Charting the global evolution of tennis from its origins in the early Middle Ages to the appearance of the modern game in the 20th century, this text debunks several established myths about the history of the game, including those surrounding the invention of the Davis Cup.

Table of Contents

The origins of tennis - the monk's racket; the tennis games of the Middle Ages; the language of tennis; tennis in renaissance literature; tennis in the German ballhouse; lawn tennis - the sturdy bastard; lawn tennis in America; continental colonies - lawn tennis in France; lawn tennis under the Kaiser.