1. The History and Development of Tennis
Real Tennis - Fives – Rackets – Lawn Tennis - Tennis

2. Objectives
To learn about the development of Lawn tennis as a rational recreation in the Industrial era post 1850

3. Outcomes All must recall characteristics of Rational Recreation
All should develop knowledge of the development of Tennis as a rational sport
All could extend understanding by relating characteristics of Rational Lawn Tennis to the cultural / social conditions in late 19th C

4. Characteristics of Rational Recreation
Respectable
Regular
Rule-based
Regional – National – International
Restrictive, exclusive
Fair play
Gambling curbed
Amateurism / Professionalism
Purpose-built facilities

5. REAL / ROYAL TENNIS

6. REAL TENNIS
Why did the game of Real Tennis remain exclusive to the gentry?

7. Why did the game of Real Tennis remain exclusive to the gentry?
Expense –specialist facilities, too expensive for masses
Structure – complex structure / rules / sophisticated language
Status – Dress code, etiquette, reflecting high society
Elitism – the privileged class wished to remain exclusive
Royalty – played by royalty / French aristocracy
Time – peasantry would not have had the time to play
Alternative – lower class had their own simple & adapted games

8. Harrow School Fives / ‘Jeu de Paume’ Played at inns / taverns
Encouraged by publicans
In PS played in recreation time by boys
Different architecture at different Schools produced a different game
Did not meet character building requirements of the PS
Not adopted by Universities

9. Development of Tennis
In its earliest form during the 18th Century, rackets was played in the open on the walls of the yards of the two main debtor's prisons; the King's Bench and the Fleet. Gentlemen, imprisoned until they could find the wherewithal to repay their creditors, amused themselves with many different activities around the prison yard. These included skittles, fives, which was played both with the hand and a bat (as at Westminster School), and some brought tennis rackets with them and improvised against any convenient wall, sometimes with no side walls and always without a back wall.

10. Why might Fleet Prison be a logical venue for the birth of rackets?

11. Fleet Prison
Debtor’s prison
High walls
Time
Middle class

12. Lawn Tennis at the Leamington Club

13. 1870s Major Gem at Leamington Spa
Played a form of lawn tennis in his garden
Established the first lawn tennis club at Royal Leamington Spa 1872
It was Major Walter Clopton Wingfield who is now credited with the invention of lawn tennis
“the first truly national game” Holt

14. SPHAIRISTIKE The game of Sphairistike (‘playing ball’) was patented by
Major Walter Clopton Wingfield
In 1874 he published a set of rules and marketed basic equipment at an affordable price

15. Wingfield sold 1050 sets of tennis equipment to the upper and middle classes between July 1874 and June 1875
5 guineas per set

16. Lawn Tennis
The name Sphairistike was not popular and so the name ‘Lawn tennis’, was adopted.
The ‘lawn’ became a favoured site of informal upper middle class amusement

17. Lawn tennis… ideal for the larger garden
The owners of country houses have been at their wit’s end for some attraction wherewith to fill their lawns in summertime’

18. Lawn tennis…..
Ideal for the larger suburban garden where wealthy families (upper middle class), including daughters could play unobserved
Could be played by either sex or both together
From a gender viewpoint tennis was the first truly national game
The privacy of the garden provided an opportunity to invite suitable members of the opposite sex for supervised sport
Whilst it was nice for a girl to be able to play tennis she was not supposed to be too good at it
It became a very fashionable pastime for the middle classes
Appearance before performance - RESPECTABILITY

19. Lawn Tennis did not enjoy the same popularity in Public Schools as Rugby and Soccer. Explain
Physicality – tennis / fives did not require the courage of rugby
Teamwork – tennis / fives did not require the teamwork, loyalty
Leadership – not the opportunities for leadership in tennis
Response to leadership – not the opportunities for response
Space – required a relatively large space to occupy few boys
Professionals – employed in other sports, not tennis
Social – tennis and fives regarded as social / recreational
Competitions – no inter-school tennis fixtures
Girls – tennis associated with girls’ schools, not ‘manly’
Invention – a new invention so treated with suspicion
Status – society regarded professional cricket and football as of greater importance than amateur tennis

