Boxing, Tennis & Croquet

Early History of Tennis

Tennis can be traced as far back as ancient Greece where a game called sphairistike is mentioned in classical literature. British tennis is known to have been played by Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's round table. William Shakespeare mentions "tennis balles" in his play Henry V, when a basket of them is given to King Henry as a mockery of his youth and playfulness. In the mid. 19th century future British prime minister Arthur Balfour (1848-1930) and Major Walter Wingfield settled on the name "lawn tennis,". Prior to this Major Walter Wingfield had patented several names.