WIMBLEDON, England — According to the authoritative new book “The Birth of Lawn Tennis” by Bob Everitt and Richard Hillway, when Maj. Walter Clopton Wingfield published the first set of rules for the sport in 1873, the lone illustration showed a mixed doubles match.
Men and women playing together, at both recreational and professional levels, has always been a signature of tennis. Other sports are trying to catch up; the 2020 Olympics will feature mixed events added to shooting, table tennis, swimming, track and field and triathlon. Alpine skiing had an Olympic mixed team competition for the first time this year.