Tennis is the direct descendent of the French game jeu de paume, invented in the 11th century. It was originally played with bare hands, but the racquet was invented in the 16th century. Tennis's popularity then spread over England very quickly. They played tennis with a rubber ball on grass. The first Wimbledon Tournament was held in 1877. Other surfaces to play on were also popularized, including hard-court and clay. Women also started playing tennis, though they wore long dresses that were definetely hard to play in! In the early 1900's, tennis was growing popularity from all over the world. The national tennis associations decided to join forces and make the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). In the 1930's the "Grand Slams" were introduced. They are the four major tournaments, the Australian Open, the US Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon. The only person to ever win all four tournaments in one season is Steffi Graf. Racqets were originally made out of wood, but then started to be made out of titanium, graphite, carbon, and steel, so the racquet would be light but have more power.
A drawing of the first ever Wimbeldon tournament.
Charlotte Cooper, who was the first ever woman to become an Olympic Champion in 1900, even with that long dress!
The four Grand Slam tournaments.
Steffi Graf, the only person to get a "Golden Slam", in other words, win all Grand Slam titles in one season.