The earliest origins of tennis are a matter of some dispute. Now they come in several colors, with yellow being the preferable color of choice. Lottie Dod wins her first Wimbledon Ladies Singles (Lottie win her first singles match with only 15 years). The palm game soon came to be called "real tennis" or "royal". Alongside her sister Venus, Serena Williams is also a proud owner of four Olympic gold medals, while her elder sister also has four Olympic gold medals alongside taking one silver medal which she won in the mixed doubles in Rio in 2016, making her the tennis player with the most Olympic medals in history, with five medals. The “decisive set” (i.e., the fifth set) with no tie break was still used by Wimbledon only, This resulted in John Isner of America beating Frenchman Nicolas Mahut by a record score of 70 games to 68 after playing for 11 hours and 5 minutes, with the fifth set going on for 8 hours 11 minutes, during the first round in 2010. In this game the ball was struck with the hand. 1880 ▪ BIRTH OF OVERHEAD SMASH ▪The overhead smash was introduced into the game for the first time in the history of tennis by the Renshaw brothers in Wimbledon. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The origins of the game can be traced to a 12th–13th-century French handball game called jeu de paume (“game of the palm”), from which was derived a complex indoor racket-and-ball game: real tennis. The victor was an Englishman, O.E. Tennis is still an indoor game played by royal and rich benefactors. The winner, Richard Sears, was U.S. champion for seven consecutive years. Racket frames, which had been of a standard size and shape and constructed primarily of laminated wood, were suddenly manufactured in a wide choice of sizes, shapes, and materials, the most significant milestones being the introduction of metal frames beginning in 1967 and the oversized head in 1976.

If I look back in 10 more years, I look back on this, and I’m going to be so happy. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. To achieve a golden Grand Slam a player must win all four Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold medal during his or her career. If the score got to 6 all, then the first player to win 7 points wins the set. Wingfield deals Sphairistike in boxes that feature two net posts, a net, rackets, and India rubber balls, plus instructions about laying out the court and actually playing the game.

It is held at Newport, Rhode Island. In 1884 a women’s championship was introduced at Wimbledon, and women’s national championships were held in the United States starting in 1887. After he won two gold medals in Athens in 2004 (the men’s singles and doubles categories), he was happy to declare that: “I was so happy because this is my best memory in my sports career.