Timeline
Middle Ages
Tennis starts in cloisters and market streets
The origins of tennis lie in ball games played in cloisters and market streets. These various hand ball games were invariably known as jeu de paume in France in the Middle Ages.
Although many different versions of jeu de paume spread, such as longue paume which continues to have a limited following in Picardy, tennis spread the furthest. For many years tennis lacked a uniform set of rules, standardized and purpose-built courts, and even rackets. Instead it was played by hand on streets and against walls with various local rules and would no doubt appear extremely basic to modern spectators.
1316
Death of King Louis X
The first known player of jeu de paume was King Louis X, known for his untimely death in 1316 after playing and subsequently catching a chill.
Louis X was the first in a long line of monarchs who patronised the sport, for which reason tennis has often been seen as the preserve of nobility and royalty. It is in fact more likely that it started with clergy or commoners, and was taken up by noblemen at a later date. Whatever the true, ancient origins of jeu de paume, tennis was being talked of by the fourteenth century and was soon to spread across Europe.
1365
Edward III attempts to ban tennis
Despite many English and French monarchs enjoying tennis, they seem to have been concerned by such enjoyment among commoners. In particular, improving tennis skills at the expense of archery and other martial skills was definitely not allowed.
Edward III was one of many such monarchs when he attempted to ban “handball, football, or hockey . . . or other such idle games” in 1365. Charles V attempted the same in France but four years later.
Further edicts followed:
- Richard II ordained that “Servants shall use only Bows and Arrows, and leave idle Games” (12 Ric. II cap. 6, 1388)
- Henry IV commanded labourers and servants to “utterly leave playing at the Balls, as well Hand Ball as Foot Ball” (11 Hen. IV cap. 4, 1409)
- Edward IV blamed tennis and other games for causing impoverishment and leading to “many Murders, Robberies and other heinous Felonies” (17 Ed. IV cap. 3, 1477)
- Henry VIII observed that the decay of archery skill was in part to the “customable usaige of Tenys Play, Bowls, Classhe [skittles] and other unlawful games” (3 Hen. VIII cap. 3, 1511)
- Mary Tudor attempted “to make voyde dyvers lycences of Houses wherein unlawfull Games be used” (2&3 Phil. & Mary cap. 9, 1555)
c. 1367
The first known mention of “tenes”
Sometime in the late 1360s Donato Velluti wrote his Cronica di Firenze and it is here that “tenes” is first mentioned, describing an episode when a group of French knights introduced the game to Florence in 1325.
c. 1400
The first known mention of “tenetz” in English
In c. AD 1400 “tenetz” is mentioned in John Gower’s In Praise of Peace. Evidence suggests that tennis comes from the French tenez which seems to have been called out before each rally as a warning (tenez means “hold” or “pay attention”). Visitors to France could have related this game which required a call of “tenez” simply as “tennis”.
1506
Early reference to a racket
The turn of the 16th century saw tennis take a major step forward as rackets began to be used. And by the end of the 16th century use of them was standard.
In 1506 the King of Castile visited Henry VII at Windsor Castle and played tennis against the Marquess of Dorset. Because the King had a racket and the Marquess was still using his hand, he gave a handicap of 15 to the Marquess. Such a meagre handicap suggests that the early racket-designs gave a fairly limited advantage over an opponent. A summary of the evolution of the racket can be found here.
1509
Henry VIII accedes to the throne
Henry VIII was the greatest English patron of tennis in the 16th century. His longest lasting tennis legacy is that he built the first court at Hampton Court Palace where play continues to thrive. He also played at Windsor Castle, Richmond Palace, Greenwich Palace and Westminster among other venues. And, naturally, he included a tennis court when he built St James’s Palace.
It is said that Henry VIII was on court when news of Anne Boleyn’s execution was brought to him. It is a false rumour, however, that Henry VIII invented the system of chases so that he would have to avoid running too far. Chases have in fact been associated with tennis from its very earliest years.
1515
François I accedes to the throne
The counterpart to Henry VIII in France was François I. His reign was of a similar length and ended at the same time (1547), and he was the greatest patron of tennis in France in the 16th century.
