Pegeen Ireland, age 16, of Jackson, Tenn., for her question:
WHO PLAYED THE FIRST GAME OF TENNIS?
Most of the world's tennis players are amateurs who take part in the sport simply for the enjoyment and exercise they receive. In the late 1960s, however, tennis became a widely accepted professional sport. And today many people play tennis for money. Since 1968, both professionals and amateurs have been able to compete against each other in the same tournaments.
We don't know exactly who played in the world's first tennis match. But historians tell us that it happened in France sometime during the 1100s or 1200s.
The French called tennis "jeu de paume." This means "game of the palm." In the first tennis match, the players used the palms of their hands to bat the ball back and forth over a net.
The father of modern tennis is Maj. Walter Clopton Wingfield of England. In 1873, he introduced a version of the game that very closely resembles the modern sport.
In 1874, Wingfield patented tennis equipment and rules for playing on grass courts. He called the game "Sphairstike." The name came from the Greek word meaning "playing ball."
It wasn't long, however, until the game was called lawn tennis.
Some historians say that part of the credit for tennis should go to another major in England named Harry Gem. Gem was playing a form of tennis in the 1860s.
Croquet had long been England's favorite outdoor sport, but the popularity was soon transferred to tennis. In 1877, the All England Croquet Club changed its name to the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club.
And in the same year, the club sponsored its first major tennis tournament at its headquarters in a London suburb called Wimbledon. This tournament has since become the unofficial world championship for men's and women's singles and doubles.
In 1874, an American sportswoman named Mary Ewing Outerbridge introduced tennis into the United States. She purchased equipment from British army officers in Bermuda and set up the nation's first court on the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club in New York City.
The United States National Lawn Tennis Association, now called the United States Tennis Association, was established in 1881.
In 1900, an American tennis player named Dwight Davis donated the Davis Cup, awarded to the country that wins the world's men's championship. This trophy has become recognized as the top prize in international team tennis.
Until the 1950s, most of the world's major tennis players came from France, Great Britain and the United States. Then Australia dominated the sport for many years. Today, stars come from all countries.