real tennis | sport | Britannica.com Real tennis Alternative Titles: court tennis, jeu de paume, royal tennis Similar Topics platform tennis Real tennis, also called Court Tennis, or Royal Tennis, racket sport that is descended from and almost identical to the medieval tennis game jeu de paume (“game of the palm”). Real tennis has been played since the Middle Ages, but the game has become almost completely obscured by its own descendant, lawn tennis. Although real tennis contributed its name and scoring system to lawn tennis, real tennis is now played at fewer than 30 courts in the world. The court at Hampton Court palace, where Henry VIII played, is still used occasionally. Real tennis is played on an indoor court with four irregularly sized walls, using pear-shaped, lopsided rackets to hit cloth balls that are much harder than those used in lawn tennis. Roofs to the court slope over a net that is 1.5 m (5 feet) high at its sides and 0.9 m (3 feet) in the middle. The construction of a court is complex and difficult, and the declining number of players discourages the building of new courts.

The world real tennis championship is decided by challenge match, in which a player challenges the champion to defend his title. Pierre Etchebaster held the world title from 1938 to 1954, when he retired at the age of 61. Learn More in these related articles: Real Tennis History - Tennis & Rackets Association TENNIS HISTORIC RESULTS A History of the Royal Game of Tennis Scholars tell us that hand-ball (jeu de paume in French) was played by the Greeks and the Romans, and by even earlier civilisations. There are references in the classics to a game that was played in a stone court, as is fives in our country today. Pilare, in Latin, was to play ball and pila was the word for a ball. Hence, palla in Latin and pelote in French. The Roman legionaries, moving into Gaul, perhaps brought the custom of hand-ball with them. What is certain is that the game came to be played against the walls of town buildings and keeps of castles, and in and outside monasteries and ecclesiastical buildings.

At a time when England held vast territories in France, the game was not slow to spread to our island. Indeed, the origin of the word tennis is thought to stem from the Anglo-Norman imperative tenetz! The cry of warning given by the server, “Take this! Play!” The shape of the court, as we know it today, evolved slowly over the Middle Ages, but by the end of the 15th Century, approximate dimensions had been agreed, an overall length of 90 ft and a breadth of the 30 ft. Though tennis is traditionally styled the Game of Kings early records show that it was the ecclesiastical high-ups who first put their stamp of approval on the game. Prelates, Abbots and minor clergy played it with almost religious fervour. In certain provincial towns in France, the bishop of the diocese received a tithe of tennis balls on Easter Day. With choristers and schoolboys, the sport became a veritable craze and was frequently cited as a cause of truancy. The monastic type of building clearly lent itself to wall games, and it is thought that the eteufs or tennis balls were made from the discarded robes of monks.

During the Middle Ages, players began to protect their hands with a leather glove. Later this glove was to acquire gut strings in the style of a guitar. As this somewhat imperfect instrument evolved, a short six-inch handle came to be added to it. Early drawings depict this battoir and indicate that it was covered with vellum, a practice which led to the stealing of manuscripts by unscrupulous persons. A scholarly performer was once aghast to observe that his hired battoir was covered with still faintly decipherable fragments of a lost decade of Livy. Throughout the history of the game great stress is laid on its therapeutic value. The Greek doctor Galen recommended it as the most salutary of all exercise. The first rules of tennis ever published- Hulpeau’s Ordonnance du Royal et honourable Jeu de la Paulme, Paris, 1592, began ”You gentlemen who desire to strive with another at tennis must play for the recreation of the body and the delectation of the mind, and must not indulge in swearing or in blasphemy against the name of God”.

Pepys, in a diary entry of April 4th, 1668, writes, “…how my Lord of Pembroke says he hath heard the Quaker at the tennis-court swear to himself when he loses”. ROYAL EXPONENTS OF TENNIS It is hardly surprising that generations of French and English kings were taught the game in their youth. Charles II of France was painted with a racquet in his hand at the age of two. The commoner was only too anxious to try his hand at the Game of Kings, and repressive measures, for the most part ineffective, were enacted in both France and England in order to restrict the game to nobility only. Henri II was the star of all the French kings, though the much loved Henri IV was the greater zealot. In England, James I’s son, Henry who sadly died at eighteen, was reputed to have been a brilliant performer. The English royalty played in courts at Windsor, Whitehall, Westminster, Wycombe and Woodstock.

