Tennis can be traced to a specific place and time. IN 1873, Walter Wingfield did a pamphlet which described a game to be played by women at lawn parties. The shape of the court was an hourglass (length 60 baseline 30, net 21). The game used items from court tennis and badminton, and was introduced at a garden party at Nantclwyd in Wales. The net 7 feet at the ends, sagging to 5 feet in the middle. The shaped changed to rectangular and the rules officially set by the Marylebone Cricket club in 1875. The net was standardized at 3 in 1884. The first championship was played at the All England Croquet Club in 1877 (Wimbledon). Trivia fans will know the first Wimbledon Mens Singles was won by Specer Gore, the only event. The game grew quickly and needed standard rules, which were set by the Unites States National Lawn Tennis Association in 1881. Its name changed to USLTA and now is simply the USTA. Tennis!
