23rd February: Play Tennis Day

Play Tennis Day is officially observed on February 23rd of every year. Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players each. Millions of players play tennis, and the game has spectaculars all around the world. Tennis is an Olympic sport, and it can be played at all levels of society and all ages. There is no age bar for this game; it can be performed by anyone who can hold a racket, including wheelchair users. Tennis is a great sport for both body and mind. Tennis has the most variety of all sports, one needs speed, strength, agility, touch, tactics, a high mental game, fast reaction, patience, and power.

History

In December 1873,  British army officer, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield of Pimlico, England, designed and patented a similar game called ball playing. Play Tennis Day is believed to be celebrated on 23rd February because, on this date in 1874, Walter had licensed the game of lawn tennis. Walter Wingfield holds great credit for popularising this game enormously. The world’s oldest tennis tournament, Wimbledon Championships was played in London in 1877. Tennis is one of the most past games that is still played.