Most historians believe that tennis originated in France in the 12th century. The French called the game ‘Tenez’, which can be translated as ‘hold!’, ‘receive!’ or ‘take!’, a call from the server indicating that he or she is about to serve. The ball was struck with the palm of the hand, and later with a glove. The game came to England in the 14th century, and rackets came into use in the 16th century. Other key milestones in tennis history include The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club hosting the first lawn tennis championship at Wimbledon in 1877, the first professional tennis tour beginning in 1926, and The Open Era beginning in 1968 which allowed players to compete in international tournaments for the first time.
Closer to home, the most recent tennis milestone was the Acalanes Dons Varsity Girls team opening their pre-season with a tournament at Freedom High School on Saturday. The tournament included teams from Carondelet, Bishop O’Dowd, Freedom, Liberty, and Acalanes. Acalanes had a strong showing despite the warm weather and missing a few players.
Despite losing 9 seniors to graduation, including several year round tournament players, the 2023 team brings a strong core of returning players and talented new players under the leadership of Co-Head Coaches Joe Schottland and Sharon Langtry, and Assistant Coaches Janice Metzger and Alex Duff. Despite being so early in the season, Coach Schottland noted that he is already impressed with the team bonding, indicating that the girls have been able to be both competitive and collaborative. Coach Langtry added that she was happy that the girls persevered through the warm weather during the tryouts, and has noticed the strong work ethic of the players. She also mentioned that one of the team goals for the season is securing victories against cross-town rivals Campolindo and Miramonte.
Additional information about the team, including the roster and schedule, can be found on the Acalanes Boosters Girls Tennis website here.
Please come out and cheer on the team as the girls play their first home pre-season matches on Tuesday, August 29th @ 4pm against Piedmont