Tennis

The popular sport of tennis, originally called “La Soule,” can be traced back to 1500BC, shown in carvings from the Egyptian temples. Tennis was first played as a part of religious ceremonies and in the 8th century, Tennis had reached the Moor Empire, in which was incidentally spread into Europe. Christian monks, curious about the Moor Empire, were introduced to the game so much that the Christian church wanted to ban the game because it was so popular among the monasteries. The game was soon adopted by French royalty and spread to the English royalty. Around 1875, the All England Croquet Club tried to attract more members by adding “Lawn Tennis” to their activities. It was so successful that in 1877, the All England Croquet Club became known as the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. A tournament was later established, known as the Wimbledon Championship. Originally, there were twenty-two players and around 200 spectators. The Wimbledon Championship is still valid today, and over 6,000 spectators attend the tournament, which is held annually between late June and the beginning of July.

Sometimes known as “lawn tennis,” tennis is a very popular sport and can be played by either two or four people. The court is separated by a net, which divides the player(s) equally. The first person to begin the game is known as a server, who has two tries to hit a ball with a racket, sending the ball across the net onto the opponent’s side of the court, who is also known as the receiver. Play continues between the two players by hitting the ball to the opponent’s court, and if a player fails to hit the ball across the net, the opponent scores a point. To win a game, a player must score four points, and to win a set, players must play six games. If players are competing against each other to win a match, they must play two or three sets. The beginning score of 0-0 is known as “love.” The first two points in a game are counted by fifteens. Thus, the first point is fifteen; second is thirty; and not following the previous rule is the third point, which is forty. The winning point of the game occurs when the score returns to love. If the score is tied, it is known as deuce, in which case one player must win by two points. If the server wins the next point and thus, ends the game, it is called an advantage-in. If the situation is reversed with the receiver winning the game, it is called an advantage-out.

Although I am not a big fan of sports, I have played tennis and I enjoyed it. However, there is a big difference between playing it yourself and watching it. I try to watch tennis, since I do not play anymore, but I do not enjoy it. I cannot sit still long enough to pay attention to a ball being passed between the two courts; it is a little tedious.