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Waltor C. Wingfield was the first to introduce the game of tennis. Tennis was originally played on an hourglass-shaped court, played on grass.
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The game of tennis has majorly evolved for over 100 years.
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Tennis then spread to the United States by way of Bermuda. While vacationing in Bermuda, Mary Ewing Outerbridge of New York was introduced to the game by a friend of Wingfield in 1874. When she returned to the United States with a net, balls, and rackets, her brother helped her in setting up a tennis court in Staten Island, New York.
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The major problem with clay courts were that they soaked in water when it rained. Even after a short precipitation, these courts could take up to two to three days to dry. The solution to this problem was found in 1909 when a British firm named En Tout Cas solved the drainage problem by replacing the pure clay surface with a blended mixture of crushed brick.
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Walter Clopton Wingfield, the inventor of lawn tennis dies.
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Rod Laver is born in Queenisland, Australia. Later, Laver grew to become one of the greatest tennis players ever. He contributed to the game in numerous ways.
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Arthur Ashe is born in Richmond, Virginia. He grew up and became the first African-American tennis player to win a Grand Slam title. His valuable contributions changed the game of tennis forever
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Tennis star, Billie Jean King is born in Long Beach, California. She grew up to become an astonishing tennis player, as well as an advocate against sexism in sports.
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This marks the date of when the modern Civil Rights Movement is said to begin. This affected tennis seeing as many African-Americans were excluded from matches and tournamnets. Arthur Ashe was one of the many who fought to change this.
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Throughout the 1960's the steel industry in the US suffered much due to the end of WWII. Many steel companies went out of business or went bankrupt. This event correlated with the high price of the newly invented steel tennis rackets in the late 1960's.
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Wilson Sporting Goods comes out with one of the first metal rackets, immediatley becoming popular. The new concept of the metal racket took place of the wooden racket.
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The Battle of the Sexes is the famous match where Billie Jean King defeated former men's singles Wimbledon champion, Bobby Riggs. This made a statement throughout the entire sports world as an statement against sexism in sports.
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After Billie Jean King's famous win in the "Battle of the Sexes", sexism in sports is diminished slightly. This win showed that women can compete with men in sports, helping to disprove many sexist beliefs.
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Hard court surface tennis courts were introduced to the U.S. Open, held in Flushing Meadows, New York. Prior to this, clay and grass courts were used.
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The tennis racket is redesigned once more, this time its composition changes to graphite. It is not a pure graphite like used in pencils, yet a mixture. This helps the racket to become more light weight yet more durable.
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Arthur Ashe dies from AIDS-related pneumonia.
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Walter Clopton Winfield, the creator of lawn tennis is inducted into the International Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.
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Named in honor of tennis superstar, Rod Laver, Rod Laver Arena is built in Melbourne, Australia. Due to Laver's great successes and contributions in tennis, this arena was named after him.
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After defeating Andy Roddick at Wimbledon, Roger Federer takes home his 15th Grand Slam title. This broke Pete Sampras's record of 14, making Federer the greatest tennis player known to the world.
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Billie Jean King is inducted into the International Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.
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Honoring Arthur Ashe, Arthur Ashe Stadium is named after him in Flushing Meadows, New York. It is the center court for the U.S. Open, where the championship is held.
