as the modern sport can be dated to two separate roots. Between 1859 and 1865, Major Harry Gem and his friend Augurio Perera developed a game that combined elements of rackets and the Basque ball game pelota, which they played on Perera's croquet lawn in Birmingham, England.[2] [3] In 1872, along with two local doctors, they founded the world's first tennis club in Leamington Spa.[4] The Courier of 23 July 1884 recorded one of the first tennis tournaments, held in the grounds of Shrubland Hall.[5]In December 1873, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield designed a similar game — which he called sphairistike (Greek σφάίρίστική, skill at playing at ball), and was soon known simply as "sticky" — for the amusement of his guests at a garden party on his estate of Nantclwyd, in Llanelidan, Wales.[6] He based the game on the older sport of indoor tennis or real tennis. According to most tennis historians, modern tennis terminology also derives from this period, as Wingfield borrowed both the name and much of the French vocabulary of real tennis and applied them to his new first championships at Wimbledon, in London were played in 1877.[7] On May 21, 1881, the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (now the United States Tennis Association) was formed to standardize the rules and organize competitions.[8] The . National Men's Singles Championship, now the . Open, was first held in 1881 at Newport, Rhode Island.[9] The . National Women's Singles Championships were first held in 1887.[10] Tennis was also popular in France, where the French Open dates to 1891.[11] Thus, Wimbledon, the . Open, the French Open, and the Australian Open (dating to 1905) became and have remained the most prestigious events in tennis.[12][13] Together these four events are called the Grand Slam (a term borrowed from bridge).[14] The comprehensive International Lawn Tennis Federation rules promulgated in 1924 have remained remarkably stable in the ensuing eighty years, the one major change being the addition of the tie-breaker system designed by James Van Alen.[15] The Davis Cup, an annual competition between national teams, dates to 1900.[16]In 1926, promoter . Pyle established the first professional tennis tour with a group of American and French tennis players playing exhibition matches to paying audiences.[13] [17] The most notable of these early professionals were the American Vinnie Richards and the Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen.[13] [18] Once a player turned pro he or she could not compete in the major (amateur) tournaments.[13]In 1968, commercial pressures and rumors of some amateurs taking money under the table led to the abandonment of this distinction, inaugurating the open era, in which all players could compete in all tournaments, and top players were able to make their living from tennis.[19] With the beginning of the open era, the establishment of an international professional tennis circuit, and revenues from the sale of television rights, tennis has spread all over the world and has lost its upper-class English-speaking 1954, Van Alen founded the International Tennis Hall of Fame, a non-profit museum in Newport, Rhode Island.[20] The building contains a large collection of tennis memorabilia as well as a hall of fame honoring prominent members and tennis players from all over the world. Each year, a grass-court tournament and an induction ceremony honoring new Hall of Fame members are hosted on its grounds.网球的前身是14世纪流行於法国宫廷的一种叫「掌球戏」的游戏。规则是两名玩家隔著一条绳子,使用手掌将被布包著头发制成的球互相对打。其后这种游戏经过发展和改良,用网代替绳子,并将以手击球改为用木制球拍,随后木拍更拉上弦线。由18世纪开始,欧洲民间也开始出现这种游戏,并且於19世纪盛行於欧洲。现代的网球则於1873年12月由华尔特·科洛普顿·温菲尔德少校(Major Walter Clopton Wingfield)在英国发明,当时这个游戏是用来在后院的派对中取悦客人。他是根据老的室内网球或者称为原网球的游戏创造这项运动的。根据大多数网球历史学家,现代网球的规则也大多数从此而来,因为温菲尔德从这两项运动中借鉴了大量元素,还借鉴了法国皇室网球的一些技巧规则。1877年在英国伦敦温布尔顿举行了首场A|zh-hk:温布顿网球锦标赛;zh-hans:温布尔登网球锦标赛,为现代网球史上最早的比赛。随著国际网球联合会於1913年成立,网球运动亦於世界各地得以广泛发展。在1881年5月21日,美国国家草地网球联盟(现在的美国网球联盟)成立以规范规则和竞技制度。美国国家男子单打锦标赛,就是现在的美国公开赛,1881年首次在美国罗得岛的新港举行。美国国家女子单打锦标赛在1887年举行。网球也在法国(法国网球公开赛1891年)流行。世界著名的网球公开赛有:温布尔顿网球公开赛、美国网球公开赛、澳洲网球公开赛和法国网球公开赛。今天,这四项赛事被称为大满贯。关於草地网球的规则80年之内都没有改变,只是在1900年,由詹姆士·凡·阿兰(James Van Alen)做出了一项重要改变:1900年,著名的一年一度戴维斯杯网球公开赛在国家队之间举行。1926年,商人.派尔()建立了首个职业网球巡回赛,队员由美国和法国网球运动员组成。最值得称道的早期职业网球选手有美国的温尼·理察斯(Vinnie Richards)和法国女子苏赞妮·冷莲(Suzanne Lenglen)。当一个队员成为职业选手后,他/她就不能参加业余选手赛。1968年,由於商业的压力导致这项制度的废弃,因此进入了一个新的时代,即所有选手都可以竞争所有赛事,而顶级选手可以靠打网球谋生。藉此,国际职业网球圈建立,借电视转播网球传遍了整个世界,从此不再是英国上流社会的专有运动。1954年,詹姆士·凡·阿兰创建了国际网球声誉礼堂,一个在罗得岛的新港的非营利博物馆。这个博物馆里面搜集了大量的网球纪念品和大量全世界网球成员的奖品和奖章。每年,在此都要举行一次草地网球赛,并且举行接纳新的声誉礼堂成员的典礼。