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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2022 59 Did you know that tennis was invented by monks at the 29,000+ foot point on Mount Everest? Okay, now that I have your attention, can I also sell you half of the London Bridge? So, where did tennis really originate from? Well, the most popular belief is that it was in fact invented by monks in France back in the 11th century, but not at the peak of Mount Everest. The French monks played handball (jeu de paume in French) on improvised courtyards. They played the game on monastery walls, over a rope hung on the monastery courtyard. Due to the pain of the wooden tennis ball hitting with their bare hands, they later added a leather glove to prevent the pain. As time passed, the wooden balls were replaced. The new balls were made of leather filled with cellulose material. This resulted in a better ball bounce. At about the year 1500, leather gloves were substituted with wooden rackets laced with sheep gut. As the French monks served the ball, they would shout "tenez," a French word meaning "take it" or "receive," resulting in the word "tennis." By about 1850, the vulcanized rubber tennis ball was born. The once white-in-color tennis ball is predominately yellow today. Furthermore, the funky tennis scoring system (love, 15, 30, 40, deuce, etc.) is also believed to have originated from France. All this eventually became the tennis game as we know it today. The dress code for tennis was rather strict until the end of the 19th century. Men wore hats and ties, while women wore street clothing including corsets and bustles. Attire for both genders had to be white in color as well. This dress code has relaxed quite a bit over time as evidenced by the colorful and wild designs on some of the professional players today. Not only have clothing styles changed, so have tennis rackets. Since the 1980s, wooden rackets have gradually been replaced by new lighter materials like steel, carbon, graphite, titanium, etc. which produce more power. The racket's standard size and shape have also become different sizes and shapes. Consequently, the finesse game in the olden days has been displaced by the power game of today. As the game is ever-changing, who knows what it will look like in the next 20 years? See you all at The Courts! For more info, visit our website at https://sites.google.com/view/tennis-fourseasons/home. ~ Stan Lam, (714) 757-2141, slamcpa@gmail.com Tennis Club Welcome to the sport of paddle tennis with approximately 25-30 members. Paddle tennis is a perfect sport for most, including current or former tennis players. Members have fun and range from beginners to experienced players. Skill level is not a criterion to join. One good thing about our group is if you feel like it, you can sit out, rest, recover, and join in again or just watch the game while relaxing. If you want to give it a try, check the Breeze for schedule for play times. See you at the paddle courts. You don't need to purchase a paddle when coming to play the first time. We have extra (retired) paddles you can use. Please join us. ~ Syed Ali, (909) 210-9359 Paddle Tennis Top left: 19th century leather tennis ball Bottom left: Vintage tennis racket Right: Vintage white tennis balls

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