Introduction to
The Birth of Lawn Tennis

John Carpenter

I thought I was nearly finished researching my own book in 2018 when I opened The New York Times sports section and came across a review of a seven-pound, 562-page volume titled The Birth of Lawn Tennis (2018), co-authored by tennis historian Richard Hillway. Hillway had already published numerous articles revealing that many long-accepted tennis stories were actually myths or outright fabrications. Contemporary documents from the time of the events showed these narratives to be not just flawed, but often entirely false.

One striking example was his evidence challenging Frank DeFord's famous biography of Bill Tilden. Contrary to DeFord's claim that Tilden died broke, Hillway uncovered that Tilden had actually purchased two brand-new Ford automobiles—one of them paid for in cash—just months before his death.

Far from being destitute or inactive, Tilden remained remarkably busy in his final years: giving tennis lessons in the mornings, playing four or five sets in the afternoons, organizing a professional tour in 1951, and writing for magazines and newspapers. He still dressed smartly before going out to dinner—usually steak cooked rare with potatoes—played bridge regularly, and remained closely involved with the family of his protégé, Art Anderson, including Anderson's mother and grandmother.

He was not alone or destitute in his later years. Contrary to some myths, Tilden did not spend his final years in isolation or poverty. For instance, there was no desperate letter to Vinnie Richards pleading for a Dunlop racket and balls to keep giving lessons. In fact, although Richards worked for the Dunlop Rubber Company, Tilden exclusively used Bancroft rackets during the last four or five years of his life and could receive a dozen of them free anytime from the Bancroft representative in Los Angeles.

Far from forgotten, Tilden remained surrounded by people, including his close protégé Art Anderson and Anderson's family. Anderson eventually sold some of Tilden's personal memorabilia, including trophies, which fetched nearly $500,000 at auction in the early 1990s. Hillway later purchased from Art Anderson, Tilden's 1920s traveling case, one of his Bancroft rackets, his pen inscribed with his name, and a large number of personal letters.

For his masterpiece of a history book, Hillway (born 1943) of Colorado Springs, Colorado teamed up with renowned tennis historian, Bob Everitt of Wolverhampton, England. Both were experts on 19th century lawn tennis history and decided in 2011 that they would write a book on the early history of the game. After seven years of meticulous research and writing, the result was a groundbreaking book - one that not only reshaped the historical narrative of tennis - but lead to a total reshaping of much of my own tennis instructional research.

I was honored when Richard Hillway, after completing several tennis history projects, agreed to serve as the historical editor for my book, Modern Tennis Instruction: A Historical Guide to Play Your Best Tennis. His involvement brought unmatched depth and accuracy to the work. Even today, a quick Google search in 2025 turns up countless myths, inaccuracies, and outdated claims—many of which have been overturned by the kind of meticulous research Richard champions. In addition to editing Modern Tennis Instruction, he contributed a remarkable 47-page article comparing past and present male and female champions.

His insights are also featured in a 31-page interview in Paul Fein's recent book Game Changers. And in recognition of his lifetime contributions to tennis history, Allen Hornblum dedicated his 2018 biography of Bill Tilden, American Colossus, to Richard Hillway.

A Few Comments or Reviews of The Birth of Lawn Tennis.

The Contents of The Birth of Lawn Tennis

Reading The Birth of Lawn Tennis is a bit like one-stop shopping for the early history of the game. Virtually everything important about lawn tennis from 1874 to 1878 is included—and much more.

The book opens with a concise overview of racket sports that predated lawn tennis, followed by Major Walter Wingfield's introduction, promotion, and sale of the game in boxed sets beginning in 1874. It also explores competing versions of early lawn tennis, including Wingfield's own "sphairistike," and the crucial role played by the Marylebone Cricket Club in revising the game's rules.

Key figures come to life, including Henry "Cavendish" Jones, described as the unsung hero of the sport, and the early leaders of the All England Club—founded initially as a croquet club. The authors also trace the formation of the first lawn tennis clubs and give a detailed account of the inaugural 1877 Wimbledon Championships, complete with biographical sketches of nearly all 22 participants.

There is a richly illustrated description of the earliest lawn tennis rackets, balls, nets, and other implements, along with profiles of the earliest lawn tennis manufacturing companies and distributors. In the book's Appendix is found an excellent tennis timeline from 1874 through 2012.

A notable feature is the inclusion of the first six lawn tennis rulebooks, with a detailed comparison of the early rules across 32 different categories—such as court size, net height, whether one or two serves were allowed, and more. The book also discusses various candidates who may have introduced lawn tennis to America and presents proof that lawn tennis was, in fact, an invention—not merely an evolution.

It challenges and overturns numerous long-held myths in tennis history. These include the claims that the Leamington Club was founded as a lawn tennis club in 1872, that Mary Outerbridge was the first to bring lawn tennis to America, and that Wingfield's game was first played at the Nantclwyd estate in Wales.

