When I set out to discover the humble beginnings of tennis, I wasn’t sure there would be a story that people would want to hear. Boy, was I wrong. Most stories that take place in the Middle Ages have death in them. Tennis in the 14th and 15th centuries was no different. I stumbled upon King Louis X, who happened to have died from a tennis-related (loosely) death. I thought to myself, oh wow, that’s a great tennis story from long ago.
Back then they didn’t even have racquets, so we’re talking waaay back. So there it is, right? Until I found out just how popular tennis was among kings. These dudes loved their tennis, so naturally it was a big part of their lives. And you can’t have something be a big part of people’s lives without it being part of a few deaths. So once I found out that King Louis X wasn’t the only one, it was time to run down to the store for an $8 bottle of wine and get to work. The fruits of my labor? 1st - Episode 4. The Kings of Tennis.