The History of Tennis

It began almost a thousand years ago as a game played with bare hands in medieval France. It eventually became a favorite pastime of kings spread across Europe and underwent a dramatic transformation during the Victorian era. And along the way, changes in equipment, playing surfaces, and technology fundamentally changed how people play the game. What began as an aristocratic diversion eventually became one of the world's most popular sports. Learn more about the fascinating history of tennis on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. This episode is brought to you by Ramp. One of the least glamorous parts of running any business is the administrative work. It's not just the money involved. It's the time you spend tracking down receipts, filling out forms, and dealing with expenses when you could be doing something useful. With Ramp, expenses submit themselves. Just text or email your receipt and Ramp categorizes, codes, and submits it for you. And when you book business travel with Ramp, they find the best flights and hotels you're actually allowed to book so you don't find out a month later that something was only partially covered. More than 70,000 organizations have saved over $12,000,000,000 with Ramp. Time is money, and you can save both with Ramp. New customers get $250 off at ramp.com/eed. Go to ramp.com/eed. Ramp.com/eed. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. If you had to choose between two identical items, but one was cheaper than the other, you'd choose the cheaper one. Right? That's not a theoretical scenario. That is the choice you can make right now with Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile works with your current phone, your current phone number, and you can keep all your contacts. It uses the T Mobile network, which is the fastest mobile network in The United States. You just spend less money because Mint Mobile doesn't have the overhead of other mobile companies. That's why I recommend Mint Mobile. To get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com/eed. That's mintmobile.com/eed. Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at mintmobile.com/eed. That's it. There's no catch. Upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or a $180 for twelve month plan required, $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. Initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabyte may slow when network is busy, includes up to 20 gigabyte hotspot. Capable device required. Availability, speed, and coverage varies. See mintmobile.com. In this podcast, I've covered the origins of many different sports. Most of them had origins that look absolutely nothing like the modern version of the game. Tennis on the other hand is one of the oldest sports still played today in a somewhat recognizable form. Its history stretches back almost a thousand years from medieval French monasteries to European royal courts, and it eventually became one of the world's most popular international sports. The earliest recognizable ancestor of tennis emerged in France probably during the twelfth century. The game …