It is well known that in Shakespeare’s Henry V, the hero, having been insulted by the Dauphin with a gift of tennis-balls, threatens to “Strike his father’s crown into the hazard” warning him that “he hath made a match with such a wrangler that all the courts of France will be disturbed with chases”. Henry VII and Henry VIII were both keen supporters and excellent performers, the latter being responsible for the building of the Royal Court at Hampton Court Palace. Charles I and Charles II were devotees of the game all their lives and both used to rise at five or six in the morning to play. Pepys, after a visit to the new tennis court at Whitehall, wrote of Charles II, “…but to see how the king’s play was extolled, without any cause was a loathsome sight, though sometimes he did play very well and deserved to be commended, but such open flattery is beastly”. It is known that his brother, James II, was also a fine player – surely one of his few redeeming feature! – and there is also a well-known portrait of him playing as a boy with a short-handled racket before a crowd of ladies and gentlemen in the dedans.

His son-in-law William III, played from time to time, fortified, we are told, with stoups of Spanish wine. The untimely death of Frederick Prince of Wales in 1751 was due, according to that inveterate gossip, Horace Walpole, to a “blow upon the stomach from a tennis-ball” – one of a number of royal casualties resulting from tennis. The MAITRE-PAUMIERS It is an incredible but documented fact that between 1550 and 1700 there were no fewer than two hundred and fifty courts of various shapes and sizes in Paris alone. Small wonder that Shakespeare refers to” all the courts of France”, since many of her provincial towns could boast half a dozen or more of them. It was not until the fashion-ridden reign of Louis XIV that courts began to fall into disuse, because he, and therefore his courtiers, preferred to use the game as a medium for the laying of extravagant bets rather than playing themselves. This did at least encourage exhibition matches between the leading professionals, the maitres-paumiers of the day. As the kings and many nobles employed their own professionals, the status of these men was considerable.

In France,they had their own guild with appropriate escutcheon, shared admittedly in early days with the makers of bootand clothes-brushes, and they were protected by royal patent from unauthorised vendors of tennis balls and rackets. Statutes exist which set out minutely the duties and obligations of the maitre-paumier, as it was considered important to prevent the tennis-courts from harbouring undesirable elements of society. The paumier-apprentice had to learn the difficult art of making racquets and balls, special tools and equipment being required for the job. Before being admitted to his guild, the apprentice was called upon to give proof of his skills, not only as an artisan, but also as a player. It would seem that the paumier had to employ a considerable staff of assistants known as marqueurs. They called the chases, marked up the games and sets, cleaned the court and rubbed the players down after their game.

(with grateful thanks to Sir Richard Hamilton) TENNIS COURTS IN USE IN 2016 France The French Revolution in 1789 brought an abrupt end to real tennis throughout France to such an extent that there are now only two active courts remaining – in Paris built in 1919; and Fontainebleau (1702). United States of America In the USA, the game blossomed at the turn of the 20th century and there are now eleven courts in existence – at Aiken South Carolina (1903); Boston (1886); Lakewood, New Jersey (1902); Greentree, Long Island (1915); Newport, Rhode Island (1880); New York (two courts 1917); Philadelphia (1907); Tuxedo Park (1900); Washington (1997); and Chicago (rebuilt 2012). Australia Hobart, Tasmania (1875); Melbourne Royal Tennis Club (1882); Ballarat, Victoria (1984); and Romsey, Victoria.

United Kingdom There are 27 courts in use:- Hampton Court Palace (built 1529, renovated 1661); Falkland Palace, Fife in Scotland (1539); Oxford University (1800, renovated 1912); Hatfield House (1843); Queen’s Club (2 courts 1888); Cambridge University (2 courts 1862 and 1890); Holyport (1890); MCC Lord’s Cricket Ground (1900); Newmarket (1900); Prested Hall (2 courts 1999) Middlesex University, formerly known as the Burroughs Club (2000); Radley College (2008) History of the Game History of the Game Photo Gallery History of the Game Real tennis is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis, is descended. Real tennis is still played at a small number of active courts in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and France.

