Real tennis

Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original

There are just 45 active real tennis courts in the world, located in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and France.[3] There are also currently six disused courts, such as the two in the Republic of Ireland. The sport is supported and governed by various organizations around the world.

Unlike latex-based technology underlying the modern lawn tennis ball, the game uses a cork-cored ball which is very close in design to the original balls used in the game. The 2+1⁄2-inch (64 mm) diameter balls are handmade and consist of a core made of cork with fabric tape tightly wound around it, compacted by outer windings of string, and covered with a hand-sewn layer of heavy, woven, woollen cloth, traditionally Melton cloth (not felt, which is unwoven and not strong enough to last as a ball covering). The balls were traditionally white, but around the end of the 20th century "optic yellow" was introduced for improved visibility, as had been done years earlier in lawn tennis. The balls are much less bouncy than lawn tennis balls, and weigh about 2+1⁄2 ounces (71 grams); lawn tennis balls typically weigh 2 ounces (57 g).

Despite trials by

The 27-inch (690 mm) short, asymmetrical

Due to the small nature of the game, rackets are almost exclusively sold by club professionals who also provide restringing services to club members. Even at the elite level, professionals string their own rackets.

There are two basic designs in existence today: jeu quarré, which is an older design, and jeu à dedans. Both are doubly

Three walls feature sloping wooden roofs, known as penthouses, built 2 to 2.2 metres (6 ft 7 in to 7 ft 3 in) above the floor and extending to a width of 1.6 to 2.2 metres (5 ft 3 in to 7 ft 3 in). The wall without a penthouse is called the main wall. Protruding from the main wall is the tambour, an angled wall 0.7 to 1.0 metre (2 ft 4 in to 3 ft 3 in) wide at an angle of approximately 53 degrees, though some courts can be up to 59 degrees.^[8]

Counting clockwise from the main wall, the penthouses are called the dedans penthouse, the service penthouse and the grille penthouse. The side featuring the dedans penthouse is also known as the service end, and the side featuring the grille penthouse is also known as the hazard end. Beneath the penthouses are various openings in the wall, which have various mechanics in the gameplay and allow spectators to view the game. Underneath the dedans penthouse is the dedans, between 5.7 and 6.7 metres (19 and 22 ft) wide positioned centrally along the wall. A net across the opening allows spectators to view the game without fear of injury. Beneath the grille penthouse is the grille, a roughly square opening measuring between 0.9 by 0.9 metres (2 ft 11 in × 2 ft 11 in) and 1.0 by 1.0 metre (3 ft 3 in × 3 ft 3 in) positioned the upper right hand side as viewed from the court. The grille is generally blocked by a solid wood cover and features a picture or club logo, though American courts generally have netting instead. Beneath the service penthouse is a long opening, divided up into smaller openings by wooden or metal posts. The central such opening, known as the line, extends to the floor and allows players to enter the court and change ends. Counted from the centre of the court, the openings are known symmetrically as first gallery, the door, second gallery and last gallery, though at the end of the court closest to the grille penthouse the final opening is instead called the winning gallery and contains a bell which rings when a ball enters the opening.^[9]

Strung across the centre of the court is a net, which sags in the middle. At the centre of the court, the net is positioned 3 feet (0.91 m) above the playing surface, rising to 5 feet (1.5 m) at the sides of the court.^[10] Most courts feature a trough and a sunken basket at the base of the net for collecting balls at the change of ends.

The service court is marked on the hazard side by a line called the service line approximately 7 yards (6.4 m) from the back wall, and a line parallel to the main wall called the fault line. Often, the service court is painted a different colour to the rest of the floor. A series of lines called chase lines measuring distance from the back of the court on the service side and the service line on the hazard side towards the net. Courts in the

As many courts were built before the introduction of

The court at Falkland Palace is the last remaining jeu quarré design which unlike jeu à dedans court lacks a tambour, a dedans and a dedans penthouse. Instead, it features an ais, a piece of wood on what would be the dedans wall adjacent to the service penthouse, and four lunes, openings in the walls high above what would be the dedans. The court is the only existing, playable court in the world to not have a roof.

