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　　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.

　　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.