Modern tennis evolved from the much older ball and net games like Court Tennis, Badminton, and Squash. In 1873 Major Walter C. Wingfield invented lawn tennis and in 1877 the All England Croquet Club at Wimbledon held the first Lawn Tennis Championship which Spencer Grove won. Mary Ewing Outerbridge of New York brought the game to the US in 1874, while vacationing in Bermuda, she had met a friend of Wingfield who introduced her to the game, and in 1881 the first US Open was held at Newport R.I. and in 1887 a women’s championship was organized ( women’s tennis was introduced at Wimbledon in 1884 ). Richard Sears won the first seven US Open Championships.

In 1905 the first Australian Open was held and won by Rodney Heath. Wimbledon discontinued play between 1915-18 because of World War 1…and the Aussie Open followed suit from 1916-18…the US Open continued to run throughout the war.
The French Open began in 1925 with René Lacoste winning the event. These four events are now commonly referred to as The Grand Slam.
During World War 2 Wimbleton and the French Open was suspended through the years 1940-45, the Aussie Open again followed suit between 1941-45, and the US Open continued unabated, as before.

The first Wimbledon Championship was held in 1877, but the first dominant player was William Renshaw who won the championship title 7 times between 1881 and 1889, in 1887 he was the runner-up, and in 1888 his twin brother Ernest won…and his record still holds true and unbeaten even today. In 1905 Wimbledon attracted 71 contestants, and the first ‘ international ‘ participant…May Sutton, from the US. The first radio broadcast of a match in 1927 brought with it much needed exposure and increased popularity. After the war it soon regained it’s form and with the introduction of televised events…well…like they say…the rest is history.

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Tags: History, Tennis