23rd February: Play Tennis Day

Play Tennis Day is officially observed on February 23rd of every year. Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players each. Millions of players play tennis, and the game has spectaculars all around the world. Tennis is an Olympic sport, and it can be played at all levels of society and all ages. There is no age bar for this game; it can be performed by anyone who can hold a racket, including wheelchair users. Tennis is a great sport for both body and mind. Tennis has the most variety of all sports, one needs speed, strength, agility, touch, tactics, a high mental game, fast reaction, patience, and power.

History

Tennis has been around since the mid-1800s when two friends Harry Gem and Augurio Perera developed the game on Perera’s lawn in England. The first tennis club was created soon after, in 1872, and had just 4 members at the beginning of its existence.

However, the origins of the sport of tennis can be traced back to twelfth-century France, where it was played by hitting the ball with the hands instead of a racket. In fact, King Louis X was a big fan of the game that was then called jeu de paume (“game of the palm”) and is considered the world’s first tennis player known by name. Since then, tennis has of course evolved greatly into the competition we know today, played by thousands and followed by millions of fans from around the world.