The Early Origins of Tennis

With a diverse career background and extensive experience in leadership positions, Andrew Allis is a senior sales professional living in Madison, CT. Andrew Allis has also worked in the CT freight transportation industry for nearly 20 years. In his free time, he enjoys reading and practicing physical activities such as swimming and playing tennis.

Tennis is a popular sport with origins going back to the 12th to 13th century French game called jeu de paume, or the game of the palm. The original, indoor-played jeu de paume is still practiced in some places; in Australia, it is called royal tennis, and in Britain, it is called real tennis.

However, modern lawn tennis was officially introduced in 1873 by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield. It became much more popular, and millions of people currently play it.

Major Wingfield published the first book of tennis rules and patented his game in 1874. Although this is the game's official origin, historians discovered that the first tennis club was actually developed in 1872, by the Englishman Harry Gem and his associates.