On the face of it, tennis is a pretty simple game – you have to take it in turns to hit a ball and make it land within a group of lines. It is also quite cheap to play – once you have a ball and a racquet, you can play in a T-shirt and shorts or skirt. None of this stuff is particularly costly, unless you go for well-known names.

The rules are low in number and simple too. However, there are some rules and a knowledge of these rules will permit you to garner more enjoyment from the game whether you propose playing it or just watching it.

Most top tennis matches are played by two people: one in each team. However, in amateur games lots of people like to play in doubles, which means having two players on each team. Mixed doubles means men and women playing together – one man and one woman per team.

When I was a young boy of about 12 years of age, my mother wanted me to learn tennis, so she got me a tennis racquet for Christmas so that I might take up the sport. There had been many options in terms of choosing a tennis racquet. My mother told me later and it had been fairlyconfusing.

My mother had gone to a sports shop and chosen one racquet out of the three that I suppose were in her price range at that time. But today, choosing a racquet can be a very hard job. Brands, materials, technologies – they all add to the difficulty of making a choice.

The numerous options one has today in a sports store can often be disconcerting. So what items should be taken into account when picking a tennis racket?

To start with, focus on the grip size. Kids would probably find that up to size four would suit them best while adults may go up to 4 and five-eighths of an inch in order to get a better grip of the tennis racquet.

A tennis ball is very distinctive and are used by millions of children and adults all over the world for playing tennis, of course, but many, many other less formal games as well. They are not only the right size for tennis, presumably anyway at 2.7 inches or 6.7 centimetres in diameter, but they also fit neatly into a hand or a dog’s mouth. Therefore people use them for playing catch, for various games of softball like rounders and for throwing for the dog to retrieve.

While I was a youngster, all tennis balls were white, but now you would be very hard pressed indeed to find a white one if, if indeed it is at all possible. Nowadays, all tennis balls are day-glow colours like yellow, green and orange. Presumably this modification was made for the purpose of visibility on the TV screen.

The word ‘tennis’ comes from the French – ‘Tenez’ (pronounced ‘teney’), which meant ‘Take up Position’ or simply ‘Start’. The origins of tennis were almost certainly well over a thousand years ago, when it was played by monks. The racquet or racket was the flat of the hand and the ball was wooden.

If you already take part in tennis, then I imagine that you already know what tennis players wear, so this article is aimed at those individuals who would like to buy tennis kit for a loved one for a special occasion. After all, it is not as straightforward as it seems to obtain sports wear for the participant of a sport you understand nothing about.

There is a certain picture we are inclined to associate with a tennis player: white Polo top with shorts or skirt and matching shoes. They are trendy and stylish, comfortable and characteristic at the same time. Items of tennis clothes often signify a great deal to people who are not just sports fans. If the person you are shopping for is a tennis aficionado, tennis attire becomes a great gift that can also be quite reasonably priced despite the rumors that it costs a great deal.

It is highly unlikely that people will not have heard of the French Open tennis championship, because it is a competition which is an annual topic of conversation. In French the name of the competition is ‘Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros’ or ‘Tournoi de Roland Garros’. This tournament, which lasts for roughly a fortnight is held in Paris at the Roland Garros Stadium, from which it got its name.

The French Open is one of the most publicised and broadcast sports events in the entire world of sport and many VIPs attend it. The attendees are fanatics who wait with baited breath on every stroke, especially when there is a tight battle between the two teams, doing their best to win. Even TV viewers actually get a feeling of being there live.

The French Open tennis championship comes in second on the annual schedule of the Grand Slam tournaments and its history goes back to the year of 1891 when it became an international competition. At that time it was named the ‘International Championship of Tennis of France’ or ‘Championat de France International de Tennis’ in French.

Sometimes called ‘Rafa,’ Rafael Nadal is a local of Spain who has made a massive impact on earth of tennis.

Born June three, 1986 in Manacor, Mallorca, Rafael Nadal is the son of Sebastian and Ana Maria Nadal.

Standing 6’1′ and weighing 178 lbs, Rafael Nadal turned into a professional tennis player in 2001 after having played since four years old. Fans shouldn’t let this young age trick them as Rafael Nadal nabbed his first championship at just eight years old.

Under the guidance and teaching of Toni Nadal, his uncle, Rafael Nadal started learning to play tennis extraordinarily early in life as is evident from his early championship.

Toni, who remains Rafael’s coach, is a particularly crucial thing about this kid’s success.

In 2005, he won 11 titles and also caught recognition as the ‘Most Improved Player’ for 2005 as named by the ATP.

In June 2006, Rafael Nadal won his second Roland Garros crown and also scored his hundredth claycourt career victory.

Anybody that watches women’s tennis can not fail to notice the advances in game over the last 30 years or so.

Women seem to be a lot stronger and faster in the sport lately. Here is my opinion of who I think are the top 7 players since 1980 in women’s tennis, in reverse order.

7. Venus Williams, one half of the famous Williams sisters, Venus has got a remarkable record of Grand slams under her belt, including her wins at Wimbledon, but it is mainly her rivalry with sister Selena that always has people on the edge of their seats.

6. Justine Henin, probably the most potent women’s player at her peak, she did retire early last year but has since announced a comeback. Lets see if she can dominate both the Williams sisters as she had done before her retirement.

5. Monica Seles. She was only young when she won her 9 Grand slams but unfortunately was stabbed in an unfortunate incident. Since then she has not been able to recreate former glories.

The hard-hitting, erratic, net-rushing player is a creature of impulse. There is no real strategy to his/her game, no understanding of your game. He will make brilliant coups on the spur of the moment, largely by instinct; but there is no, mental power of consistent thinking. It is an interesting type of character.

The really dangerous player is the one who mixes his/her strategy from back to fore court at the direction of an ever-alert mind. This/her is the player to study and learn from. He is a player with a definite intention. A player who has an answer to every query you present him in your game. He is the most subtle antagonist in the world of tennis. He is from the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the player of dogged determination that sets his/her mind on one strategy and sticks to it, bitterly, fiercely fighting to the end, with never a thought of changing.

Tennis psychology is nothing more than understanding the workings of your opponent’s mind, and gauging the effect of your own game on his/her head and also understanding the psychological effects resulting from the different external causes on your own mind.

However, it is also true that you no one can be a successful psychologist of others without first understanding his own mental processes. Therefore, you must study the effect on yourself of the same thing occurring under various circumstances. This is because people react differently in different moods and under different conditions.

You must realize the effect on your game of the resulting annoyance, pleasure, bewilderment, or whatever other form your reaction is. Does it improve your prowess? If so, go for it, but never give it to your opponent. Does it deprive you of concentration? If so, either remove the reason, or if that is not possible, strive to ignore it.

I expect that this initial effort of mine into the world of letters will find a place with both novices and experts in the tennis world. I am trying to interest the student of the game by a somewhat prolonged discussion of match play, which I trust will cast a new light on the game of tennis.

I will turn to the beginner in my opening article and write of certain matters which are second nature to the experienced tennis player. The best tennis equipment is not much use to the novice even if he really is trying to succeed. Nevertheless, one has to purchase good quality; it is a saving eventually, as high quality material far outlasts poor quality equipment.

It is vital always to wear tennis apparel when playing tennis. The question of selecting a tennis racquet is a much more serious decision. I do not like to force a certain brand of racquet upon any player, since all the famous makes are of excellent quality. However, the weight, balance, and size of the handle are the really important considerations when selecting a racquet frame, while good stringing is essential to obtain optimum results.