That’s a happy cry that announces the weather is warm and it’s time to play some tennis at a local park or school. Tennis is an activity for all ages and all skills. Children as young as four years old can play the game. Boys and girls can play equally, against each other in singles matches or as two-player doubles teams.
Tennis is a fun form of recreation. Players can take as much time as they want to complete a match, and because there is no physical contact, tennis is one of the safest sports. It’s also inexpensive. All that is required is a racket and a can of tennis balls. There are no uniforms or other equipment to buy. And every child already owns at least one pair of sneakers, appropriately called tennis shoes.
Tennis is an exciting spectator sport as well. One of the summer’s international sports highlights is the All-England Championships, better known as Wimbledon. The tournament is named for the London suburb where it’s been held since 1877 for the men’s competition and since 1884 for the women’s. Wimbledon attracts hundreds of professional players from throughout the world and thousands of fans who gather to watch them on Wimbledon’s grass courts. Millions more watch the competition on television. Many of today’s champions fell in love with the sport just as today’s children do—by playing with friends on a hot summer day on a neighborhood court.