Tennis

Tennis was one of the sports played at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens 1896.

Tennis was born in the 11th century when a game called ‘Jeu de Paume’ became popular in French monasteries and palaces.

The sport developed in England, where croquet lawns were used to stage the first official Lawn Tennis matches.

At Athens 1896, the first Olympic Tennis tournament was won by Irish student John Boland. He went to the Games just to watch, but returned an Olympic champion.

Compare that to today, when competitors are among the biggest names in world sport, used to playing for millions on the international circuit.
Tennis at the Games

Arguments over the ‘amateur’ status of players saw it dropped from the programme in 1922, but it eventually returned at Seoul 1988.

Some of the world’s most famous players have since become Olympic champions, including the USA‘s Andre Agassi and his wife, Germany’s Steffi Graf.

Jargon buster

* Lob: A ball hit high in the air and deep into the opponent's court.
* Half volley: A shot played just after the ball has bounced.
* Match point: A point that, if won, wins the match.
* Straight sets: Win without losing a set.
* Baseline: The end boundary line of a tennis court.
* Love: no points; zero.
* Serve: To put the ball in play at the beginning of a point.
* Ace: A winning legal serve that the opposing player fails to touch with their racket.


Tennis is already one of the most popular sports in the country and the LTA is running schemes to help youngsters get started and create more winners in British Tennis.

These include mini-tennis, which is especially designed for juniors under 10. There are also regular competitions for people of all ages and abilities to help more people progress in the sport.

Badminton

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Badminton: Then and now

Badminton grew out of game called ‘Poone’, which was popular in India in the 19th century.

Its modern rules were created by an Englishman, John Loraine Baldwin, who named the new sport after Badminton House, where he – and many other visitors – had enjoyed playing a game involving ‘battledores’, shuttlecocks and a net in the Great Hall.

Badminton quickly caught on in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century. Today it is among the world’s most popular sports, both in terms of participation and spectator numbers.
Badminton at the Games

Badminton first appeared at the Games as a demonstration event in Munich 1972. It became a full medal sport 20 years later, at the Barcelona 1992 Games. However, it was not until Atlanta 1996 that the Mixed Doubles event was added to the Olympic Badminton programme.

Badminton is still most popular in its traditional heartlands of Europe and Asia. Indonesia, Korea and China are the dominant forces in the sport.
How to play – and win

Badminton is played on a court 13.4 metres (44 feet) long and 6.1m (20ft) wide, divided in half by a net approximately 1.5m (5ft) high.

The object of the game is to hit the shuttlecock over the net and either land it in your opponent’s half of the court, or have them hit it into the net or out of the court.

A match is the best of three games, played to 21 points.