Tennis

  

The oldest type of this sport known as hall tennis was played by British Army officers in India and South Africa in 1880-es. They used covers of cigar boxes as racket, cork of softened wine bottle as ball and books as nets.Other versions of this game have been developed in England in 1890. These are the whiff whaff and gossima with different names. After that, Parker Brothers company to prepare and sell the miniature salon tennis equipment consisted of portable net installable at table, a top with netted surface. Tennis sport had passed from a unique period of development in Azerbaijan, too. Azerbaijani tennis-players like Sergey Likhachev, Elena Biryukova, Ramiz Ahmarov were among prize winners at the USSR Championships, European Championships, in various international tournaments, at single and mixed double competitions.
At present, the federation of this type of sport has been operating. At Davis Cup Euro-Africa Zone Group 4 held in Malta in 2006 Azerbaijani tennis team gain the 6th place.In April 2011 the Azerbaijani tennis-players have achieved very good results.In recent years in connection with the development of tennis sport in the country, the most serious step taken in this direction was an opening of the National Academy of Tennis. The construction of the Academy, which began on March 2008 in the 8th microdistrict of Baku city, has an area of 2.7 hectares. All kind of conditions were arranged in the complex at an area of 4070 sq.meter for engaging in this type of sport. According to general statistics, presently there are 8 tennis yards, 3 tennis courts