This day is celebrated in honor of the game “court tennis”, which is referred to as “real tennis” in Britain and Australia, and “jeu de paume” in France.
Court tennis is considered by many to be the original game that dates back more than 800 years and is different from “lawn tennis” which is the game that most people are familiar with in today’s world.
International Tennis Day Timeline
Jeu de Paume Emerges in Medieval France
A handball game called “jeu de paume,” played by striking a ball with the palm, becomes popular in northern France and is recognized as the direct ancestor of real (court) tennis and modern lawn tennis.
Rackets Introduced to Jeu de Paume
Players begin replacing gloves and paddles with stringed rackets, transforming handball-style jeu de paume into the racket sport that evolves into real or court tennis.
Henry VIII’s Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court
King Henry VIII has an indoor tennis court built at Hampton Court Palace, reflecting the game’s strong association with European royalty and establishing one of the world’s oldest continually used real tennis courts.
The Tennis Court Oath in Versailles
Deputies of the French Third Estate, locked out of their meeting hall, gather in an indoor jeu de paume court at Versailles and swear not to disperse until France has a constitution, in a defining early act of the French Revolution.
Jacques-Louis David Designs “The Tennis Court Oath”
Revolutionary painter Jacques-Louis David begins an ambitious, ultimately unfinished composition, “Le Serment du Jeu de Paume,” depicting the oath inside the Versailles tennis court and turning the sporting space into a lasting political symbol.
Wingfield Patents Lawn Tennis
Major Walter Clopton Wingfield patents an outdoor game he calls “Sphairistikè,” soon known as lawn tennis, helping popularize a simplified grass-court version distinct from the older indoor real tennis.
First Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships
The All England Club in Wimbledon stages the first lawn tennis championships, using codified rules and a standardized rectangular court that cement the global form of tennis most people play today.
How to Celebrate International Tennis Day
Have fun and pay respect to this game that dates back centuries! Get involved with International Tennis Day using some of these ideas:
Try Playing Court Tennis
One ideal way to get involved with International Tennis Day would be to try playing. The slightly more difficult thing might be to find a court.
As the game continues to grow, courts have become more popular and are popping up in cities in the US as well as the UK, Australia and Europe. Show some love for the day by finding a court, joining a club and giving it a shot!
Learn More About Court Tennis
Court tennis, real tennis, or in the past “royal tennis”, this game is a bit different from the lawn tennis that more people are familiar with. In honor of International Tennis Day, perhaps it would be interesting for novices to learn a few things about this type of tennis that are different and unique. Check out some of these to get started with:
Court tennis is played indoors and the ball is handmade and has a core made from cork. It is more like a cricket ball than a bouncy, rubber lawn tennis ball.
Rackets for court tennis are wooden, have a longer handle and are asymmetrical.
Instead of just using the court and the net, the walls play an important part in the game when it comes to court tennis. The ceilings are high and the walls and ends are also typically asymmetrical, but there is no exact standard dimensions for the court in real tennis.
History of International Tennis Day
International Tennis Day was founded in 2014 and is a collaboration of the US Court Tennis Association and the US Court Tennis Preservation Foundation.
It also has the support of all of the various governing bodies and associations throughout the globe. The aim of the day is to act as a motivation for current court tennis players as well as mobilizing new ones to get involved with the sport.
The hope for International Tennis Day is that the various court tennis clubs, universities, schools and other tennis players around the world will be simultaneously celebrating the day with events, exhibitions, tennis lessons, tournaments, marathon matches, parties, teaching clinics and so much more!
As more and more people get involved with court tennis, the hope is that this day will encourage participation and catalyze more players.
International Tennis Day is situated on this date as it corresponds with the anniversary of the day that the first Tennis Court Oath was taken on June 20, 1789.
This occurred in France near the Palace of Versailles and acted as a pivotal historical moment for the French Revolution. An inspiration behind the day continues to be the most famous painting of a tennis court, “Le Serment de Jeu de Paume”, which was created by Jacques-Louis David in 1791.
