Real tennis, anyone?

Okay. So how many people have heard of Real Tennis? I certainly hadn't, until about three months ago. It turns out my mate Seb plays it - and I had the rare opportunity to watch a match played between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge today. Seb, naturally, was playing.

But what is real tennis?

Well, Real Tennis is the original 'Regal' tennis (Real, as in Real Madrid) from which the modern game of lawn tennis originated. It is also called Court Tennis in the US and Royal Tennis in Australia (for those that may be familiar with these terms).There is some debate about when the sport was first played - different opinions range from the 16th century to the 19th century. It may have evolved from a ball game that was played using a gloved hand from as early as the 12th century. There apparently are only about 35 Real Tennis courts left worldwide!





The sport is played in an asymmetrical court, with sloping roofs, various openings and a buttress, and has a rather intricate point scoring system. Racquets are asymmetrical too, and balls are hand-sewn - often by the players themselves. While in principle it is similar to lawn tennis there are several nuances that are difficult to follow without some understanding of the game. You can read about the sport here and here. The University of Oxford Real Tennis Club is here. I recommend a look - when so few people are even aware of the existence of the sport, having a greater knowledge of it is fantastic.


Top