For thousands of years man has been fascinated with balls. It is easy to imagine cavemen hitting round stones with sticks for amusement. The Egyptians, Romans and then Christian Monks played games which involved hitting a small ball with a stick, which eventually became a bat, and then a racquet. From these humble beginnings the game of lawn tennis evolved. Today tennis is played in every continent by tens of millions of people. The game has now grown to become a multi-billion dollar industry. This beautifully illustrated book details the history of tennis, how it is played, its rules, regulations, and controversies. It also contains fascinating in-depth biographies of many of the most famous tennis players in the world, documenting their triumphs, tragedies, and personal traumas.