Jonathan Nadler is an attorney in Philadelphia. Jonathan is an avid tennis player outside of the office, and this is his blog post about the history of the sport.

1. TheHistoryofTennis
By Jonathan Nadler

2. While there is some debate as to
the origins of tennis, historians
generally concur that the crude
origins of tennis took place in
northern France during the 12th
century.

3. Back then, the ball was struck with the palm of the hand and called,
“jeu de paume,” meaning, “game of the palm.” Louis X of France was
extremely fond of this game, and he is considered to be the first
individual to have a version of today’s modern tennis courts created
indoors. This indoor court design caught on and spread throughout
Europe, and Louis X is widely considered to be the first tennis player
in history to be known by name. However, others debate that King
Charles V of France was the first known player.

4. The development of tennis took some time, as it was not until
sometime during the 16th century that the use of racquets became
commonplace and they began to refer to the game by the name of
tennis. This name stems from a French term, “tenez,” which, when
translated, means “hold,” “receive,” or “take,” which was a
commonly used term between players. The game was extremely
popular throughout England and France, but was primarily played
indoors and the ball was hit off of the walls.

5. The game began to develop differently in various areas throughout
Europe, and allegedly the game was begun in the U.S by socialites
who, while on vacation, had witnessed British army officers play the
game. These socialites set up a tennis court at the Staten Island
Cricket Club, which was ultimately the location of the first ever
American National Championship of tennis, played in 1880. Originally,
different racquet clubs had different standards for the game.

6. For example, in Boston, the ball used was larger than the tennis balls
used in New York. On May 21, 1881 the United States National Lawn
Tennis Association, which has since become the United States
Tennis Association, was created in order to lay out the standardized
rules and regulations for the game. The first U.S. National Men’s
Singles Championship was held in 1881 in Newport, Rhode Island.

7. Tennis has come a long way since
then, and is still an incredible,
energetic game that is played all
over the world.

8. Jonathan Nadler is an attorney at
Eckert Seaman Cherin & Mellot, LLC
in Philadelphia. In his spare time,
Jonathan enjoys golf, music, playing
guitar and tennis. Visit his website at
jonathannadler.net.