The History of Tennis
Tennis is a sport that has been played since the 12th century and became very popular in the 13th century1. The sport originated in France, first as a form of handball, then eventually turning into the sport Americans are more familiar with. The game's origins stem from royalty, as kings would play against each other in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. The game was played in courtyards next to castles or in clustered monastary quadranges2. Tennis was originally played with players' hands. Gloves were soon used to lessen the sting of the ball. Eventually short bats were used, splitting the game of tennis into the game of criquet and the game of lawn tennis. Finally racquets were used to show skill and sportsmanship on the tennis court.3Lawn Tennis, or what we know in America as conventional tennis, became popular in America during 1870's4. The biggest difference between this form of tennis and earlier forms of tennis was that in lawn tennis there were no side or end walls in which to play the ball off of5. The courts in America are open air type of courts. Present day courts vary in surface type. Indoor courts at a club or resort are usually made of some sort of hard turf or clay. Outdoor courts are mostly grass, but there are some outdoor courts that are made of clay. Public courts now are usually made of concrete to withstand the weathering. All tennis courts have the same dimensions, but no two tennis courts are exactly alike6.
An example of an early
tennis court.Tennis courts used today are basically the same as the ones played on back in the earlier centuries. The court is divided into two halves by a net. On each side there is a service line and out-of-bounds lines indicating the area on which to play. The sport of tennis has evolved a great deal since it's origination, but most of the innovations have come because of the continual development of better racquets7.
The Tennis Racquet: 1935-1947
The tennis racquet was first made out of a very heavy wood and was approximately 70 centimeters in length. These racquets were very big and bulcky and hard to maneuver well. the racquets cost was around $15, which back then was quite a lot of money. These racquets only came in one shape, weight, and size and the strings were only available in one tension8. There were also only a few major brands of racquets during this time and most players only owned one racquet. This is probably so because the time period we are covering is directly after the Depression and many people could not afford the lavish accessories we maintain today. One or two racquets in this time period may be the equivalent to two or three racquets today.In modern times, racquets are made in many different shapes, sizes, designs, weights, colors, and the strings are available in many different tensions9. There are tennis racquets that are even made for particular styles of game play. Racquet technology has developed a racquet that has a bigger "sweet spot"10. The sweet spot offers a bigger area on the strings of the racquet in which to hit the ball. This enhancing of the sweet spot allows players more control of the spin on the ball and it allows for a harder swing on the ball.There are also many different types of brands of tennis racquets and also many different brands of tennis accessories such as tennis balls, tennis string, head covers, and other minor accessories. Some of the top tennis product companies are Wilson, Prince, Spalding, Weed and Head.
Weed Racquets
Two leading racquet made by
Weed tennis products. 
Wilson Racquets
There are the many different types of racquets available by Wilson, a leading tennis supply company.
Racquets made by Prince, another leading tennis supply company.
Tennis in Greenbelt, From 1937-1945
Although the game of tennis has been popular in America since the 1800's, tennis did not seem to interest many of the people who lived in Greenbelt in this time period. The information I got on Greenbelt recreation for this time period mainly talked about the amount of baseball and football played at the local recreation centers. As seen in John Carr'sand even more so in Chris Defibaugh's project on the baseball glove, is that baseball was very much a part of life in Greenbelt at this time and relates the game to the family orientation of Greenbelt at the time. The lack of recreational tennis playing can be attributed to two things. One is that tennis is known as the gentlemen's sport, offering it to be played more often by someone who is from the upper class or the wealthy. Greenbelt's community was made up of those who were mainly in the lower or middle classes, and maybe many of these people did not find tennis a very fun sport to play. Another reason for the lack in tennis playing by those who lived in Greenbelt could have been the trouble that the city had funding recreational facilities. Even up into the 1950's, Greenbelt and many other towns in Prince George's county had problems with the funding of many different recreational centers, from things such as baseball and softball fields to football fields and boys and girls club recreational centers11In conclusion, although tennis and many other sports have been around for quite some time, we should remember that they are just sports. Sports are invented for the pleasure of everyone. People should not play a sport simply because it caters towards one particular section of society. Even though the sport of tennis was sparcely played in Greenbelt at this time period, the sport should be enjoyed by everyone. the sport itself has under gone many changes and advances since it was first invented, making it easier to play and more accepted by everyone.
Bibliography
Baltzell, E. Digby. Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis form the Age of Honor to the Cult of the Superstar. New York:the Free Press, 1995.Burch, Raymond T. History and Development of the City of College Park, Berwyn Heights, Greenbelt, and Adjacent Areas. Maryland State Government, 1972.
Carr, John. Baseball Bats URL=http://otal.umd.edu/~vj04/project5.html
Defibaugh, Chris. Baseball Gloves. URL= http://otal.umd.edu/~vj07/project5.html
Prince Publishing. Prince Products Url: http://www.benettonsportsytem.com/prince/prodf.htm