National Tennis Pro Day – February 17, 2025

History of National Tennis Pro Day

National Tennis Pro Day was created by Maria Oddy in 2020 but was first celebrated in 2021. It is an unofficial holiday that is meant to show appreciation toward tennis pros around the world for their relentless efforts and patience when coaching recreational tennis players. The day is an occasion for expressing gratitude toward tennis pros who have enabled recreational players to improve their game.

The sport of tennis originally began in 12th century France, where it involved hitting a ball with bare hands and was called the ‘Game of the Palm.’ King Louis X of France was an avid player of the game. By the 16th century, the game was moved from playing in an open space to an enclosed area with standardized rules; racket use was adopted. Francis I of France built courts to promote real tennis and encourage commoners and courtiers to play the game. Although tennis began to be played in most parts of Europe around the 13th century, it particularly became widespread in the 16th century. From 1413 to 1422, royal interests in tennis began in England with King Henry V. Between 1509 and 1547, Henry VIII, as a young monarch, made a big impact by playing tennis with gusto on a court he built in 1530.

In 1437, tennis indirectly led to the death of King James I of Scotland at the Blackfriars, Perth, when the drain outlet which was supposed to be his escape route from assassins had been blocked to prevent tennis balls from getting lost. “Trattato del Giuoco della Palla” — the first known tennis book — was written by Antonio Scaino da Salothe, an Italian priest, in 1555.