To begin play, the players spin a racket or toss a coin to decide who serves first. Serves are always made from the service end of the court, that is, the side of the court with the

Because there are numerous surfaces for the ball to touch during a serve, there are many different styles of serves which are chosen to achieve different tactical advantages. Since the court is asymmetric, different techniques are required for right and left-handed players. Some of the most common serves include:[14]^[15]

Railroad

Served from the back of the court close to the service wall, the railroad is played overhead with a fast right-to-left action. For right handed players, the stance is usually front-on with the service motion led by the elbow to impart side-spin on the ball, whereas for left handed players, the service is similar to a

lawn tennis

. An ideal railroad will bounce no more than a few inches from the bottom of the penthouse, then kick off the floor back towards the galleries, forcing the receiver to play the wall close to the side penthouse and out of position up the court.

Bobble

Served from the center of the court, often around last gallery, the bobble is played with no spin and hit softly at around hip height. It should bounce or roll several times on the service penthouse but not the service wall, forming an arc and falling close to the grille wall with as little forward momentum as possible. Often served as a second serve, it is often the first serve learnt by beginners.

Demi-piqué

Served from the centre of the court, near last gallery, the demi-piqué is played with left-to-right spin – for right handers it is played at head height while for left handers it is played below the waist. A demi-piqué strikes the service penthouse once near hazard first gallery, then the side wall, then may or may not hit the service penthouse a second time on the way down. The uncertainty of the trajectory on the way down makes it difficult to volley.

Underarm twist

Served mostly by right handers from the back of the court near the service wall, the underarm twist is played with right-to-left spin and played around knee height. For variation, it may or may not hit the service wall. It is typically much slower in pace than a railroad, despite having similar spin that kicks back towards the galleries. Left handers achieve a similar effect with a railroad, which is typically easier to learn than for right handers.

Side wall

Served from the back of the court near the side penthouse, the side wall serve is played with a left-to-right spin at around head height. It is hit directly onto the side wall above the net, then hitting the service penthouse on the way down. If allowed to hit the back wall, the serve will spin towards the grille, making it more difficult to hit to the right hander's forehand corner.

High serve/Chandelle

Served from the main wall at around last gallery, the high serve, also known as a chandelle, is hit as close to the roof as possible, falling once on the service penthouse and then close to the back wall. The serve can be played with either side spin or under spin, resulting in different variations when bouncing off the service penthouse.

High side wall

Similar to the high serve, the high side wall will hit the service wall before the service penthouse, resulting in the ball running along the grille wall. Difficult to return when served well, if served too long results in a fault (or pass in France), while if served too short is generally easy for the receiver.

Giraffe

Also similar to the high serve, except served from close to the service penthouse at about second gallery.

Drag

Served from very close to the service wall, the drag is played with heavy backspin. For right handers, this is typically achieved by serving as a backhand, while for left handers it can be served forehand. When served short, the backspin causes the ball to loose forward momentum, while when served long will spin off the back wall towards the tambour

Boomerang

Served from the center of the court, the boomerang is played deep onto the service penthouse, before bouncing up to the grille penthouse, then the back wall, returning to the service penthouse and falling flush with the grille wall. When served well, it is impossible to return, so there is a gentlemen's agreement that the serve is not used in high level play.

Piqué

Served from near the main around the second gallery line, the piqué is played with an overhead action, hit hard directly at the service penthouse. The ball then flies high in the air and lands near the grille wall close to the fault line. It is often used to target a weaker receiver in doubles play.

Caterpillar

Served from near the second gallery line in the centre of the court, the serve is played with a side wall action for right-handers or a railroad action for left-handers. The ball is played deep into the service penthouse, then striking the service wall, the grille penthouse, the back wall before finally falling flush with the grille wall close to the fault line. Rarely seen in singles play, it is often used to target a weaker receiver in doubles play.

African hunting dog

Served from the back of the court near the service wall, the African hunting dog is played overhead with a left-to-right spin, similar to a

lawn tennis

. It typically bounces several times on the service penthouse before spinning off the back wall towards the center of the court. As it does not keep the ball close to any walls, it is generally easy for the receiver, and is often only seen by players with prior experience in lawn tennis, and not at all in high level play.

