National Play Tennis Day

What better way could there be to keep your body fit than to do sports? There are hundreds of sports, both team and individual, guaranteeing that everyone can find something that is just right for him or her.

Tennis has been a favorite sport of many since the 19th century, so if you haven’t yet, it is high time you tried playing it.

And that’s what National Play Tennis Day is all about (see how it’s right there in the name?)!

How to Celebrate National Play Tennis Day

The best way to enjoy National Play Tennis Day is, of course, to pick up a few balls, a racket that’s relatively light and easy to hold, and head down to the local court.

Bring a friend or loved one along for an added bonus and enjoy a sunny afternoon of serves and volleys.

However, if you are not yet overly familiar with this sport or have never even picked up a racket, don’t worry!

Start Playing Tennis

National Play Tennis Day is also a great way to become introduced to the sport itself.

Tennis is a fun but extremely intense game that pits you against your opponent one on one, with no team members to support you and nobody to rely on but yourself, and it is both physically and psychologically demanding.

Sign Up for Tennis Lessons

Tennis is generally considered a good sport for especially those with a strong sense of independence and plenty of drive and determination!

Sign up for lessons with a qualified instructor to learn the basics and prepare yourself for the intensity of a real game.

Watch a Tennis Match

Alternately, you could celebrate this day by simply sitting down and watching a professional match, which can prove to be much more exciting than you may be anticipating—tennis is nothing like golf, to be sure.

It is especially inspiring to watch the disabled play tennis and vanquish their disabilities at every turn by racing to and fro across the court in order to make it to that ball on time.

Whatever way you choose to celebrate it, National Play Tennis Day is indeed a fun way to pay tribute to such a fast-paced sport.

History of National Play Tennis Day

As we know it, 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.

Because of this, the origins of National Play Tennis Day can be traced back many hundred years. But the day itself is a much more modern invention that encourages people to celebrate this unqiue game and pick up some rackets just for fun!

Facts About National Play Tennis Day

Tennis May Help People Live Longer

Long-term studies suggest that regularly playing tennis is linked with greater life expectancy compared to many other physical activities.

A large prospective study of more than 8,500 adults in Copenhagen found that those who played tennis gained about 9.7 additional years of life expectancy compared with sedentary people, a larger benefit than seen with activities like jogging or cycling, possibly because of the sport’s combination of vigorous exercise and social interaction.  

Why Tennis Scoring Jumps from 15 to 30 to 40

The quirky 15–30–40 scoring system in tennis is thought to descend from medieval “jeu de paume,” which sometimes used a clock face to keep score by quarters.

While the exact origin is debated, historical research on real tennis indicates that early versions used 15, 30, and 45, with 45 later shortened to 40 for ease of announcement, a convention that carried into modern lawn tennis.  

Modern Lawn Tennis Was Patented as “Sphairistikè” 

What is now recognized as lawn tennis first entered the commercial world under a different name.

In 1874, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield secured British patent protection for a boxed lawn game he called “Sphairistikè,” complete with rules, equipment, and court markings, helping to standardize play and spread the new outdoor version of tennis among the Victorian leisure class.

Wheelchair Tennis Uses Almost Identical Rules with One Crucial Change

Wheelchair tennis is played on a standard court with regular rackets and balls, and follows essentially the same rules as able-bodied tennis, with a single major adaptation: the ball is allowed to bounce twice, and players may strike it after either bounce.

The International Tennis Federation recognizes this “two-bounce rule” while otherwise applying the conventional rules of the sport, which allows wheelchair and non‑wheelchair players to compete together.   

Wheelchair Tennis Grew from Rehabilitation to a Global Tour 

The modern sport of wheelchair tennis began in 1976, when American freestyle skier Brad Parks started hitting balls from a wheelchair during rehabilitation after a spinal injury.

Within a few years he and collaborator Jeff Minnebraker were organizing exhibitions and tournaments, leading to the formation of the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis in 1980 and, later, to a full international tour now sanctioned within the International Tennis Federation. 

Tennis Became an Olympic Sport, Disappeared, Then Returned

Tennis has had an uneven history at the Olympic Games. It appeared at the first modern Olympics in 1896 and remained on the program until 1924, after which disputes over amateur status and eligibility led to its removal.

Following decades of demonstration events, tennis finally returned as a full medal sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympics under rules that allowed professional players to compete. 

Racket Technology Transformed the Speed of the Game

For much of its history, tennis relied on heavy wooden rackets with small heads, but experiments with steel and aluminum in the mid‑20th century and the introduction of graphite composites in the 1970s and 1980s radically changed performance.

Research on equipment shows that modern composite rackets with larger heads and stiffer frames increase shot speed and sweet‑spot size, helping drive the faster, more power‑oriented style of contemporary professional tennis.