[LAWN-TENNIS.]
Lawn-tennis, though still in its youth, may with some justice lay claim through its prototypes, Longue paume, Pallone, Tennis, etc., to an illustrious ancestry; the connection between the modern and the older games being sufficient to establish a relationship. It is not necessary here to trace this connection step by step, beginning perchance with the game which Louis X. of France played in the forest of Vincennes to the championship fought out on the Wimbledon Club grounds in 1897. The greater part of such a history would of necessity belong to tennis proper, which, as we know, has been a popular English game for many ages. So in the 15th century we hear of a tennis court at Windsor Castle, and the present one at Hampton Court was originally built by Henry VIII., in whose reign it was that Sir Thomas More, in his "Utopia," stigmatised tennis along with "dice, cards, tables, bowls and quoits" as "a naughty and unlawful game."
The first authentic record we have of lawn-tennis as we know it dates back no further than 1874, when Major Wingfield patented a certain pastime by him named "Sphairistike." It was not I believe claimed to be an invention, but merely an adaptation of a sport almost as old as the world itself. A sub-committee of the Marylebone Cricket Club was asked in 1875 to bring order into chaos, everyone for the twelve months of its existence having chosen to play "Sphairistike," or lawn-tennis, as it was now called, as it best pleased them. A code was drawn up, issued and quickly superseded, but at least there was a recognised length and breadth of court and height of net, which prior to this, as I have said, depended entirely upon the taste of the players. In 1875 lawn-tennis took up its headquarters at Wimbledon, being admitted to form part of the "All England Croquet Club" there. The game was introduced at Prince's Club in the same year. In 1876 tennis scoring was adopted, and it was the general opinion that lawn-tennis had come to stay. In the following year the "All England Croquet Club" determined to include the name of the new game in its title, and it became known as the "All England Croquet and Lawn-Tennis Club." In another twelve or eighteen months the visitor had pushed the host out of house and home, the club becoming henceforth headquarters of lawn-tennis alone.
It was in the July of 1877 that the first lawn-tennis championship meeting was held at Wimbledon, a silver challenge cup being offered for competition by the proprietors of The Field. There were twenty-two entries, Mr. Spencer-Gore carrying off the championship and the all-comers prizes. The principal results of the first tournament was to show up a serious defect, viz.: the great preponderance of games won by the server against those gained by the striker-out; the proportion being about five to three. This defect was remedied in 1878 by bringing the service line four feet nearer the net, from twenty-six feet to twenty-two feet. The net at the same time was lowered from five feet at the posts to four feet nine inches, and from three feet three inches at the centre to three feet. In 1879 two more championships were instituted, those of the Oxford University Lawn-Tennis Club, and of Ireland. The latter meeting was of particular importance to lady players, owing to the fact that it was their first competition ground. This pioneer of women's lawn-tennis championships was carried off by Miss M. Langrishe, who was also successful in securing the Irish prize in 1883 and 1886. The first occasion on which ladies competed at Wimbledon was in the year 1884, when Miss M. Watson secured the All England Championship, to which she joined the double victory of Ireland, where she defeated Miss M. Langrishe.
In 1885 the manager of the Buxton Tournament instituted a ladies' double championship, carried off by Mrs. Watts and Miss Bracewell. The championship of England and Ireland was again held by Miss M. Watson. It was during this year that Miss L. Dod first began to be known in the front ranks of lady players, though it was not until 1887 that she held the championship of England and Ireland, since when she has held the English Championship four times. In 1886 Miss Bingley, now Mrs. Hillyard, shot to the fore, defeating Miss Watson at Wimbledon. Her victory, though coming as something of a surprise, was magnificently earned, her extreme accuracy and power creating a good deal of enthusiasm.
The next epoch of importance in ladies' tennis—and the last possible variation of the game—was the institution, in 1888, of the "All England Mixed Doubles Championship," won by Mr. E. Renshaw and Mrs. Hillyard. During the same year the "Lawn-Tennis Association" came into existence, the want having for long been felt of one recognised authority, under whose rules all championship matches should be played. In 1890, the Association made important alterations in some of the previously recognised laws. The change of sides under the new regime was fixed at the end of the first, third and every alternate game of the set, instead of at the end of each game. Bisques were abolished, and the quarter system of receiving odds was instituted, more of which hereafter. Subsequently the distance of the service line from the net was fixed at 21-ft., and the height of the net at 3-ft. 6-in. at the posts, and 3-ft. at the centre.