Most historians believe that tennis originated in France in the 12th century, but the ball was then struck with the palm of the hand. It was not until the 16th century that rackets came into use, and the game began to be called "tennis." It was popular in England and France, although the game was only played indoors where the ball could be hit off the wall. This later created much controversy between many people who thought that it was unfair for the opposing team. They claimed that the other team was able to hit the ball in a certain way for it to hit the wall and come back to them. Henry VIII of England was a big fan of this game, which historians now refer to as real tennis.

Harry Gem and his friend Augurio Perera developed a game that combined elements of rackets and the Basque ball game pelota, which they played on Perera's croquet lawn in Birmingham, United Kingdom. In 1872, along with two local doctors, they founded the world's first tennis club in Leamington Spa.

In December 1873, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield designed and patented a similar game—which he called sphairistike (Greek: σφάίρίστική, from ancient Greek meaning "skill at playing at ball"), and was soon known simply as "sticky"—for the amusement of his guests at a garden party on his estate of Nantclwyd, in Llanelidan, Wales. He likely based his game on the evolving sport of outdoor tennis including real tennis. According to some tennis historians, modern tennis terminology also derives from this period, as Wingfield borrowed both the name and much of the French vocabulary of real tennis and applied them to his new game.^{[citation needed]}

The four Major tennis tournaments or Grand Slam tennis tournaments —sometimes called "championships", sometimes abbreviated "Tennis Majors" or even "Majors" or "Slams"— are the world's most important annual tennis tournaments. They are now most important by world tour ranking points, prize-money, strength and size of field, and public attention, and they have been considered most important for decades. January to September the Majors are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon (The Championships, Wimbledon), and the US Open. The Australian and US tournaments are currently played on hard courts, the French on clay, and Wimbledon on grass. Wimbledon is the oldest Major, founded in 1877, followed by the US in 1881, the French in 1891, and the Australian in 1905.

The tennis Grand Slam is a cumulative achievement, winning all four major championships in a single year in one of the five disciplines: men's and women's singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles. In doubles one team may accomplish that playing together or one player may do it with different partners. The "Grand Slam" without qualification is winning the four majors in a single calendar year. That has been possible in all five disciplines every year since 1987, and in most years and most disciplines since the Australian Open was inaugurated in 1905.