Tennis is a game played by either two people, or two teams of two people each. The object is to hit a hollow rubber felt covered ball over a net into your opponents "court" with a hand held racquet. It is popular the world over as a participation sport as well as a spectator sport.

The world's top professional players are well known both on the tennis court and off of it. The game was originated in England in the 19th century, and spread through the English speaking world and eventually the entire world. It is still called lawn tennis in England to distinguish it from an earlier game known as court or royal tennis that was played indoors in France in the medieval period.

If you have never played tennis, there are a couple of things that you should know. First, it is not as easy as it looks. Second, it is a very physically demanding activity. If neither of those things has scared you away, here are the good things about it. Although you need to get a racquet and need some tennis balls, that is usually the only expense involved. Racquets come in all price ranges and inexpensive ones work fine for beginners. Tennis balls are also fairly inexpensive, but make sure you have at least a half dozen when you go to play. You will miss often, and will spend enough time chasing your ball.

The Date Activity

Tennis courts are located at parks in most areas or at schools and they usually are unattended and free to use. A tennis date is a long time tradition and can be an ideal one for competitive or active couples. Just keep one thing in mind. Even if your partner is not your match in size and strength, there is no assurance that they won't give you a sound beating. Tennis is that kind of game.

On Your Own / With Friends

Tennis can also be played with four people. This version is known as doubles, and makes a perfect double date activity or a fun way for a group of friends to spend an afternoon. Although you do need at least two people to play tennis, there are some solo possibilities. There are some courts that use a device much like a pitching machine to serve the ball over the net to you so you can practice returning shots. It works much like a batting cage and gives you a chance to fine tune your game