennis on the lawn. That was the term professionals apply to modern lawn tennis.
Tennis is a beautiful, dynamic and elegant game that helps you relax after hard work, socialize with friends and forget all hardships. Tennis is a beautiful, vibrant, sleek game that lets you relax after hard work, socialize with friends and forget all your worries. The Texas holdem poker live has the same qualities, but it is not as active a game.
History
The precursor of modern tennis was real tennis, which was introduced to the world in the 6th century.
Real tennis was played in monasteries in teams of 6. Initially, the ball was hit with a hand, then a glove, a bat, and, in the 16th century, a racket and a net appeared.
It is worth noting that, by this time, real tennis was played by many European kings. Then, the game moved from the occasional premises to unique rooms, which the elite built up in their castles. But, for a long time, real tennis remained the destiny of the elite due to limited space and a small number of participants.
The history of transforming real tennis into lawn tennis (modern lawn tennis) is unknown. But some sources claim that it was invented in Wales in 1873 by Major Walter Wingfield.
He created it as entertainment for his guests in his mansion, having borrowed much from real tennis and badminton. For example, the height of the net at first was the same as in badminton – one and a half meters.
In 1874 Wingfield patented lawn tennis because even then, its commercial success was evident. But this did not help limit the number of adherents of the game, and lawn tennis began to spread rapidly across Britain and the United States.
Over time, competitors began to appear, producing equipment for the game. And in 1877, Wingfield refused to renew his patent – the game became “popular.”
Wimbledon, one of the most prestigious tournaments, officially started in 1877. After that, other tennis tournaments began to appear. For example, the first competition between national teams, the Davis Cup, dates back to 1900.
In addition, tennis has been included in the list of Olympic sports since the first Olympics in 1896. However, it should be noted that the game was removed from the Olympic program for more than 50 years and restored only in 1988.
The first professional tennis players began to appear in the twenties of the last century, and in the early seventies, the Open Era began, according to which all tournaments are open and united in several extensive tours held by the international organizations ATP, ITF, and WTA.
What is Tennis?
Tennis is a double or team game where the main principle is to hit the ball with an exceptional racket (stringed surface), following specific rules.
The game takes place on a unique platform – the court. One of the most important conditions of the court is the presence of a unique surface, which comes in several kinds: fast and slow hard, ground and grass.
Each of these surfaces corresponds to a Grand Slam tournament – four of the most prestigious competitions in the world of tennis.
The slow court is used at the Australian Open. Then, the French Open, the Roland Garros follows it in the calendar year. It is followed by the oldest competition, this time on grass – Wimbledon. The last Grand Slam tournament in chronology is the US Open, matches of which are held on hard court.
The court area is divided into several sections. The central location is used when playing one-on-one, while the side courts begin to count during a doubles match. In addition to singles, there are doubles and doubles mix, that is, a team of two people, a man, and a woman.
The game begins with a serve of one of the tennis players, when he tosses the ball in the air, knocking it to the opponent’s side. A point is scored when the ball hits the court more than once, or the defender fails to hit the ball. As soon as the tennis player wins the fourth point, he is awarded a game. Each game in tennis is played for six games.
At regular tournaments, men need to win three games, and women need to win two. At Grand Slam tournaments, the men must win five sets to advance. The girls, on the other hand, are the same.
What is the secret of tennis’ growing popularity?
Grand tennis draws the attention of viewers and players alike because of its spectacular format. There is no age restriction in the game. You can start a professional career at the age of 17-20 and play for fun with friends at 40.
The age of six is considered ideal to start learning tennis. However, some champions prove that a person’s drive and coordination are much more critical to achieving high results.
Grand tennis is considered an athletic sport that requires comprehensive training from the player. Physical and mental skills must be trained in oneself. After serving, the athlete is in constant motion, which requires good stamina.
During one round, there are a lot of physical actions, not to mention the psychological and moral impact. Such loads on the body have a beneficial effect on the respiratory, muscular, and cardiovascular systems.
Many factors influence the increase of tennis popularity:
- The success of professional athletes of international class;
- Infrastructure development in the residential areas (sports complexes, grounds);
- Holding of regional and oblast’s tournaments;
- Motivation by the state by granting different grants.
At present, tennis has established itself as a sporting hobby among office workers and fans of dynamic sports. To achieve good results in the sport, it is necessary to have good physical training. A tennis player must have a powerful serve, a quick reaction time, and the ability to move quickly around the court.
When an athlete wins an international tournament, it positively impacts the development of the discipline in the country. More courts are built, and the government allocates money for the development of sports infrastructure.
A striking example is Serbia, where the famous tennis player Novak Djokovic is from. He is considered one of the best players in the history of tennis. Thanks to him, the country learned about great tennis, and thousands of spectators followed their champion and were inspired to pick up a racket for the first time.
Also, Serbia is famous in live poker, as well as in the whole of Europe.
The benefits of tennis for a person
Tennis is exceptionally healthy. During the training, all muscle groups work actively: back, legs, arms, as well as abs, and neck, which will allow you to form a beautiful and harmoniously developed figure without resorting to different exercises and classes on several simulators for working out other muscle groups.
Tennis lessons help improve the joints, positively affect the cardiovascular system, and improve the respiratory system by stimulating the flow of oxygen to all organs and body systems. In addition, playing tennis helps strengthen the immune system, speeds up metabolism, and promotes rapid weight loss.
Tennis has a beneficial effect on a person’s psychological state, helps to release accumulated psychological stress, cope with anxiety and depression, has a positive impact on the nervous system, and gives a significant emotional charge and a feeling of satisfaction that is no less important than physical activity for the modern man.
Tennis deservedly belongs to intellectual sports. Playing tennis promotes the reaction, agility, strength, and endurance, improves coordination, and stimulates the development of strategic thinking, memory, and self-discipline.
Tennis will help you acquire such essential qualities as attentiveness, assertiveness, determination, and the ability to think logically and make quick and correct decisions.
Tennis positively influences a child’s intellectual and psychological development: it disciplines, develops strong-willed qualities, fosters teamwork skills, and helps personal growth and self-actualization.