Did you know tennis was invented in France? It started off in France during the Late Middle Ages. The modern form of tennis originated in Birmingham, England, in the late 19th century as lawn tennis. It started off in the 1100s in France where people would strike a ball with one hand where the called it “game of the palm”.

It was not until the 16th century that rackets came into use and the game began to be called “tennis”, from the French term Tenez, which can be translated as “hold!”, “receive!” or “take!”, words used as a call from the server to his opponent. Tennis was very popular in France and England. 

Norwalk High Schools’ tennis team competes in the FCIAC, swinging for glory. Although they do not compete with the palms of their hands, using a racket requires very skilled hand eye coordination.  Tennis also requires a good base of agility and elite quickness. Players like Serena Williams, women tennis player, has a very strong base with elite quickness.