Tennis, one of the most popular sports played across many countries and a very popular professional at an individual level has a long history full of astonishing and funny facts.

Early Tennis Was Played with Bare Hands and Not Racquets!!

One does get curious about the origin of this exciting and famous game. While you will find varying opinions about the origin of tennis, the game similar to today’s version was found in 12th century game in France. However, to your greatest surprise it was played with bare hands and not racquets!! Slowly the game saw some evolution; gloves came into use and eventually bats were being used which are the ancestors of today’s tennis racquets.

Britain and France made tennis a ‘Game of Nobles’, giving it very much the form in which we find it today. Charles I built a tennis court in 1625, which is still used today for championship play. Before its entry in U.S. and other countries, tennis was an exclusive game of England and France. Year 1876, witnessed the first Tennis Court in United States, followed by Australia in 1882.

Floor-Length Skirts Was the Dress Code of Tennis Courts!!

Today you find many new style glamorous signatures being invented and made popular through the game of tennis. However, this was not the case in the game’s infancy stage.

Wimbledon of 1919 saw the debut of first “revealing" ankle and forearm dress contradictory to earlier high-neck dresses and floor-length skirts. Seven-time champion Dorothea Douglass shot her aces dressed in a high-neck dress that used to sweep the courts!!

Shocked Queen Mary!!

Henry "Bunny" Austin is known for being the first player who wore shorts at Wimbledon in 1932. This shocked thousand of people... including Queen Mary.

Tennis – House of New Fashion Statements!!

In 2002, Serena Williams came into limelight with her black PVC catsuit that she wore during play throughout the U.S. Open. In 2006, Maria Kirilenko became the first player in 50 years to be clothed by a designer at Wimbledon when she wore an outfit by Stella McCartney.

Williams Sisters – A New Era of Tennis!!

Serena and Venus Williams became the first sisters to play for a U.S. singles championship. In addition, this exciting and historical event took place in the very first Grand Slam tournament final ever scheduled for a prime time national network telecast on the night of September 8, 2001. Venus won the match 6-2, 6-4. Williams sisters again faced each other in finals at the 2002 French Open and Wimbledon, and again at the 2002 U.S. Open.

The glorious story of the tennis courts continues….