The History of Tennis - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations

Presenter: Good afternoon and welcome to the programme. Today we have a special programme about the history of tennis in this country and we also have Steve Mackay in the studio, the all-time great British tennis player, to give us the lowdown on some interesting facts about the sport and other great tennis players. Steve, obviously tennis is one of the most popular sports broadcast on T.V today. Can you tell us about the early days of tennis?

Steve: Well, the medieval form of tennis is known as 'real tennis' and eventually became 'lawn tennis' which is what we know today. 'Real tennis' changed over three centuries from an earlier ball game played around the 12th century in France. This had some similarities to handball. People would hit a ball with a bare hand and later with a glove. People say this game was played by monks in monasteries. By the 16th century, the glove had become a racquet. 'Real tennis' spread in popularity throughout royalty in Europe and was the most popular in the 16th century.

Presenter: It's amazing how the sport has changed then over time and how technology has helped to advance it with the state-of-the-art tennis racquets that we have today. So, what about the players who will go down in history as the best at this sport? Who do you think will be remembered on the Wall of Fame?

Steve: Well, obviously I have many favourites and all tennis players have different styles and will be remembered for different aspects of their game. The first player though that has to be mentioned is the great Bjorn Borg. He will go down in history due to the fact that he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles between 1974 and 1981, five at Wimbledon and six at the French Open. Born in '56 in Sweden, Borg became the youngest winner of the Italian Championship just before his 18th birthday, and two weeks later he was the youngest winner of the French Championship. Borg is the only player in the open era to have won both Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year more than once.

Another very important tennis player is Boris Becker. He was born in 1967 in Leimen, West Germany, and he is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion. Since he retired in 1999 from the professional tour, media work and his personal life have kept him in the headlines. An interesting aspect of his career is the fact that he was the youngest ever male Grand Slam singles champion, winning Wimbledon at 17 years, 7 months.

Moving on to our next great player, we have Pete Sampras. He was born on August 12, 1971 in Washington D.C and during his 15-year career he won 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles. His flair for the game was evident at age 3 when he discovered a tennis racquet in the basement of his home and spent hours hitting balls against the wall. His parents are of Greek origin. He has given some truly unforgettable performances on the court over the years.

The final player I will mention is the great Andre Agassi. He was born on April 29, in 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada. During his career he won 4 Australian Open titles, 1 French Open, 1 Wimbledon and 2 US Open which gives a total of eight Grand Slam titles. An interesting aspect of his career was that he turned professional at the age of 16 and his first tournament was in La Quinta, California. He won his first match against John Austin 6-4, 6-2 but then lost his second match to Mats Wilander 6-1, 6-1. By the end of the year, Agassi was ranked World No. 91.

Presenter: These players really have achieved a great amount in their lives and they will be talked about for years to come, especially when the Wimbledon Championships come round in June. Steve, which one is your ultimate favourite?

Steve: I just can't answer that; they all evoke great memories in the world of tennis and they have all contributed so much to the game. Their names will always be inscribed on the wall of champions!