Texts translated from ancient Greek and Egyptian sources suggest the name tennis derives from the Egyptian town of Tinnis, on the Nile, and the “racquet” from the Arabic word for palm of the hand, “rahat.” Those origins may be debated, but tennis in the modern incarnation enjoyed no small amount of popularity among the French clergy and aristocracy of the 15th century, from where it spread to the rest of Europe.

On this day, July 9, in 1877 the very first Wimbledon Tennis championship was held at the All England lawn tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London. Spectators paid a shilling each to watching 22 men compete in singles events.

Women were not allowed to compete in the tournament for another seven years. The first women’s singles event came in 1884, the same year that men’s doubles teams were introduced.