Perhaps the highlight of the work is the collection of more than 500 photographs—many from the 19th century and never before seen. A large number of these images are owned by the two authors. While it is often said that the pictures make the book, this volume is also packed with factual information. It tells the real story of early lawn tennis.

The Early Years of Lawn Tennis - A Guide for Historians and Researchers.

Fun Fact: There is very little evidence that Mary Outerbridge brought tennis to the United States in 1874—despite the story being widely repeated in books and online sources even as of 2025. Until the publication of The Birth of Lawn Tennis in 2018, even ChatGPT reflected this commonly accepted narrative. Richard Hillway hopes this downloadable PDF (click here to download) will serve as a helpful reference to clarify the historical record and reduce the spread of long-standing inaccuracies in tennis history.

Interestingly, two major tennis history books published in 2021 still included the Outerbridge story, suggesting how deeply such accounts have become embedded in the historical conversation—even after newer evidence has emerged.

Because these early accounts continued to appear even after the book's release, Hillway began, in 2021, writing and distributing more than 600 copies of a 28-page guide designed to assist tennis historians and writers. The booklet is titled The Early Years of Lawn Tennis – A Guide for Historians and Researchers, and was created to help foster a more evidence-based understanding of the sport's origins.

Hillway mailed a large number of these guides to tennis libraries such as those in the All England Club, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the William Fischer Lawn Tennis Library at St. John's University, and one of the All England Club's Annual Tennis History Conferences attended by over 250 interested individuals. These guides list 20 questions, to most of which authors are giving the wrong answers. The correct answers based upon contemporary written evidence are provided in paragraphs. The various libraries hopefully will hand the guides out at no charge for anyone studying early lawn tennis.

Tennis Collector and Historian Societies Exist

Most tennis people don't know that there are at least two tennis history organizations with memberships that include tennis collectors, writers and historians dedicated to preserving the rich history of the sport. The Tennis Collectors' Society (United Kingdom) started in 1987 and publishes 3 magazines annually that are now titled "The Tennis Historian." Richard Jones, who owns the Tennis Gallery bookstore in Wimbledon, is editor of this magazine.

The Tennis Collectors of America, founded in 2004, publishes at least 3 journals annually that are titled "Journal of the Tennis Collectors of America." This is at present edited by Dylan Dunavan of Illinois. The members write articles that are published in these magazines. Both Hillway and Everitt have contributed articles for more than 2 decades. Bob Everitt has been the designer of "The Tennis Collector" and "The Tennis Historian" magazines since 1997 and in 2007 he became editor as well.

He retired from those duties a couple of years ago. Everitt also was the designer for The Birth of Lawn Tennis, placing each picture, document or illustration on its proper page. Both of these Tennis Collector organizations are always looking for new members.

Sphairistike or Lawn Tennis Boxed Sets.

Retired British Army Major Walter Clopton Wingfield invented the sport of lawn tennis which is now called tennis. On 23 February 1874, Wingfield received a conditional patent on a portable tennis court that was shaped like an hourglass, 60 by 30 feet with a net 21 feet wide. Two days later, on 25 February 1874, Wingfield published the first lawn tennis book ever, a rules booklet that was 8 pages long and included only 6 lawn tennis rules. Its title was The Major's Game of Lawn Tennis. Then he created French & Co. so he could retail his lawn tennis implements. The implements were often sold in painted boxes that were 36 x 12 x 6 inches.

Generally, each box included 4 rackets, a bag of balls, a net, 2 net posts, a mallet, pegs, a brush, and a rulebook. By November of 1874, French & Co. also offered an extra-large box that was 42 inches in length. Today, only 5 of these Sphairistike boxes are known to still exist. Interestingly, both Bob Everitt and Richard Hillway own one of these boxes which they bought at auctions in England. Everitt's box is a regular box that is 36 inches long, while Hillway's Sphairistike box is 42 inches in length. Today, the original Wingfield Sphairistike (lawn tennis) implements are very rare. Besides the 5 boxes, as far as is known there still exist 12 original rackets, 2 presses, 1 pair of poles, 1 side net, 2 mallets and not a single original tennis ball (uncovered hollow rubber ball).

Also, only 22 of the original Wingfield rulebooks are still known to exist. Five editions of his rulebook were pulbished. Sixteen are in museums and 6 are owned by 4 individuals. Only 4 first editions are still known to exist. Hillway owns a 4th edition that was once owned by Dick Williams, a survivor of the Titanic tragedy and the US singles champion in 1914 and 1916. It appears that Dick William's father, Duane, is the man who suggested the creation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation in 1912 before he was killed by the collapse of one of the four smoke stacks on the Titanic. The ILTF, now the ITF, was created in 1913.

Biography of Robert T. Everitt

Bob Everitt was born in 1956 in Wolverhampton, England, where he still resides today. He graduated with honors in graphic design and illustration from Wolverhampton College of Art in 1978 and went on to enjoy a successful career as a freelance graphic designer. Among his artistic achievements is a set of four postage stamps depicting members of the Royal Family—including Princess Diana and Princes William and Harry—commissioned for a British Virgin Islands issue.

