Modern day tennis is played on three different courts; grass, clay and hard courts. However, this wasn't always the case. Tennis is an adaption of a French game known as jeu de paume, which came to be in the 11th century. Originally practiced with bare hands, jeu de paume gradually developed with the invention of the racket in the 16th century until it became the modern game we enjoy today.
The popularity of tennis swept over most of Europe and quickly overcame the most popular game at the time, croquet. After only three years of its rules being codified, the first Wimbledon tournament was held in 1877 where it was played using a rubber ball on a grass court. 

The three most common types of courts are the grass, clay, and hard courts. One may ask themselves why the surface of the court matters so much, or why are there certain tennis players who excel on one specific type of court? The answer can be found in the physics of the sport and how that fuzzy yellow ball interacts with the surface. During a regular rally, the ball will spend only a fraction of time in contact with the players' rackets. This is the only time where the players are able to control the ball, physics controls everything else. 

There physics of tennis largely depends on three separate factors that are determined by the surface court. First is the coefficient of friction, in relation to the tennis ball and court, this would be the measurement of the abrasive force between the ground and the tennis ball. Having a court with a large coefficient of friction would disrupt the balls forward momentum and make the ball appear 'sluggish'. The second factor would be the is the angle of the bounce, or the angle of rebound. The angles of the bounce make the court appear slower or faster. A high bounce gives the players a longer time to chase after the ball while a low bounce makes it so the players have less time to get to the ball. Finally, there is the coefficient of restitution,or how bouncy the surface is.  The coefficient of restitution is also the driving force behind the angle of rebound, courts with less restitution yield a lower angle of rebound and vice-versa with courts with a high restitution.