Tennis is a game whose origins can be traced to the 12th century French game called “jeu de palme.” In this game, players would use the palm of their hand to hit the ball over the net. By 1859, the game had changed to using rackets. The game has changed very little since the adoption of modern rules in the 1850’s. Only two changes have really been made to rules. In 1961, the rule was changed so players did not have to keep one foot on the ground while serving. (Prior to 1961, it would have been considered a fault if one foot was not on the ground at all times.) The second rule change was the addition to a tie-breaker.
Tennis was one of the sports that was part of the Girls’ Athletic Association. School champions would then represent their school in a tournament against the other Minneapolis schools. This was really the only “interscholastic” competition for girls from 1910 until the beginning of the Federal Title IX law.
Interscholastic Tennis began in the 1971-72 school year. It is played in the fall.