The vibrant umbrellas that compliment the bright green grass and the players in all white and the tasty strawberries served with cream are all part of the Wimbledon Tennis Championship which is in its 125th year. While lots of people are cheering for their favourite players and have great memories of some of the legendary clashes between the top seeded players on the fast paced grass courts of Wimbledon Tennis tournament, few are aware of these astonishing historical facts about the Grand Slam event.

The Very First Tournament

The event took place in 1877 and it was hosted to raise funds for a roller that the club needed. The winner of the event was Spencer Gore who had won a grand prize of 12 guineas along with the distinction of being the first Wimbledon Tennis Champion. The prize money would be just enough to buy a six pack but that would certainly not suffice the 22 other players competing for the unusually large prize amount.

The very first recorded mention of tennis was in the fourteenth Cycle of plays called ‘The Second Shepherds? Play’ from the Wakefield Yorkshire dramatist known simply as The Wakefield Master. In scene VIII Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur?s round table plays tennis with a band of giants.

However, this would have been the medieval form of tennis known as real tennis which had evolved more than three centuries from an earlier ball game played in France around the 12th century.

This involved hitting the ball with the bare hand or later a glove and is believed to have started with monks playing the game in monastery cloisters, judging by the construction and appearance of some of the early courts.

The game quickly proved to be a hit among European royals and in England was taken up by Henry V in the early fifteenth century. A hundred years later Henry VIII made the biggest impact as a young monarch, playing the game with enthusiasm at Hampton Court on a court he built in 1530.

Table tennis was probably derived from the game “Royal Tennis,” a popular diversion during medieval days in Europe. In the 1880s, table tennis became a fashionable after-dinner social activity usually played by upper class people of England. Dinner tables functioned as the playing surface, a row of piled-up books would serve as the “net,” and household items would then act as rackets.

A quick look back at history finds that David Foster created the first version of the game in 1890. Created in England, this indoor version also included indoor versions of other popular games, such as football and cricket. Just one year later, London-based John Jacques introduced “Gossima.” The game included a net that was 30 centimeters tall, paddles, and a tiny ball made of cork.

A British enthusiast of table tennis, James Gibb, discovered small hollow balls in the United States in 1900 and returned to England with them. Some sources credit James Gibb for coining the name “Ping Pong.” According to legend, the name comes from the noise of the ball hitting the paddles used during the game. John Jacques registered “Ping Pong” as an official name for the activity in 1901.

Andre Agassi, a born-legend. Nobody could ever imagine how Andre felt about the game. Nobody could ever imagine what went through Andre’s head during many matches throughout his career. Nobody could ever imagine how Andre got to number one in the world, it wasn’t his choice!

At an early age of seven years old, Andre’s father really began to start training Andre at a very intense level. Andre’s father came from a boxing back-ground, where he fought professionally and boxed for the Iranian national boxing team. His mentality of boxing was carried over into training his son and there was no-holding back.

As we mentioned Andre had a tough father. One example that stands out in my mind from the book was the theory his father had about hitting 3,000 balls per day. He believed if Andre hit 3,000 balls per day and over 1,000,000 balls per year that he would definitely be the best one day. Well, there probably aren’t many seven year old boys out there training like this and his dad’s formula proved to be correct.

If you’re serious about your tennis game you have to make it your focus. Practice. Practice. Practice. There’s no substitute for hours on the court. It will make the difference between a good game of tennis and your best game.

The first thing you need to do is find a decent court where you can play regularly. The surface and nets should be well-maintained. Look for storage areas where you can store personal items.

Before you begin practicing you should always stretch your muscles. By stretching you will prevent injuries. Spend about 15 minutes before working out and you won’t pull or cramp your muscles.

Plan your workout clothes carefully. You want to look good but you also should be comfortable. If you are comfortable you will be able to focus on your playing and not what you are wearing. Don’t be distracted unnecessarily by your clothing.

When practicing with someone you should begin with light volleys at the net. Gradually move to the baseline. When you’re warming up, go easy and increase the difficulty of your shots so that you can speed up your reaction times.

August twelfth, ’09 was a bright, sunny Wednesday morning in Montreal. Since I was working at the Rogers Cup, I got admission to the grounds and had specially asked for the day off so I could go see all the professionals’ practices. It was indeed a rich schedule with the best 10 competing all the way through the day.

At eleven that day, a pal and I headed over toward Court 4 where the world’s No.1, Roger Federer, was due to arrive at 11:30am. Already jam packed with roughly a few hundred people, there was hardly any room to move.

As the time approached, the place was packed with people who enthusiastically waited to get a glimpse of the Swiss Maestro. With the sun scorching at 35 levels celsius, we watched him loosen up and we saw him hitting balls. To be honest, it was relatively unexciting and was scheduled to go on for 2 hours.

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.

The Australian Open once again got the tennis year off to a great start and whetted out appetite for the forthcoming season. The master they call Roger Federer once again lifted that famous trophy, sending out a warning to all his opponents that he’s still the man to beat.

Don’t assume, however, at this early stage, it’s going to be the same winners at all the Majors. There are a few good players just waiting to seize the moment and lift a few big titles themselves. Here are a few who showed great promise last year, and this could well be their time to shine.

There are a few players to keep an eye out for this year, as 2010 could well be the year that they achieve their potential.

The peak of her 2009 season was beating some big names to battle her way through to the semi finals of the US Open. With years yet to mature and grow as a player, she could well be lifting many major trophies in the years to come.

If you are a tennis fan and actually play yourself, you may well have experienced a game on a clay court. This is the very old, red surface that has been used in countries like France and Spain since the game originated.

If you ever have the opportunity to play on clay; grab it with both hands! It really is a unique experience and one you will never forget. Just stepping on that stunning red surface is a thrill!

We are all fascinated by both its appearance and the way that red clay changes the game of tennis. Here are a few snippets of information that you may not already know.

A player who constantly serves and volleys on other surfaces will find themselves really struggling on the class. As will those whose success depends on the accuracy of their booming serves.

To see a player approach the net is a great rarity on clay. The baseline player is the one who will win through on the red clay court.

As tennis continues to grow its fans and players will always be arguing on what determines a good player and which skills are the most important to have.

It can be fun considering the different perspectives and opinions of the many arguments that evolve from the different aspects of the game.

I have listed a few elements to consider. Which do you think are important?

Looking back at top players in history such as John McEnroe, the question to ask is, is it volleying? All things considered, a regular game may be a danger for either opponent and end a point without trouble.

Is baseline play across the net favoured by modern games? A Lot of tennis experts would argue in favour. Andy Roddick would spend time playing the game from the net but he now prefers the baseline play. And take the example of Rafael Nadal who also takes control from the rear of the court.