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Chapter 5: More Articles on Tennis
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 The Unasked Questions in Australian TennisThe importance of tennis in the sporting history of Australia can hardly be overestimated. Some Australians look back on their country's former dominance of world tennis with the same degree of nostalgia as some British remember their past empire. By analysing trends in Australian tennis history, a large, influential, important and as yet untouched aspect of Australian social history may be revealed. Continue Reading
History of Australian TennisThe sport, like so many features of Australian life was imported from England. It is the conclusion of leading authorities that modern lawn tennis was devised in 1869 and later patented in 1874 by Major Walter Clapton Wingfield in England. He called the game 'Sphairistike' (which was the Greek word for ball game): the presumption being that those who played the game had an acquaintance with the classics. The name was both a symbol and indication that the sport would be played by a select group. Wingfield's patent received provisional protection for three years but was not extended. Part 1 Part 2
History of Australian Tennis PlayersHence, the answers to many of the questions concerning Australian tennis revolve around a major question that goes to the heart of many of the unique aspects of the game. Certainly it is like many other sports, but it is also unlike them. The basic question in this regard is, what is the nature of the game? Continue Reading
Women's Tennis in AustraliaThe subject of women's involvement in tennis is a separate and a vital issue which opens up a whole field of inquiry ranging from matters of fashion and morals to why and to what extent women played tennis.The presence of women in the sport is crucial. It supports the contention that tennis is a civilised refined activity: it is a game fit for women. Essentially football and cricket are male preserves. Continue Reading
Australian Tennis: Nature of the GameTennis has a unique atmosphere and ethos that separates it from other major sports. The crucial points of fundamental difference are first, an absence of body contact. This means a major emphasis on skill and technique as distinct from factors of force. Second, tennis is not a team sport. This means emphasis is placed on the individual; it is a highly personalised game, though it cannot really be played alone. The question that occurs here, particularly also in the light of why a study of sport, particularly tennis has been ignored, is who or what is being written about? Continue Reading
Olympic TennisThe decision of the IOC to readmit tennis to the programme of the Olympic Games offers a new opportunity to promote and develop the game and a chance to re-establish an old tradition. It will do much to encourage participation in tennis at all levels and to increase public interest in our sport in many communities. Continue Reading
Does Youth Rule?There is a widespread belief that competitive women tennis players are typically younger today than in the past. Peter Alfano, currently editor of lnternational Tennis, explained in 1989 that there were three principal reasons for this. One was technological change since the mid-1970s in the construction of rackets: “young players are now able to compensate for a lack of size and strength with the power generated by these rackets.” A second was increasing opportunities for juniors to play competitive tennis, allowing players to “become match-tough and accustomed to pressure at an early age.” And a third was improved preparation: young players have “benefited from advances in training. Continue Reading
International Tennis Hall of FameAs do most sports hall of fame museum visitors, I went to the International Tennis Hall of Fame as an avid fan. Tennis has been an integral component of my life. I came to the sport during the 1960s, just as the tennis establishment (finally) embraced open professionalism, and thereafter, became a teaching pro at the advent of the recent tennis boom. For me, journeying to the Tennis Hall of Fame was like coming home and tracing an imaginary family tree of long-lost relatives. Continue Reading
From Amateurism to Open TennisIn December, 1967, one of the most significant events in tennis history occurred. The British Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) in defiance of the main governing body, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF), declared that the 1968 Wimbledon toumament would be open to all tennis players, regardless of whether they were amateurs or professionals. The initial reaction from the ILTF was that if the event took place the BLTA would be expelled from the international federation and any amateurs who competed would be suspended. Continue Reading
Some Defects in TennisThe game of lawn tennis has attained a degree of popularity and reached a perfection that its inventor and early players could hardly have dreamed of. Competing as it did from the start with so many games of long-tried popularity and admitted excellence, the utmost that could reasonably have been looked for was that it should a little more than hold its own. The reality, it is needless to say, has far surpassed the expectation. Continue Reading
Stop Drugs - Doping (Olympic Review)The International Tennis Federation (ITF) recently launched a powerful campaign warning young people of the inherent dangers of drug taking in sport. This anti-drug initiative is also organized by the European Tennis Association (ETA) and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association (IWTA), and co-financed by the European Union. Continue Reading
Technology and Sport: The Case of the ITF, Spaghetti StringsTechnological innovation often changes the nature of a sport, but it is rarely studied by either scholars of sport or technology. The plastic football helmet has allowed a new, more brutal style of game to emerge and severe spinal injuries have accompanied this new style. The fibreglass pole in pole vaulting increased jumping height and demanded a new, more skilled and less physically strong athlete. In golf, the Polara golf ball was outlawed because of its unusual flight pattern and the United States golf Association’s fear that it compromised the integrity of the sport. Continue Reading
Trends in the Ages of Tennis PlayersThe mean age of all the women was under 19 in 1960 and was below 20 in four years during the 1960s. The mean was below 21 in 11 of 14 years prior to 1974; in contrast, the mean fell below 22 in only one of 17 years beginning in 1977. And the mean reached 23 in 1987, and has been at or above that level in three of the past six years. The five-year averages also show an increase from just under 20 during the early ’60s to nearly 21 in the late ’60s and early ’70s, to 22 in the late ’70s and early ’80s, and to 23 in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Continue Reading
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