Now that lawn tennis is so universally popular, a short account of its history will prove interesting. The inventor of the game was Major Walter Wingfield, of Her Majesty's Body Guard, and he introduced it in 1874 under the name of "Spharistike." The first match ever played was in Denbighshire, England, and the first public contest took place in 1875. The game was popular from the start. The trade offered Major Wingfield a royalty of $1.25 a set on his invention, which would have yielded him by this time over $1,000,000. He declined the offer, however, and has never realized anything from the game except a gold watch and chain presented to him by public subscription. - News.
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