François I built courts at the Louvre, the Chateau de Saint-German and Fontainebleau. Perhaps his greatest act of self-aggrandizement was when he built a war ship complete with a tennis court. Intended to rival Henry VIII’s own great man-of-war Henry Grace à Dieu, François’s La Grande Françoise proved to be too big for its own good and sank two months after her launch.
1539
Falkland Palace court is built
Falkland Palace is the oldest tennis court in the world still in use. It was built by King James V of Scotland as a jeu quarré court as opposed to a court à dedans. The court has a completely different feel because it lacks a dedans and only has a penthouse on one side of the court, but it is an essential stop off point for pilgrims of tennis.
1547
Deaths of Henry VIII and François I
When Henry VIII and François I both died in 1547 tennis lost two great patrons and protagonists of 16th century tennis. Their successors ensured royal interest in tennis continued, particularly Henri IV at the end of the century.
c. 1555
First tennis treatise is written
We see the beginnings of a move to codification and education as Antonio Scanio wrote the first treatise on tennis in c. 1555, his Trattato del Giuco della Palla. Scanio describes a variety of different games, but reserves his highest praise for what he calls “the cord game” and which is tennis as we now know it. He is an invaluable source for the courts and equipment involved at the time.
1590
French courts and churches
The centre of the tennis world in the sixteenth century was France. The sport flourished and courts sprung up all over the country. By 1590 France had approximately as many tennis courts as churches. At least, so recorded Robert Dallington, a secretary at the English embassy in Paris.
A diplomatic counterpart, the Venetian ambassador to the French court, suggested there were 1800 courts in Paris alone at this time. Hyperbole may be at work here, but there were clearly prodigious quantities of courts in France at this time..
c. 1592
First tennis rules are written
A common set of rules were bound to become a requirement of such a popular sport. A master professional by the name of Forbet fulfilled this task.
c. 1599
Shakespeare’s Henry V
William Shakespeare references tennis in at least five plays. The most famous and most extended mention is in Henry V (c. 1599) where the Dauphin mocks King Henry’s claim to the French throne by sending a gift of tennis balls. Enraged, Henry gives a powerful speech in response.
Nor was this speech wholly invented by Shakespeare. Thomas Otterbourne lived during Henry V’s reign and provides the speech’s theme. For more Shakespearean and literary examples, see here.
Henry V, I.2. 270ff.:
We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us;
His present and your pains we thank you for:
When we have march’d our rackets to these balls,
We will, in France, by God’s grace, play a set
Shall strike his father’s crown into the hazard.
Tell him he hath made a match with such a wrangler
That all the courts of France will be disturb’d
With chaces. . .
1606
Caravaggio kills his opponent
The Italian painter was an enthusiastic tennis player who got into a tangle on court one day. The precise circumstances of his quarrel are still debated, but it would be no surprise if a gambling debt was involved.
For more information on the crossover between art and tennis see here. Particular attention to Caravaggio and a painting influenced by this incident cannot surpass Cees de Bondt’s blog.
1642
The start of the English Civil War
Charles I was an enthusiastic tennis player, and even the outbreak of civil war couldn’t keep him away from this past time. He may have had to play in Oxford instead of in Whitehall, but he still successfully applied to Parliament to replenish his tennis wardrobe.
1657
Court numbers in Paris decline
The popularity of tennis seems to have continued in the 17th century, although the number of courts in Paris certainly declined.
1659
First mention of tennis in America
By the end of the seventeenth century, tennis had started to wane in Europe. In America, the story was just beginning.
In 1659, Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of New Netherland, established 15th October as a day of fasting and prayer and stated: “In order that it may be the better put into practice, we interdict and forbid during divine service on the day aforesaid, all exercise and games of tennis, ball-playing, hunting, fishing, ploughing and sowing…”.
1660
Tennis and theatre
The shape of a tennis court naturally leant itself towards theatrical performances, and a number of tennis courts would be converted for use as a stage.
