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Watching two players smashing it out on the court as a Lawn Tennis pro, relishing high tea and sandwiches, Lawn Tennis is an intricate and power-packed game that needs tremendous talent and years of training, and it has a quaint charm about it that will never go out of style. It also has a rich legacy associated with its origin and progression.

A Brief Overview & History of Lawn Tennis

Origins

Tennis is said to have originated in Ancient Egypt, according to several historians. The term “racket” is said to have originated from the Arabic word “rakhat,” which meaning “palm.” However, the most widespread belief is that tennis was first played by French monks in the 11th and 12th centuries. From 1872, when the first lawn tennis club was founded, tennis started to develop into a professional sport. On the lawns of the Leamington resort, Hoa Pereira, a Portuguese businessman, and doctors Wellesley Tomkins and Frederick Haynes played a Spanish game called pelota with a ball. Later, the original lawn tennis regulations were developed (tennis on a lawn).

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Wingfield

Although it is difficult to determine the exact origins of the game, it is widely acknowledged that a British army commander named Walter Clopton Wingfield created tennis rules in 1873, eventually renaming it “lawn tennis.” He saw lawn tennis as having a lot of commercial potentials and copyrighted it, even though he couldn’t explain its invention. Mr. Winfield claimed to have based his game on the ideas of the Greek game “Sphairistike” (Greek for playing ball). Many experts believe he just incorporated the concepts of popular English activities like as playing on courts, using squash rackets, and playing badminton in the open air. Wingfield’s game was originally referred to as “tennis on the green” by early tennis players since it was played on the green grass court.

Lawn Tennis Association

When tennis became more profitable in the 1920s, the bulk of amateur players turned professional. Tennis began to expand throughout English colonies towards the end of the nineteenth century, first in Australia and subsequently throughout the world. The regulations for lawn tennis in the United States were continually changing until 1991 when the USTA (United States Lawn Tennis Association) was founded. The regulations for lawn tennis and tournament procedures have been established by the association. Under the auspices of the organization, annual men’s single tournaments were conducted in Newport (1881). In 1887, Philadelphia hosted the inaugural women’s competition.

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All India Tennis Association

AITA is the governing body of tennis in India.

• Established in: March 1920
• Headquarter: New Delhi
• President: Anil Jain
• Official website: www.aitatennis.com

Lawn Tennis Equipment

Lawn Tennis Racket

Lawn Tennis Racket head size

The head size of the lawn tennis racket basically denotes the total surface area of the frame & strings. The bigger the tennis racket head size, the more surface area one gets to hit the ball. In its simplest form, the bigger the head size then the easier it is to hit the ball.

• A large head size: Over 100 square inches
• Medium head size: 96 - 100 square inches
• Small head size: 96 square inches

Tennis racket weight

• Heavy tennis racket: More than 310 grams (or 11 ounces)
• Medium tennis racket: 300 grams (or 10.6 ounces)
• Light tennis racket: Less than 285 grams (10 ounces)

String pattern

• Average string pattern: 16 main and 19 cross (16/19)
• Open string pattern for spin and power: 16 main and 18 cross (16/18)
• Closed string pattern for control: 18 main and 20 cross (18/20)

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Lawn Tennis Court Dimensions & Layout

Tennis courts are 2,808 square feet in size and measure 78 feet by 36 feet. However, only doubles matches are played over the whole court. The singles court is 2,106 square feet and spans 78 feet by 27 feet.

Lawn Tennis Rules

• For play to continue, the ball must land within boundaries; if a player hits the ball outside of bounds, they would lose a point.
• Players and teams are not allowed to touch the net or cross over to the other team’s side.
• The ball cannot be carried or caught with the racquet by the players or teams.
• Players are not allowed to strike the ball twice.
• Players must wait until the ball has passed through the net before returning it.
• A player loses a point if he or she does not return a live ball before it bounces twice.
• It is a penalty if the ball strikes or touches the players.
• A penalty is imposed if the racquet leaves the player’s grasp or if verbal abuse occurs.
• Any ball that bounces on the boundary lines is considered a good ball.
• Before the receiving player can return a serve, it must first bounce.

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Scoring in Lawn Tennis

Who Serves First in lawn tennis?

The toss determines which player or team serves first by flipping a coin or spinning a racket. If the call is correct, the player or team who made it gets to serve first. The player or team who made the incorrect call selects which side of the court to play on initially.