Tennis is one of my favourite sports. I’ve been playing it from a young
age. In fact, I like both types of this game: table tennis and long
tennis. I’m quite good at table tennis, but I spend most of my free
time at the nearest court training for long tennis. This game is rather
old. It is believed to have originated in the fifth century B. C. There
are even drawings on the walls of ancient caves which show different
people hitting a ball back and forth. However, the modern game of lawn
tennis originated in the 19th century in Great Britain and was
considered to be the upper-class game. Today, it’s the fifth most
popular sport in the world, after football, basketball, cricket and
rugby. The game is played with a racket and a small, yellow ball and by
two players or two pairs of players on the court divided by the net.
The sport is even included in the Olympic Games. It’s easy for me to
understand why tennis became so popular and how it gained universal
appeal. First of all, it provides health benefits. Those, who play
tennis, have strong arms and legs. They are always in good shape.
Secondly, tennis players are rather optimistic, energetic and
self-confident. Tennis outperforms many other sports in developing
positive personality characteristics. Thirdly, people who play tennis
have better immune system and body coordination. And, finally, tennis
players quickly develop strategic mind, social skills and high-level
discipline. Apart from the Olympic Games, there are four Grand Slam
tournaments, which are held annually and are considered to be
prestigious. I never miss these spectacular events when they are on TV.
However, my dream is to see at least once such a tournament in real
life.