Tennis has had a rocky Olympic history, despite being a favorite pastime worldwide for those fortunate enough to have courts to play on, be they grass, clay or hard surface. The game became popular in 19th Century England as a lawn sport; however, references to "field tennis" can be found as early as 1793. The "father" of tennis is commonly believed to be Major Walter WINGFIELD, who wrote down the rules for a game he called "sphairistike" in 1874.
Tennis was part of Olympic Programme in 1896 at the first Modern Olympic Games. Four years later, the first woman to win an Olympic event was tennis player Charlotte COOPER of Great Britain at the 1900 Games in Paris. The sport remained an Olympic fixture through the 1924 Games in Paris until the International Tennis Federation and the International Olympic Committee broke over their differing definitions of amateurism. This disagreement kept tennis from being a medal sport until 1988, in spite of being a demonstration sport in 1968 and 1984.
The 64-year fight is no stranger to Olympic competition. As with many sports, the battle between amateurs and professionals was also "won" in tennis _ 1968 marked the beginning of a new era in the sport, called the open era, in which amateurs play with and against professionals. Both may compete in Olympic play.
The Golden Grand Slam is the highest honor achieved in tennis, awarded to anyone who can accomplish the feat of winning all four grand slam events _ the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open _ plus the Olympic Gold in a single calendar year. German Golden Grand Slam winner GRAF (1988) will prove formidable on the 1996 Olympic courts.
White still holds sway in tennis clubs throughout the world, and the Miss Manners of tennis proffer the color's functional purpose _ it reflects heat _ but some say the color is a holdover from the sports classification as a pastime for the wealthy. Before washing machines, only the wealthy could afford to regularly wear white, let alone exercise in it.
Women in particular have made great strides in tennis wear. Suzanne LENGLEN of France was an early pioneer for women's rights when it came to tennis fashion in the early 1900s. The six-time Wimbledon winner eschewed binding corsets to wear long white pleated skirts and short sleeve shirts _ at least as daring as Chris EVERT's body suits in the 1970s. In its infancy, players customarily wore street clothes as they competed in "lawn tennis," where petticoats and bowlers made for slower games.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for
the Olympic Games Sports Publication Department. Written by Jennifer Knight.
| An estimated 5.3 million visted Centennial Olympic Park between opening day - 13 July - and closing day - 4 August, making the park the most single most visited Olympic site during the Games. |