History of Tennis

The origins of tennis, although not very clear, can be traced as follows: in 1873, an Englishman, Major Walter Wingfield, invented a game that he modeled after an ancient Greek game called Sphairistiké (Greek for "playing at ball"). Some experts say that he combined elements of badminton and squash into a new set of rules and this is how tennis was born. In 1873, the game was introduced on the island of Bermuda, from where it traveled further to the continental United States.

The first tennis championship of the world took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, England. The men’s championships were in 1877 and the ladies edition followed in 1884. Today this tournament is known more popularly as simply, the Wimbledon championships. By the end of the 19th century, the influence of colonialism ensured that tennis was introduced to British colonies and also to various other nations of the world. In the United States, local rules and standards for the game varied widely until 1881. Then the United States Lawn Tennis Association (now the USTA) was formed with the purpose of standardizing tennis rules and equipment. Thus, play for the annual U.S. singles championships for men began in Newport, Rhode Island in 1881. The national men's singles championships took place annually in Newport until 1915, when they moved to the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York.

The national women's singles matches began in 1887 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club and continued there until 1921, when they were also brought to Forest Hills. In 1978 the U.S. championships, which had been renamed the U.S. Open in 1968, moved to the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in New York City.

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