Once the ball has been served, the players have to return it to the opposite side by striking it with the racket. Unlike for lawn tennis, the ball does not have to bounce off the floor before it can be returned. It can be played in any direction, as long as its trajectory would bring it to hit the floor on the opposing side first.

Because of the asymmetry of the court, play generally favours the player at the service end of the court.

• The receiver hits a 'winner', that is, a shot which is not reached by the server. The chase is marked at the point the ball becomes dead, i.e., the second bounce on the floor, as measured from the back wall using the chase lines.
• The receiver hits the ball into the galleries on the service side of the net (last gallery, second gallery, the door, or the line). The chase is marked by the line corresponding to the gallery the ball entered. Hitting a gallery post corresponds to entering the gallery closer to the net.
• The server hits the ball into any of the galleries on the hazard side of the net except the winning gallery (which would win the point). The server loses the right to serve and has laid a hazard chase, which is marked by the line corresponding to the gallery the ball entered.
• The server hits a ball not retrieved by the receiver but becomes dead between the net and the service line. The server loses the right to serve and has laid a hazard chase, which is marked by the point the ball becomes dead as measured from the service line.

Laying a chase or hazard chase does not immediately score points nor trigger a change of ends. Instead, the length of the chase is recorded and play continues until either:

• The score reaches game point, or
• Two chases (including hazard chases) have been laid.

When the condition is met, the players change ends and resolve the chases in the order in which they were laid. To resolve a chase, the point is played with the additional condition that shots hit by the receiver must not become dead (i.e. second bounce or entering a gallery) further from the back wall than the point at which the chase had been set, in which case the receiver would lose the chase (and also the point). In the case of a hazard chase, any winner hit by the receiver wins the point, but any ball that becomes dead between the point where the chase was marked and the grille wall loses the point. Any shot which is equal to the length of the chase being played is called chase off – no change is made to the score but the chase is not replayed. The presence of chases encourages players to play the ball as deep into the court as possible, as short chases close to the back wall are heavily weighted towards the server, and discourages shots such as a smash or a drop shot.

There are three so-called winning openings that win the point automatically for the player on the opposite side of the net if the ball lands there. These are:

Dedans

The largest of the three openings, and the only one at the service end. Players aiming for the dedans typically hit the ball hard and flat with slight top-spin, a shot known as a force. Forces may be hit either directly down the court or off the main wall, the latter being a boasted force. Such shots typically result in the serving player deploying a defensive volley from the back of the court. At lower standards of play, players may also attempt to hit the dedans using a lob shot, either directly into the dedans or after bouncing once on the floor. Shots hit too high go onto the dedans penthouse, and are usually an easy ball for the server to play.

Grille

The smallest of the three openings, positioned next to the tambour. Because balls struck towards the grille threaten to hit either the tambour or the grille, the receiving player must use their judgement as to which shot to defend. In doubles play, each player covers one of the two features.

Winning gallery

Positioned mirroring the last gallery but on the hazard side, the winning gallery can be identified by the presence of a bell in the netting of the gallery that rings when the gallery is struck. The gallery is rarely defended, but difficult to hit, as inaccurate shots could go into hazard second gallery, conceding a hazard chase and losing the right to serve.

The heavy, solid balls take a great deal of spin, which often causes them to rebound from the walls at unexpected angles. For the sake of a good chase (close to the back wall), it is desirable to use a cutting stroke, which imparts backspin to the ball, causing it to come sharply down after hitting the back wall. Players at the hazard end will generally try to hit the ball as deep into the court as possible to lay difficult chases and recover the serve. Players at the service end will use the uncertainty caused by the tambour to deceive their opponents. Different serves and strategies are deployed to prevent players hitting chases, galleries or openings, particularly when playing off chases. Moreover, because of the weight of the balls, the small racquets, and the need to defend the rear of the court, many lawn tennis strategies, such as playing with topspin, and serve-and-volley tactics, are ineffective, except in doubles play.

Play must be continuous, so at the conclusion of one point, the server immediately collects a new ball and moves into position to serve the next point. Time wasting is generally not observed. Players may generally take a short break at the change of ends for refreshments, but may not leave the court except with the permission of the marker (and usually at the end of the set). The general etiquette is that the player changing from the service end to the hazard end will wait for the other player to come around the net, and place a ball on their racket for them to serve.

