Describe one of these games: 1. tennis 2. rugby3. table tennis4. ice hockey 5. draughts6. darts7. field hockey8. badminton

Tennis is one of my favourite sports. I’ve been playing it from a young age. In fact, I like both types of this game: table tennis and long tennis. I’m quite good at table tennis, but I spend most of my free time at the nearest court training for long tennis. This game is rather old. It is believed to have originated in the fifth century B. C. There are even drawings on the walls of ancient caves which show different people hitting a ball back and forth. However, the modern game of lawn tennis originated in the 19th century in Great Britain and was considered to be the upper-class game. Today, it’s the fifth most popular sport in the world, after football, basketball, cricket and rugby. The game is played with a racket and a small, yellow ball and by two players or two pairs of players on the court divided by the net. The sport is even included in the Olympic Games. It’s easy for me to understand why tennis became so popular and how it gained universal appeal. First of all, it provides health benefits. Those, who play tennis, have strong arms and legs. They are always in good shape. Secondly, tennis players are rather optimistic, energetic and self-confident. Tennis outperforms many other sports in developing positive personality characteristics. Thirdly, people who play tennis have better immune system and body coordination. And, finally, tennis players quickly develop strategic mind, social skills and high-level discipline. Apart from the Olympic Games, there are four Grand Slam tournaments, which are held annually and are considered to be prestigious. I never miss these spectacular events when they are on TV. However, my dream is to see at least once such a tournament in real life.