Tennis is an amazing sport and I had the gracious opportunity to learn it.
I’ve been playing tennis for over 5 years now (so technically we don’t go that far back). But how far back does this sport really go? Well…this sport’s origin can be traced back to the 12th century. I know right, wow! But at that time it wasn’t called tennis, the courts weren’t tennis courts, the balls were different, and the game was different altogether. This game was called jeu de paume, it’s French and it means “game of the palm”.
Even though it won’t seem like the sport we know and love today, everything has to start from somewhere right? Overall, this sport wasn’t too far off from modern day tennis. The racquets eventually had strings sewn into them and the courts also eventually had netting. The height of the net was a bit different though. The game itself was probably played with slightly different rules give or take some. This sport was considered a royal sport to the French and was an expensive sport to learn and master (looks like somethings haven’t changed). By the 17the century this sport became more like tennis. The players had a general understanding of modern day doubles and some illustrations show a game played in front of the kings and queens. Such as this one…
This illustration depicts exactly how a game would be played in the 17th century. Another difference between modern day tennis and 17th century jeu de paume is the attire. The early 17th century was a part of the late renaissance. This was a time of scientific advancements and breakthrough as well as a “rebirth” of the arts. During the renaissance, the typical wardrobe would consist of fancy hats, shoes, suits, gowns, and so on. That being said, sports attire wasn’t all so different.
In the picture above one thing you’ll notice right away is that the players are wearing tights, fancy trousers, and dress shoes. At least they played this sport inside. If it was outside… good luck to them. Today’s tennis attire consists of light shirts, shorts, or skits. Tennis is one of those sports which require you maximum physical effort for every game. There’s a reason why we no longer play in tights. Another thing you’ll notice in the picture is that there are only men playing the sport. Around this time in history, women weren’t allowed to do nearly as many things as men one of them being sports. This custom obviously changed over the years.
Incredible female tennis players like Serena Williams have accomplished amazing feats in the world of sports. It’s always good to know the history behind things you love to do. It only gives you more to love about it.