Since the age of 21, Everitt has also been a passionate historian and researcher of lawn tennis. Over the years, he has built an extraordinary collection of rare 19th-century tennis memorabilia, including trophies, artwork, and early rackets. His collection has been featured in museums and on television, and he has shared his insights through appearances on both BBC television and radio.

As a tennis player, Everitt found success at his local club, winning junior singles and later senior championships, including the veteran singles title. He also worked as a lawn tennis instructor and was recognized for his contributions to the club with an Honorary Membership in 2002.

Everitt's writing reflects his deep knowledge and appreciation of the sport's early history. In 1995, he published One Hundred Sporting Summers, a club history. This was followed in 2002 by the richly illustrated Racket Sports Collectibles. In 2014, he privately published a booklet titled Who Introduced Lawn Tennis?, a thoughtful contribution to the ongoing debate around the origins of the modern game.

That booklet, along with a 72-page unpublished manuscript by Richard Hillway given to Alan Little, the Honorary Librarian at the All England Club in 2010, likely played a role in the All England Club's early recognition of Everitt and Hillway's research—well before the publication of their collaborative masterwork.

In a world where tennis historians are few (in contrast to the thousands dedicated to baseball), Bob Everitt stands out as someone who has devoted much of his life to the study and preservation of tennis history—especially the story of 19th-century lawn tennis in England and the early years of the All England Club and its Championships.

Biography of Richard A. Hillway

Richard Hillway, born in 1943 in West Hartford, Connecticut, is a leading international tennis historian. He has published more than 120 articles on tennis history, many appearing in The Tennis Collector magazines in both England and the United States.

As a young player in Colorado, Hillway distinguished himself early, winning three high school state titles—two in #1 singles. Remarkably self-taught, he hit reverse (bolo) and open-stance forehands as early as the 1950s, and he used a Continental grip while playing on Colorado's fast concrete courts at 5,200 feet elevation.

Hillway was the only student at Greeley High School to maintain straight A's for four consecutive years, earning him a full-ride Boettcher Scholarship to the University of Colorado. There, he played #1 singles for three years (1963–1965), won the Big Eight Conference Championship as a sophomore, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and was honored as the school's Outstanding Senior Athlete-Scholar in 1965.

In 1967, Hillway studied at the University of New South Wales in Australia on a Rotary International Fellowship. While there, he joined the White City tennis club (grass courts) and won the All-Australian Universities singles championship in Perth.

As an adult player, Hillway continued to shine, winning numerous Colorado open singles and doubles titles and earning the #1 men's open singles ranking in the Intermountain section (Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming) in both 1966 and 1970. One of the most memorable matches of his career was a 1966 Colorado State Open loss to 20-year-old Jaime Fillol—an epic 19–17 third set played over two days due to rain and darkness.

Hillway began working as a teaching pro at the age of 18 and continued coaching for over 50 years. As a head or assistant coach, he helped win 46 Colorado high school state tennis team titles. He also spent 11 years teaching high school history. From 1981 onward, he served as Tennis Director at the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs for 28 years.

Hillway has served on the board or committees of the Colorado Tennis Association (now USTA/Colorado) for four decades, including 25 years as chairman of its Awards Committee. In 2000, he founded the Colorado Tennis Hall of Fame and served as its chairman for 21 years.

As a historian and collector, Hillway has assembled a personal research library of more than 2,500 tennis books and periodicals. He also owns hundreds of historic letters written by or to tennis greats, providing firsthand insight into the sport's past. These letters include correspondence from figures like Major Wingfield, Richard Sears, Suzanne Lenglen, Don Budge, Bill Tilden, Alice Marble, Maureen Connolly, and Helen Wills.

Hillway is considered an expert on Major Walter Wingfield, 19th-century tennis, and especially on the life of Bill Tilden. His research spans all decades of the sport. He has personally interviewed and visited many legends of the game, including Gene Mako, Sidney Wood, Pauline Betz, Tony Trabert, Jack Kramer, and members of the Australian tennis dynasty.

He maintained regular phone conversations with 1953 Wimbledon champion Vic Seixas for three years until Seixas passed away at age 100 in 2024. He also made 11 visits to Tilden's last protégé, Art Anderson, in California.

Among Hillway's remarkable memorabilia are the signed register from Tilden's funeral, Don Budge's gold watch inscribed by his Davis Cup coach in 1937 and his last license plate inscribed G SLAM, Helen Wills Moody's 1930s suitcase, Wingfield's 1896 appointment book, and rare American lawn tennis magazines from 1890–1902.

Notably, Hillway has also invested time researching the history of Black tennis in America. The respected coach and former player Art Carrington affectionately refers to Hillway as "the tennis cat" for his encyclopedic knowledge and dedication to all aspects of the game's history.