The score of the match is kept by a marker. The role of the marker is to mark the position of chases, call service faults, record the score and manage the conduct of the players. Traditionally, the marker stands at the net opening to get a view of the whole court. However, from this position the marker cannot see the service penthouse, so must rely on the sound of the ball or an assistant marker to call service faults. For safety reasons, most clubs and tournaments have moved the marker to a seat in the dedans. In this case, the players call the length of any hazard chases, unless an assistant marker is employed in the grille. As the game is small, most professionals are also trained markers, hence it is not uncommon to see players in a tournament marking other matches in the same draw, even at the elite level.

The scoring system of real tennis mirrors that of

In handicap matches, players may require different numbers of points to win a game. A player with receiving odds starts a game requiring less than four points to win the game, while a player with owing odds requires more than four points to win the game. Such odds are counted backwards, so a player requiring five points starts at "owe 15", while a player requiring six points starts at "owe 30". A player with half-odds starts each second game with the nominated score, that is, a player playing "owe half 15" starts the first game at love, and the second game at owe 15. In handicap matches, deuces are never played – a score of 40-all is winner-takes-all.

A

The term "tennis" is thought to derive from the French word tenez, which means "take heed" – a warning from the server to the receiver. Real tennis evolved, over three centuries, from an earlier ball game played around the 12th century in France. This had some similarities to

An epitaph in St Michael's Church, Coventry, written circa 1705 read, in part:^[27]

Here lyes an old toss'd Tennis Ball:
Was racketted, from spring to fall,
With so much heat and so much hast,
Time's arm for shame grew tyred at last.

During the 18th century and early 19th century, as real tennis declined, two new racquet sports emerged in England: rackets and squash racquets.

There is documented history of courts existing in the German states from the 17th century, though none exist today.

In Victorian England, real tennis had a revival, but broad public interest later shifted to the new and much less difficult outdoor game of lawn tennis, which soon became the more popular sport, and was also played by both genders (whereas real tennis players were almost exclusively male).

Real tennis courts were built in Hobart, Tasmania (1875) and in the United States, starting in 1876 in Boston, and in New York in 1890, and later at athletic clubs in several other cities. Real tennis greatly influenced the game of stické, which was invented in the 19th century and combined aspects of real tennis, lawn tennis and rackets.

Real tennis also has the longest running

A forgotten master of designing, building and restoring real tennis courts was the British

The pinnacle of the sport is the biennial World Championship. The first champion is known only as Clergé, becoming the champion in approximately 1740.^[34] Scores for challenge formats are only known from 1862 onwards. In general the format for the match has been a best of 13 set format, held over three days of play. The event is held as a challenge format, whereby the incumbent champion awaits a suitable challenger in a manner similar to chess or boxing. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the incumbent champion dictated the terms, location and times of his challenge, which required any challengers to be backed by sponsors who provided a sufficient prize purse to fund a challenge.^[35] The most notable champion of this period was Pierre Etchebaster, who held the title for 24 years between 1928 and 1954 winning 8 challenges.

In 1959, responsibility for running the world championship was handed to the national governing body of the incumbent champion. In 1980, rules for eligibility of challengers were defined as any winner of a national Open title. However, after incumbent champion Robert Fahey won two consecutive grand slams in 2000 and 2001, no suitable challengers were available, so the rules were changed to hand responsibility for the terms, timing and location of challengers to the International Real Tennis Professionals Association. Qualification to the World Championship eliminators is now via the World Race, where competitors accumulate points for their placings at eligible tournaments, with the top four players competing in a series of eliminators for the right to challenge for the championship. The most dominant player of this period has been Robert Fahey, who held the title for 26 years between 1994 and 2016 and again from 2018 to 2022, winning the title a record 13 times.^[36] The current World Champion is American Camden Riviere, who defended his title against John Lumley in 2023. The next challenge is expected to be held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in September 2025.

