Tennis has been called many things over the years. Nicknamed “the sport of kings,” the evolution of tennis has changed with the eras and with the athletes who chose to play the sport. Today, with players like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray, new techniques are being developed and utilized which are changing the sport of tennis as we know it.
But as we all know, behind these strong, agile men and their hi tech sports equipment is an even stronger woman, helping the players through their toughest times and celebrating with them during their largest victories.
Without their support it is clear that these athletes would not be able to advance in the rankings. We wanted to find out more about these wonder-women of tennis, and as it turns out, most of them have incredible lives all their own.
Played with a racquet and felt covered rubber ball, tennis was not always played outside. In fact, it used to be played in large halls called “tennis halls,” and the rules were quite different.
There was no “out of bounds,” and the walls could be utilized to make it difficult for the opponent to get to the ball. In addition, the racquets were all made out of wood, something much different than the advance carbon fiber alloys of today.
From this “real tennis” (a sport which is still played by a select few people in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia) was derived “lawn tennis.” Originally played on the lawns of grand estates, this is the tennis which has evolved into the sport we know today. Except for a few locations – most notably Wimbledon – tennis is no longer really played on grass courts. It is now possible to find courts made of concrete, clay, asphalt, and even carpet.
In addition to changes in the court styles and the equipment used to play the sport, there have also been changes to the players as well. Typically, fit people play the sport, as it involves a lot of sprinting, quick stops, and strategy. As the players have gotten better, they have had to become smarter as well. With only one and a half seconds separating from when a player hits a shot to when the shot is returned, the player must anticipate where their opponent is going to move, where to aim the ball to make sure the opponent can’t get to it, what type of shot to use, and where the player themselves must move to best defend the court.
[post_page_title]Marta Tornel/David Ferrer[/post_page_title]
While David Ferrer is slipped quite a bit in his World Tennis Association place rankings, he is still having a really good time with his incredible wife, Marta. The couple married back in 2015, and they went on to have a child together a few years later. When she isn’t cheering him on, Marta works as an optometrist at her family’s optometry office outside of Valencia. We can certainly see why this stunning and hard-working woman caught Ferrer’s eye!