1664
Samuel Pepys watches tennis
Like his father, Charles II was a keen tennis player. Samuel Pepys writes of the King playing a match on 4th January 1664:
“to see how the King’s play was extolled without any cause at all, was a loathsome sight, though sometimes, indeed, he did play very well and deserved to be commended”.
1740
Clergé is the first known world champion
Despite the 18th century see tennis on the wane, Clergé is identified as the first world champion in 1740. Real tennis is the oldest sport with a world championship that is contested to this day. More on the world championship can be found here.
1789
The French Revolution begins
Rackets and balls may have been conspicuously absent, but tennis will forever have a place in French history for its small staging role in the French Revolution.
A tennis court provided the backdrop to the infamous gathering of the French third estate on the court at Versailles where they said:
“We swear never to separate ourselves from the National Assembly, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the realm is drawn up and fixed upon solid foundations.”
Jacqus-Louis David would never complete the giant canvas he intended, but still produced a fine representation of this famous scene. More on his The Tennis Court Oath can be found here.
1829
Jacques Edmond Barre becomes world champion
France lost its appetite for tennis in the post-revolution years as it was seen as a preserve of the aristocracy. That didn’t stop some fantastic French players leaving their mark on the game in the following 150 years. Jacques Edmond Barre was the pre-eminent player of the 19th century. He became world champion in 1829 and would hold the title until 1862. More on the world championship can be found here.
1842
The Hatfield House court is built
In 19th century England it became fashionable for country estates to include tennis courts, and a spate of building occurred which spilled over into the early 20th century. Tennis, sports and gentleman’s clubs also added tennis courts to their facilities, started from scratch with them, or renovated existing courts.
Not all the courts built in this period still exist, but the list of 17 surviving courts built from 1842-1911 can be found here. These courts are invariably built to an extremely high standard and are still considered some of the best courts to play on today. See also 1888 for the role of Joseph Bickley in this regard.
1859
The University Match
Oxford and Cambridge first contested their varsity match at the old James Street Court in 1859 with the dark blues taking the prize. It has been held every year ever since with exception only made for the two World Wars and 1864 which makes it the oldest annual tennis fixture still contested. A fuller history can be found here.
1872
The MCC publishes their Rules of Tennis
As with many other modern sports, the Victorians codified tennis. In 1872 the Marylebone Cricket Club published their Rules of Tennis which have changed little to this day.
For the full history of Tennis at Lord’s, please click here.
1873
The birth of lawn tennis
The discovery of vulcanised rubber in the early 19th century was a game changer for tennis. It enabled balls to be made which would bounce on grass as traditional tennis balls never did. And when Major Walter Clopton Wingfield took the game of tennis outside, a new game was born.
The game was originally patented as Sphairistike (Greek for skill at ball playing). The name was later simplified to reflect its tennis origins and its outdoor nature: “lawn tennis”. Lawn tennis is played around the world, most notably at Flushing Meadows, Melbourne Park, and Roland Garros, even if the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is the only grand slam venue still contested on grass, and is also the only grand slam lawn tennis tournament correctly named.
“Real” tennis did not die, but has evidently been overtaken in popularity by its offspring. It has been known as court tennis in America since at least 1955 when the United States Court Tennis Association (USCTA) was formed. Twenty years later the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) dropped its L to become the USTA.
Australia used the term royal tennis for many years, but before the start of the 21st century adopted real tennis, and France calls the game courte paume. In the UK the Tennis and Rackets Association is the governing body of real tennis (as the game is now widely known) and the Lawn Tennis Association governs the game’s counterpart. Enthusiasts for the Oxford “-er” suffix may on occasion refer to “realers” and “lawners”.
1875
Hobart builds a court
Hobart was the first club built in Australia, and seven years later Melbourne followed suit.
1876
Boston builds its first court
America also built most of their courts from 1876-1924. Just over half of the courts built at this time survive.
1888
Joseph Bickley builds Queen’s
When it comes to court building, the influence of Joseph Bickley cannot be overstated. He built the courts at Queen’s (1888) and Tuxedo (1899) and most courts in the UK and USA subsequently were built by him or using his methods. Some of his secrets unfortunately disappeared with his death in 1923 and still today we cannot replicate the way that he build his plastered walls which continue to play perfectly after 130 years of use.
