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A tennis ball is very distinct and are used by millions of children and adults all over the world for playing tennis, of course, but many, many other less formal games too. They are not only the correct size for tennis, presumably anyway at 2.7 inches or 6.7 centimetres in diameter, but they also fit neatly into a hand or a dog’s mouth. Therefore people use them for playing catch, for various games of softball like rounders and for throwing for the dog to retrieve.

When I was a child, all tennis balls were white, but now you would be very hard pushed indeed to find a white one if, if indeed it is at all possible. These days, all tennis balls are day-glow colours like yellow, green and orange. Presumably this change was made for the purpose of visibility on the TV screen.

The word ‘tennis’ comes from the French - ‘Tenez’ (pronounced ‘teney’), which meant ‘Take up Position’ or simply ‘Start’. The origins of tennis were almost certainly well over a thousand years ago, when it was played by monks. The racquet or racket was the flat of the hand and the ball was wooden.

No-one is definitely certain whether the next innovation was to wear leather mitts or to change the ball to leather, but whichever it was, there was obviously a move to make the game less painful. When the ball changed from being wooden, it was made of animal skin, most often leather, sewn up with sinews and stuffed with anything that came to hand, such as straw, wool and hair - animal and human.

The point is that these early wooden and leather balls did not bounce, so the game was very different back then. In due course, the monks began using ‘racquets’, but they looked more like bats than modern day tennis racquets.

In Disraeli’s book, “Sybil” (1845), the story line reveals how Lord Eugene De Vere was to go to Hampton Court to play tennis, so the game was a recognized sport then, but it took until the late Nineteen Century for the game that we know today to be formalized by a set of rules. In 1874, Major Walter Wingfield was granted the patent for the rules and equipment of ‘lawn tennis’ and not much has altered since.

The following year tennis courts were established in the USA and then the game of tennis spread like wildfire. Wingfield laid down the rules of the game and the type of apparatus to be used. The game has not altered much since then in essence, but it has changed a great deal nevertheless. The outline of the court is different now and science has been applied to the equipment to improve it.

The original ball in the late Nineteenth Century was manufactured of solid rubber and so would have been quite heavy, but at least it did bounce which immediately made the game more interesting and more lively. A bouncing ball turned tennis into a more interesting game to play and a more interesting game to watch. The rubber ball permitted tennis to become a spectator sport that crowds would pay to watch.

Modern tennis balls have a rubberized skin, which is around eighty percent rubber, filled with air and covered by a layer of ‘hairy’ felt. The felt is important because it allows the surface of the ball more grip and can regularize the bounce as well. It also gives the ball a more foreseeable flight path even in the presence of wind.

The last feature of contemporary tennis balls is the air inside. This can either be pressurized or non-pressurized. Pressurized balls give a better bounce when new, but they lose pressure with time and so are less consistent, whereas non-pressurized balls actually improve slightly with use, which is considered a benefit.

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It is pretty unimaginable that you will not know of the French Open tennis championship, because it is a competition which is a regular topic of conversation. In French the name of the competition is ‘Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros’ or ‘Tournoi de Roland Garros’. This tournament, which lasts for roughly a fortnight is held in Paris at the Roland Garros Stadium, from which it got its name.

It is one of the most publicised and broadcast sports events throughout the entire world and many VIPs attend it. The attendees are fanatics who wait with baited breath on every stroke, especially when there is a tight struggle between two players, doing their best to win. Even TV viewers actually get a feeling of being there live.

The French Open tennis championship comes in second on the annual round of the Grand Slam tournaments and its history goes back to the year of 1891 when it became an international competition. At that time it was named the ‘International Championship of Tennis of France’ or ‘Championat de France International de Tennis’ in French.

Initially, only players that were registered or licensed in France were permitted to join in this competition, but things took a different turn in 1925, when the French open tennis tournament finally was accessible to foreign players. In 1912, the ground the players used was made of red brick dust. Actually the crushed brick was formed into red clay that covered the ground, which until then would have been a green lawn.

The public’s enthusiasm for the French Open tennis tournament held at the Roland Garros stadium, dates back to a competition fought between the Philadelphia Four (Rene Lacoste, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and Jacques Brugnon) who won the Davis Cup in 1927. It was the trigger of the desire in the French to defend their cup in future competitions. This new tournament was designed to return home the cup and was held at a stadium named after the World War I ace Roland Garros. The name has stuck since then.

The word ‘open’ became has been used from 1968, when the tournament allowed both amateurs and professionals alike who wanted to test their skills at tennis. Since then the French Open tennis tournament has also brought some novelties in terms of prizes.

Beside the usual winners’ prizes, they also award a ‘Prix Orange’ for the most correct and press friendly player, a ‘Prix Citron’ for the player with the strongest personality and a ‘Prix Burgeon’ for the one that turns out to be the revelation of the tennis year.

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If you already take part in tennis, then I imagine that you already know what tennis players wear, so this article is aimed at those individuals who would like to buy tennis kit for a loved one for a special occasion. After all, it is not as straightforward as it seems to obtain sports wear for the participant of a sport you understand nothing about.

There is a certain picture we are inclined to associate with a tennis player: white Polo top with shorts or skirt and matching shoes. They are trendy and stylish, comfortable and characteristic at the same time. Items of tennis clothes often signify a great deal to people who are not just sports fans. If the person you are shopping for is a tennis aficionado, tennis attire becomes a great gift that can also be quite reasonably priced despite the rumors that it costs a great deal.

In case tennis kit is something unknown to you, Google it over the Internet and you will be surprised to see how much information there is available. Very many forums will obliquely inform you about prices and discounts going on at an assortment of retail shops and online merchants.

They will also provide you with information as to which brands are considered the best, which are thought the least durable and reliable, which are reasonably priced and which exaggeratedly dear .

What many tennis outfit users recommend is that you obtain the type of top or shirt that would make you feel most comfortable and that will allow the very wide angled activities that are peculiar to the performance of this sport. For instance, the shorter the sleeves of your tennis attire, the freer the movement during the game. Some purchase tennis clothing also according to the season in which they expect to play. Still others go for the materials that can be worn in both warm and cold seasons.

They ardently believe that the tennis kit must keep them both warm and cool at the same time. As far as the t-shirts for men are concerned, you should know that most players speak of Polo shirts in very high terms, as the collar offers you some neck protection from the sun’s rays.

Advice about tennis attire like that above are to be had on very many web sites. If you are not quite sure what to go for when purchasing your friend a gift, then you can always inveigle him or her to have a discussion about his or her favourite sport. Using a little guile, you will surely be able to direct the discussion to a related topic that interests you, that is tennis clothes. Making it all look like casual chit-chat would not make him or her guess what you have in mind for the special occasion.

If you are a beginner tennis player or are interested in the general psychology of tennis, please visit our site called Tennis Tips for Beginners