Lawn tennis is the formal name for the sport most people simply call tennis. The name comes from the game's origins in the 1870s, when it was played on grass lawns at country clubs and estates in England. Players hit a felt-covered ball back and forth across a net using strung racquets, trying to make shots their opponent can't return.

The “lawn” part distinguishes it from an earlier indoor game called “real tennis” or “court tennis,” which was played in enclosed rooms with different rules. When tennis moved outdoors onto grass, people called it lawn tennis to tell the two apart.

Today tennis is played on grass, clay, and hard courts around the world. While grass courts are now rare (they're expensive to maintain and wear out quickly), Wimbledon still uses them, keeping alive the sport's lawn tennis heritage.