1908
Olympic Gold
London, 1908, was the first and only time that real tennis was contested in the Olympics. Jay Gould was the pre-eminent amateur of the time (he would become the first amateur world champion six years later) and took home the gold medal at The Queen’s Club. Britain and the USA were the only two teams to enter players, and the small number of nations who play is no doubt part of the reason why London rejected real tennis’s bid to be included in the 2012 Olympics.
1914
Jay Gould wins the world championship
Jay Gould was the first ever amateur to become world champion. He earned the title shortly before the outbreak of the First World War which would prevent him from defending his title the following year. Once he resigned the title, it was agreed that Fred Covey would reclaim the title by default.
Nonetheless, Gould continued to play at the highest level and between 1906-1926, he dominated the US Amateur, failing to lose a set in this time.
More on the world championship can be found here.
1928
Pierre Etchebaster becomes world champion
Etchebaster was a late comer to tennis. He had excelled at pelota, the traditional game of the Basque region, before his call up during the First World War. His accession to the world title so soon after his introduction to tennis in 1922 is remarkable, and many hypothesise just how good he could have been if he’d learnt tennis earlier. Regardless, he was considered to be the finest player to grace the game when he retired in 1955 at the age of 61.
Perhaps the only blip in his record is the fact that it took him two challenges to defeat Fred Covey to become world champion. Yet no subsequent world champion could match the longevity of Etchebaster until Rob Fahey’s arrival in 1994.
More on the world championship can be found here.
1975
Melbourne opens its new club
Rising costs forced the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club to sell up and move premises in the 1970s, but the new club has been a tremendous success with its two, high quality tennis courts. Future world champion Chris Ronaldson became the club’s new professional and helped ensure a large and enthusiastic membership.
Ballarat built its own court in 1984 amidst a wider resurgence in tennis popularity. Over in the UK, Jesmond Dene was reopened in 1981, Holyport was restored in 1986 and the 1990s saw a new generation of freshly built courts.
1983
The modern handicap system
One of the most important developments in the game was the modern Handicap system. While handicaps have been used throughout the history of tennis it used to be much more of an art than a science.
This changed in 1983 when Charles Wade led a drive to devise a better handicap system more similar to golf and Chris Ronaldson produced the maths behind the modern algorithm. This handicap system is regarded as the best in sport and allows players of very different standards to enjoy competitive matches.
1985
Inaugural Ladies’ World Championship
An important development in the game came when the inaugural ladies’ world championship was held in 1985 in Melbourne, where Judy Clarke of Australia beat Lesley Ronaldson of the UK.
The ladies’ world championship has a knock out format (instead of the challenge process used by the world championship for c. 200 years), and ladies’ tennis has gone from strength to strength ever since. Held biennially, it has only had five champions in its first thirty five years.
See the world championship history for more details.
1990
The Oratory School court opens
The 1990s heralded a new generation of courts, with The Oratory leading the charge. Hot on its heels were The Harbour Club, Bristol, Prested Hall, Middlesex, Sydney (Australia) and McLean (Virginia). And courts were restored at Cambridge, Newmarket, The Hyde and reopened at Lakewood (New Jersey) and Newport (Rhode Island).
1994
Rob Fahey wins his first World Championship
Rob Fahey beat Wayne Davies nine sets to five in a match shared between New York and Hobart. Fahey would go on undefeated in the world championship until 2016 when Camden Riviere beat him at Newport, Rhode Island. Two years later, Fahey retook his crown from Riviere, and is justly considered to be the greatest player of all time
For more on the world championship, see here.
2008
Radley College opens its court
Tennis has thrived in the early 21st century. New courts were opened at Radley in 2008 and Wellington in 2016; in 2012 Chicago (Illinois) converted its tennis court back to its original use after 76 years as an indoor lawn tennis court; French courts in Pau, Bayonne and La Bastide-Clairance are occasionally being used for tennis; a new court in Bordeaux was built in 2020; and plans are advanced for a new court in Charleston (South Carolina).
