Each summer at the US Open, the world’s top tennis players smash rubber balls back and forth across a net, while crowds wait politely until the end of the match before cheering. Such is the modern sport of tennis, once the genteel pastime of the idle rich. First played in thirteenth-century France, tennis was an indoor sport, with players using the palms of their hands to hit the ball. Later, in the sixteenth century, people picked up rackets and headed to outdoor courts for the action. story
每年炎天，天下顶尖的网球能手都市齐聚美国网球果然赛，在球网两侧相互回手一颗橡皮球，观众则彬彬有礼地在一旁期待，直到角逐竣事时才报以欢呼声。这即是今世网球活动的实况；在已往，这种活动但是有钱人用来消磨时光的上流社会休闲活动。网球劈头于13世纪的法国，其时照旧一种球员以掌心击球的室内活动。其后到了16世纪，人们才拿起球拍，走向户外球场从事这项活动。
Tennis is still much the same, although nowadays it’s enjoyed by people from all walks of life—not just aristocrats. Professional player Pete Sampras, for example, is the son of Greek immigrants to the US. He began playing as a child, hitting balls against the wall in his basement. Sampras soon dominated the courts, not because of pretensions, but because of his ability to“ace”the ball: Sampras can serve it so hard that opponents can’t return it.
网球活动至今并没有太大的厘革，不外喜欢这项活动的人却普遍各行各业——而不光仅是贵族了。举例来说，职业选手皮特·桑普拉斯是美籍希腊移民之子，小时间就在家里地下室对着墙壁击球，开始了他的网球生活。桑普拉斯很快便纵横球场，靠的不是自命非凡，而是发球得分的本事：由于桑普拉斯发球气力很大，对手毫无还手的余地。
