Reading for the Fun of It: Tennis

Today, since we have a choice, I have decided to blog about tennis. There are two reasons I am doing this: first because I love playing the sport, and second because the Australian Open is going on right now, which is one of the four biggest tournaments of the year.

Tennis is a sport that is played between two players or two teams. You use a racquet and a ball, and the point of the game is to beat your opponent: either by missing less than them or by hitting more winners. The modern game of tennis originated in the late 19^th century in the United Kingdom. It was first called Lawn Tennis, in which they played on grass, and after its creation, it quickly spread among the English upper-classman. After that, it spread around the world.

Rafael Nadal

Since the 1890’s, the rules of tennis have not changed that much. One of the changes though is that on a serve, you are now aloud to have no feet on the ground. From 1908 to 1960, there was a rule that stated that you had to have one foot on the ground while serving. Another change is that tiebreakers have been added. This happened in 1970 mostly because of one reason. The reason they were added was because without them, you could lose a whole match without losing a single point on your serve. The last thing that has been added recently is the challenge system. This is only at big tournaments and on a select number of courts, but if you happen to be on one of them, you are allowed to question a call that someone has made. They then show a 3D animation on a screen, and if the ball is in, you win the point!

Caroline Wozniacki

The Australian Open is happening right now. It is in Melbourne, Australia and it held during the Australian summer. Therefore, the temperature on the court can sometimes reach up to 120 degrees! Last year, Roger Federer of Switzerland, one of the best players of all time, claimed the Men’s Single’s trophy, and Serena Williams of the US, claimed the Women’s Singles trophy. This year, Rafael Nadal, who is currently trying to capture his 4^th straight grandslam title, is seeded number one on the men’s side, and Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark is seeded number one on the women’s side.

I have been playing tennis since about 4 years old, but not until I was 8 did I start taking it seriously. I have been moving up the ranking lists quickly, even though many injuries have held me back. For the 12’s age division, I was ranked #1 in Texas and #15 in the nation. For the 14’s age division, I was as high as #3 in Texas and #97 in the nation. I would have definitely been higher, but last year, I had two knee surgeries, which put me out for a whole year, no tennis. My knees are much better now, and I am doing very well.