February 12th 2010

The site has grown significantly over the past 18 months since it was introduced and with an amazing 23,000 hits and numerous email enquiries, we have elected to adjust how viewers can access the entire site.

Totally free to join, please create an account to access all the data. In this way as we add major content we can email you updates and other news. We know you don’t want to be bombarded with information so news by email will be used sparingly, since you can also come back anytime.

We also add a few additional subjects under the Blog articles. Please add your comments and thoughts to these, plus if you have any ideas that you wish us to follow up, don’t hesitate to email us \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thanks from the team……..

November 8th 2009

We are sad to also report the passing of Australian Davis Cup Player Colin Long. Colin very kindly gave us some time last year to reminisce and it was a privelege to meet him and learn about his wonderful tennis career. Please read about Colin in a special article written about his tennis performances in the 1940’s. As you can see below, we also lost Jack Kramer this year and he and Colin played against each other in Davis Cup and Australian Tennis Championships.

September 14th 2009

We note the passing of tennis great Jack Kramer almost to the day of the 2009 US Open final. Jack was instrumental in changing the style of tennis in the 1940’s with the so called “power game” of hard serving and volleying. His style influenced the generations that followed and he also deserted amateur tennis to earn a living from a professional circuit he set up, played in and managed along with many Australians like Dinny Pails, Frank Sedgman, Lew Hoad, Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall. Today the open era owes much to the efforts of Jack as he battled the amature bodies who cut professionals from all the major tournaments, Davis Cup and even club events. Thanks Jack on behalf an appreciative tennis community.

Introduction

There have been many books written about the history of tennis with a focus on the UK and the USA. In Australia, unlike other local sports like Football, Rugby and Cricket, Tennis has suffered from a void where much of the history has simply vanished or focused only on the leading players of the time. Australia, does have a significant place in the annals of tennis and it a pleasure to present, in the one location, some interesting historical aspects of the game as it developed here and spawned a sporting industry which catered to the demand.

Various racquet sports have been tried over the centuries and although the modern game has its direct roots back in 1874 thanks to Major Walter Wingfield and his game “Sphairistike”, however, here is a very rare picture from 1837 that shows a depiction and caption of an outdoor game which uses the name “tennis” and shows a similar doubles playing format. Included in the text is reference to scoring in 15/30/45, advantage & deuce, rough or smooth to determine serving and even mentions volleying. It comes from a book titled Games and Sports, by Donald Walker, Published by Thomas Hurst, St Pauls Church Yard 1837. The title of the picture “Long or Open Tennis” certainly gives rise to this being a very early example of a format which sparked interest in the outdoor pursuit of a racquet based game and most likely influenced as the rules were modified over 1874 /1875. Thanks to Sebastiaan Van Hoorn for the photo and information.

From 1874, Lawn tennis became a social revolution thanks to the development of a rubber ball that could bounce on grass and the lawn mower which could prepare it. Major Wingfield’s idea to market the game in boxed sets of equipment permitted the game to spread throughout the world, including Australia, at a truly rapid pace.

Tennis here became the social game of the day for both men and women. Courts were constructed within cricket clubs, croquet clubs, within the grounds of churches, in the stately gardens of private homes and in far off distant country towns.

A myriad of sporting goods manufacturers already producing cricket, royal tennis and in the USA baseball equipment, began designing and experimenting with new racquet designs, stringing techniques and tennis balls. Tennis fashion for the ladies and men was dashing and many clubs and local club competitions evolved. Tournaments like Wimbledon were created, The Davis Cup began in 1900, champions were held in high esteem and spectators were keen to see the best players in action. In Australia, after state competitions developed so did inter-colonial matches and eventually the Australian Championships.

The evolution of tennis, the playing techniques, the equipment, the stories and the memorabilia surrounding the game is remarkable. On this site you will see a host of interesting photos, read stories about how tennis came to Australia and learn about some of the memorabilia, such as vintage tennis racquets (or rackets) that collectors around the world simply adore.

The site will continue to evolve over time and we trust you will enjoy learning about new aspects of Australian tennis you didn’t know about before and encourage family members of former players and those still with us today to make contact and submit some photos or information that will help add some new pieces into this fascinating Australian story.

For inspiration, we thank existing collectors and publishers Jeanne Cherry (Tennis Antiques & Collectibles), Siegfried Kuebler (A Book of Tennis Racquets), our tennis researcher Clive Oliver, National and State libraries and individual contributors which have included clubs, players (relatives) and relatives of families involved in the local tennis industry. A special note of thanks also to USA collector Rolf Jaeger for supplying photos of some of his rare items in his second collection. His first collection was sold to Tennis Australia and is now in storage…….somewhere!!! Please see a few images of this collection under the EXTRA ARTICLES section. It really will be a special occasion when the tennis museum in or close by to Rod Laver arena becomes a reality.