A World Doubles championship was first contested in 2001 at Middlesex University and has been held every second year since. The host venue rotates between the four tennis playing countries in the order United Kingdom-Australia-France-United States. Unlike the singles championship, the doubles championship is an Open knock-out format, initially restricted to the top 8 pairs based on world ranking, but restricted to the top 4 pairs since 2022.^[37] Matches are played as a best of 9 set format. The most successful players include 6-time champions Tim Chisholm, Robert Fahey and Steve Virgona. The incumbent champions are Tim Chisholm and Camden Riviere who won the 2024 World Championship in Chicago.

The Ladies World Championship was first held in

All four tennis-playing countries (Australia, France, United Kingdom and United States) host a National Open event each year, with categories for men's and women's singles and doubles. In the first half of the 20th century, it was uncommon for players to compete at Opens outside of their home country. After the National Opens became a pathway for challenging for the World Championship in 1980, international play has increased. Chris Ronaldson became the first play to win a grand slam in 1984, following the creation of the French Open in 1981. Robert Fahey holds the record for most Open titles won, having won 50 singles title including grand slams in 2000, 2001 and 2008. Camden Riviere became the third player to win a grand slam in 2017 and again in 2019.

Women's Open events began in 1978, with Opens contested in all four countries by 1990. Unlike the men's game which is mostly contested by professionals, the women's game remains predominantly amateur, exceptions being Claire Fahey, Kate Leeming and Lesley Ronaldson. Charlotte Cornwallis became the first woman to win a grand slam in 2006. Claire Fahey holds the record for most Open titles won, winning 42 titles including 6 grand slams in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2019.

The world rankings are administered by the International Real Tennis Professionals Association, with ranking points based on the total prize fund at the tournament.^[38] National Opens receive a 1.5 times multiplier to their ranking points. Current tournaments with world ranking points include:^[39]

Event	Dates	National Open	Host country	Host clubs	Last event	Notes
Australian Open	January	Yes	Australia	Royal Melbourne Tennis Club Hobart Real Tennis Club	2025
US Open	February	Yes	United States	Racquet Club of Philadelphia Tuxedo Club, New York Tennis and Racquet Club, Boston Racquet Club of Chicago	2024	Event rotates between clubs. Rotation previously included Racquet and Tennis Club, New York City
US Professional Singles	June	No	United States	International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, Rhode Island	2024	Also known as the Schochet Cup
Champions Trophy	July	No	United Kingdom	Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court	2024	First contested 2017
French Open	September	Yes	France	Société Sportive du Jeu de Paume & de Racquets, Paris	2024	also previously held in Bordeaux
IRTPA Championships	October	No	United Kingdom	various	2019	Ad hoc rotation between clubs. Not contested since 2019
European Open	October	No	United Kingdom	Lord's Cricket Ground, London	2015	Not contested since 2015
British Open	November	Yes	United Kingdom	Queen's Club, London	2023

In addition, a number of professional events are held each year which do not carry world ranking points, including the US National (only open to US based professionals), the Category A Open Championships (only open to handicaps 0–15), the Tasmanian Open, the Victorian Open, the Tambour Tour, the Jesmond Dene Cup, the Seacourt Silver Racquet (handicapped), the IRTPA National League and the USCTA National League.

There is currently no formalised structure for the women's events, with each Open championship being organised independently by the relevant national governing body.

The major international team competition is the Bathurst Cup, with teams of amateur players from each tennis playing country competing in singles and doubles. The first Bathust Cup was held in 1922 between Great Britain and France at Queen's, sponsored by Lilias, Countess Bathurst.^[40] The United States first participated in 1923, and Australia in 1969. The event is held every two years, rotating in the order United Kingdom-Australia-France-United States. The first women's Bathurst Cup was held in 2022 between Great Britain and a team representing the Rest of the World. In 2009, a series of bilateral team competitions began for players aged under 26 known as the Van Alen (GB vs USA), Morris Clothier (USA vs Australia) and George Limb Trophies (GB vs Australia).^[41] There are currently no international team competitions open to professionals.

For

• Boomerang Cup, a handicap team doubles event held every second year at the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club
• Tournoi Trois Tripot, a handicap team doubles event held at trinquete (Basque pelota courts) in the French Basque Country
• World Masters, singles, doubles and team competitions for age categories from 50 to 80+ years held every second year on annual rotation
• Leamington Open, singles and doubles handicapped competitions credited with the development of the modern handicap system