| Show Tinnis Gave Us Tennis Debut in Century What's in a name Take for example tennis For a long time it was thought that tennis was rooted in the French receive But with Dr Philip K K Hitti pro pro- professor professor professor fessor of Semitic literature in Princeton university this derivation did not click Such an alleged origin he rea rea- reasoned did felt felt did violence to certain rea-I rea linguistic principles I Also it ignored a most important factor the history of the game it itself it- it itself self seU for study had revealed to him that tennis had made its debut in Europe about the beginning of the Fourteenth century century and and the play play- players players players ers who introduced it had brought it back with them from the East Professor Hittl knew of course that our word racket racket with which tennis is played today was trace trace- traceable traceable able to the Arabic rabah palm of the hand And further digging turned up the Illuminating fact that when tennis was first played the ball was not struck with a racket but with the flat fiat palm He was getting warm Now this ball was made of light cloth Professor Hitti Hittl had a hunch Where could such a cloth have beef be D manufactured In hi the East Research R search brought to light that in inthe Inthe inthe the Nile NUe Delta there was a town to that was famed for being the hub hubof hubof hubof of an area that manufactured tex tax textiles tiles tOes and other fabrics fabrics fabrics-a a town which Incidentally was once the capital of one of the Egyptian dynasties He ran this town down down fo found down found nd that its name name was Tinnis |
