Tennis is one of the most entertaining sports in the world and millions of people have been watching all the major grand slams for the last many decades because of their love for this amazing sport. Since people love tennis so much in Dubai and all across the world, they send their kids to take tennis lessons in Dubai so that they could take up this sport professionally and play for their respective countries some day. Watching and playing tennis is fun because of the excitement and pace it carries. There are various interesting facts related to tennis which exist and not many people know about them. In this article, we will be discussing those top 5 interesting facts about tennis which will be a delight for every tennis fan out there.
1. Tennis used to be played with white colored balls initially
Many people would not know but it is an interesting fact that tennis in the earlier days was played with the balls of white color and not with the yellow ones we see today. The purpose of switching from white colored balls to yellow colored balls was to increase the visibility of the balls to people watching the matches on television as yellow colored balls were clearly visible as compared to white ones. Yellow balls were used for the first time in Wimbledon in the year 1986 while the change of colors was done by Mike Davies in 1972.
2. People still use the oldest tennis court even today
You will be thrilled to know that The Royal Tennis Court, which is still in use at Hampton Court Palace in London, is the world’s oldest tennis court. It was Henry VIII’s favorite place to play tennis, and it was built between 1526 and 1529. According to legend, he learned of Queen Anne Boleyn’s execution while playing tennis on the court. The game played on this court, though, is a little different from current tennis but is known as ‘real tennis’, which is played indoors.
3. The game of tennis originated in France
Many people believe that the country of origin of tennis is England because of the famous and prestigious Wimbledon tournament which is held in England but the fact is that Tennis actually originated in France early in the 12th century with the name ‘Jeu de paume’ which used to be played exactly like the modern day tennis but there was a major difference. People playing ‘Jeu de paume’ used to hit the balls with their bare hands that were replaced by tennis racquets in modern day tennis.
4. The youngest player to complete in Wimbledon was 13 years old
Here is another interesting fact about tennis you would love to hear. Mita Klima, an Austrian tennis player, became the youngest player to ever compete at Wimbledon in 1907. She competed in the famous competition when she was 13 years old. Though she was eliminated in the first round itself but made a remarkable history and surely an interesting fact for many tennis fans across the world to know. This might be a reason why so many youngsters take tennis training in Dubai so that they can compete in Wimbledon someday as early as possible.
5. Tennis balls are in used only for approximately 20 minutes in a match
You would be surprised to know that tennis balls are actually in play for only about 20 minutes in a standard tennis match all thanks to frequent drinking and resting breaks professionals take during matches. Total rally time in match does not exceed 20 minutes usually so in a 2 hours match, balls are in play for only around 20 minutes.
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