20. The Tennis Clab
Thousands of clubs formed – a feature of Victorian England
‘The Select Lawn Tennis Club’ (1881) formed in Hove
publicity emphasised “eight courts adequately sheltered by the foliage of trees”;
‘shelter’ from the gaze of the ‘common herd’
Competitive play for men at league and county level but this rarely overshadowed the larger social purpose
Lower middle class – whose gardens were too small for courts
Working class ?

21. Tournament rules established by the MCC with tournaments held on cricket grounds before Wimbledon became the centre. Initially Wimbledon was the ‘All England Croquet Club’; tennis soon overshadowed croquet.
The Tennis club was for polite conversation, courtship and friendly relations between social equals (middle class !)

22. oRganised Competition
1875 Wimbledon: Henry Cavendish Jones convinced the All England Croquet Club to replace a croquet court with a lawn tennis court. Marylebone Cricket Club followed suit.
Marylebone Cricket Club made significant changes to the game. They added deuce. advantage and 2 chances per serve. The hourglass-shaped court also changed to a rectangular court, identical to the measurements we use today!
1877 Wimbledon: The very first World Tennis Championship was held in 1877 at Worple Road in Wimbledon (United Kingdom), the true home of tennis! The sponsors were the All England Croquet Club. Only 22 players entered the Mens Singles, which was the only event. Spectators paid a mere one shilling to watch the final.
1884 Wimbledon: The Wimbledon Championships are open to women for the first time. There are only 13 participants.
Men's doubles was also introduced for the first time.

23. Explain the role of Tennis in the development of women’s sport

24. Explain the role of Tennis in the development of women’s sport
Privacy
Social
Athleticism
Non-vigorous
Dress
Health
Schools
Role models

25. Explain the role of Tennis in the development of women’s sport
Privacy –could play in the privacy of their own garden
Social – a social as well as a competitive game, mixed sex
Athleticism – an opportunity to be athletic / energetic
Non-vigorous – but … not necessarily vigorous, decorum, not expected to play well
Dress – no special uniform required – play in dresses
Health – acceptance of a healthy lifestyle, therapeutic
Schools – tennis adopted and developed in middle class girls’ schools
Helped to remove SOME stereotypes of earlier 19th C times
Role models – such as Lottie Dod

26. Lottie Dod Wimbledon Champions such as Lottie Dod became role models
1887 Wimbledon: Lottie Dod of England wins the Wimbledon Ladies Singles title for the first of 5 times between 1887 and 1893.
She is the youngest player to win a singles event at the age of only 15 years and 285 days.

27. What characteristics of rational recreation are evident in lawn tennis?

28. What characteristics of rational recreation are evident in lawn tennis?
Respectable
Played by respectable people of the middle class
Regular
Played regularly, machine age, more free time
Rules / Codified
Written rules, an organising body
Skilful
Game involved skill, techniques, tactics

29. Tennis today
Participation today focussed on clubs – school club links now important recent development
Still predominantly a middle class game…
Factors helping develop tennis…
Technology – astroturf, graphite racquets etc
LTA initiatives/ coaching schemes/community programmes
Indoor facilities
Media

30. Tennis today Barriers…
Perceptions that tennis is costly…may have some basis…
Stuffy attitudes at some private clubs…
Availability / Quality of public provision
Summer game – limits school participation esp with weather
Expensive in terms of space use / coaches just like in public school era
Relatively difficult game to play
Modern technological alternatives – eg Wii sports

31. Outcomes All must recall characteristics of Rational Recreation
All should develop knowledge of the development of Tennis as a rational sport
All could extend understanding by relating characteristics of Rational Lawn Tennis to the cultural / social conditions in late 19th C