The traditional BFI Cup tennis tournament will take place in Vilnius this weekend. The representatives of banks and financial organizations will meet on the tennis court. On the eve of this event, we offer you some interesting facts: where and when this sport appeared and how it became popular.

Historical moments

Tennis today is not only a way of life, but also a business for global companies and an expensive show for millions of fans. Throughout its history, this game has trained endurance and discipline, taught to control emotions.

Historians suggest that the first amateur tennis players were French monks in the XI-XII centuries. They beat the ball with their hands and played in the monasteries. The first tennis ball was wooden, and later - leathern. They were filled with wool or sawdust. Of course, such a hit was strong and traumatic. Later they began to put a glove on the hand, and then to use wooden objects that look like tennis rackets. Centuries later, the game became popular outside the church world.

"Royal" sport

Tennis was a game of English, French and Spanish kings, and for a long time belonged exclusively to the upper class. Henry II, for example, was the best player in France of those years. Charles IX called tennis “one of the most noble, worthy and healthy exercises for princes and peers”.

According to the scientific version, the word “tennis” came into use from Old French term “Tenez!”, which can be translated as “hold!”, “receive!” or “take!”. The first mention of the word “tennis”, as the name of the sport game, was found in a book dated 1400.

Well paid work or expensive pleasure?

The modern form of the tennis originated in England, where the first tournaments took place in 1877 at Wimbledon. 22 years later the Harvard students organized a competition between national teams, which became known as the Davis Cup - after Dwight Davis, who bought the silver cup for the winner.

Tennis was an amateur sport until the 1920s. Then the best players began to conduct commercial matches - for public and for money. Today, tennis is among the ten highest-paid sports. Over the past thirty years, 150 players have earned more than $1 million in prize. However, the tennis players below the 300th position spend more than they earn. Tennis is a pyramid of glory and money, but only the hardworking and lucky are at its top.

Health benefits

Tennis, even at the amateur level, is incredibly healthy. This sport strengthens the cardiovascular system, muscles, develops dexterity and improves coordination.

Where else, if not in business, is tactics, endurance and self-control so important? This sport is in the list of elite hobbies. It unites powerful people on the tennis court and promotes their constructive communication.

Let’s meet on tennis court!

The traditional tennis tournament for representatives of banks and financial institutions will take place in the Vilnius sports complex SEB Arena on November 10-11. The first tournament Bankų teniso raketė was held in 2009, and 4 years later, it grew into an international tournament. The general sponsors of the event are the companies Penkių kontinentų bankinės technologijos (BS/2) and ASHBURN International, which are part of the Penki kontinentai group, which has been successfully working with Lithuanian and foreign banking and financial institutions for more than twenty years.

The two-day program of sports competitions will include both single and double competitions.

The novelty of this year - the employees of the Penki kontinentai group will compete for the cup with the representatives of banks and financial organizations for the first time!