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History of Tennis

Uploaded by tyson_626 on Feb 23, 2005

Tennis

The origins of tennis are mysterious and unknown. Although some historians have claimed that tennis was developed as far back as Ancient Egypt. However, the first recorded ball and racquet game was first played by monks located somewhere in southern France around the beginning of the twelfth century. They usually played with their hands and hit the ball against a wall. However, the monks soon developed crude instruments with which to strike the ball. They also developed the first type of playing court, which was usually the monastery courtyard. It is there where they devised a crude net with a rope to divide the playing areas. Over the next few centuries, the game spread to several countries in Europe, and it developed several variations. By the start of the nineteenth century, the game became popular and competitive in Great Britain and quickly developed into today's modern tennis, which now consists of many organizations with numerous levels of competition for all ages and skill.

One of the main competitive organizations in the United States is the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The USTA is divided into three age groups. These age groups are junior, adult, and senior. The junior age group usually ranges from ages eight to eighteen. This program primarily focuses on the development of the player without breaching his or her amateur status. The next two age levels are adult and senior. These two levels have a wide range of amateur and professional tournaments for all levels of play. The USTA works in conjunction with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the next level of competition for advanced tennis players who are attending a college or university. The ITA is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Included in the ITA is the current membership of every coaching staff in all of the NCAA Divisions, NAIA Divisions, and also all of the junior college divisions. Through the ITA Intercollegiate Program, over 5,000 players at ITA-member schools participate in 80 ITA Regional Championships, which culminates into the Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships for NCAA Division I and the ITA National Small College Championships. At the next level, some advance amateur and college players choose to join the professional tour.

There are two main professional tours in the world. Those two are the Association of...

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Uploaded by:   tyson_626

Date:   02/23/2005

Category:   Sports

Length:   3 pages (763 words)

Views:   17447

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