It is also known as: “court tennis” (America) jeu de paume (France) and formerly called “royal tennis” (Australia) The term real tennis is often thought to be a corruption of this last name and related to the game’s connection with royalty during its heyday in England and France in the 16th and 17th centuries. In fact “real” was first used at the end of the 19th century as a retronym to distinguish it from the then recently invented game of lawn tennis. Real tennis players often just call it “tennis,” describing the modern game as “lawn tennis.” Archives History History “To see Good Tennis! What divine joy Can fill our leisure, or our minds employ? Let other people play at other things; The King of Games is still the Game of Kings” from Parker’s Piece by J.K. Stephen The game of tennis is the same everywhere. The name given to the game differs in different countries. In Great Britain it is called Tennis or, to distinguish it from Lawn Tennis, Real Tennis or Royal Tennis. In the USA it is called Court Tennis: in France Jeu de Paume (hand ball): and in Australia Royal Tennis.

The various names throw light on the development of the game. Tennis was played in 5th century Tuscany when villagers used to strike balls up and down the streets with bare hands. In Great Britain, as in France, royal patronage ensured the continued popularity of the game. French Kings in the 16th century and Stuart Kings in the 17th century were enthusiastic players. George IV (1763-1830), Prince Albert (1819-1861) – there is a locker in the changing room at Hampton Court Palace which still bears his name – Edward VII (1842-1910) and George V (1866-1936) have all supported the game. Lawn Tennis, which derived from Real Tennis in about 1874, is played on a marked-out surface without side or end walls. Court Tennis, to use the American name for Tennis, indicates that Tennis is played in a specially court with walls on four sides. No two tennis courts are exactly alike. That at Hampton Court is marginally wider than others.

Other differences occur in the width or angle of the penthouse roof above the corridor and in the width of the tambour. The number of courts has risen in the last thirty years. There are now 27 in Britain, 10 in the USA, 3 in France and 6 in Australia. Despite there being no more than a few thousand Tennis players in the world, they make up in keeness for any lack in numbers. There are amateur, professional open and world competitions. Real tennis Real tennis 2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection . Related subjects: Sports Jeu de paume in the 17th century. Real tennis is the original racket sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis , is descended. Real tennis is still played at a small number of active courts in the United Kingdom , Australia , the United States , and France . It is also known as jeu de paume in France , "court tennis" in some parts of America , and formerly called "royal tennis" in Australia . The term real tennis is often thought to be a corruption of this last name and related to the game's connection with royalty during its heyday in England and France in the 16th and 17th centuries .

In fact "real" was first used at the end of the 19th century as a retronym to distinguish it from the then recently invented game of lawn tennis. Real tennis players often just call it "tennis", describing the modern game as "lawn tennis". History Jesmond Dene jeu à dedans court Falkland Palace jeu quarré court The term "tennis" derives from the French word tenez, which means "take it" — a warning from the server to the receiver. Court tennis has evolved over centuries from an earlier ball game played around the 12th century in France. This had some similarities to palla, fives, pelota, or handball, involving hitting a ball with a bare hand and later with a glove. One theory is that this game was played by monks in monastery cloisters, and the shape of the court is certainly to this day reminiscent of a courtyard. Another theory is that the court features relate to medieval city streets and squares. The game spread across Europe and became increasingly popular, with the Venetian Ambassador reporting in 1600 that there were 1,800 courts in Paris alone.

By the 16th century , the glove had become a racquet, the game had moved to an enclosed playing area and the rules had stabilised. Courts were built near many European palaces including the Louvre in Paris and Hampton Court in England. Shakespeare mentions the game in Act II of Henry V. When Henry declares: When we have match’d our rackets to these balls We will in France, by God’s grace, play a set Shall strike his father’s crown into the hazard. Tell him he hath made a match with such a wrangler That all the courts in France will be disturb’d with chases! he is essentially challenging his cousin the Dauphin to a Court Tennis match with France as the prize. Little wonder that the sport became known as the "Game of Kings." Henry VIII 's great attachment to the game around this time is also well known. He played the game at Hampton Court, and indeed his second wife Anne Boleyn was watching a game of real tennis at Hampton Court when she was arrested, whilst it is claimed that Henry was playing real tennis when news was brought to him of her execution.

The game became popular among the 17th and 18th century nobility in England and France, but eventually declined in popularity. This was due in large part to the impact that wider political and social changes—the English Civil War and Puritanism, and the French revolution—had upon the aristocracy and its pursuits. Real tennis played a minor role in the history of the French Revolution, through the Tennis Court Oath, a pledge signed by French deputies in a real tennis court, which formed a decisive early step in starting the revolution . The game regained popularity in the 19th century , but soon gave birth to the outdoor game of lawn tennis which quickly became the most popular form of the sport. Today there are only around forty five court tennis courts remaining in the world and several thousand active players. There has been something of a revival towards the end of the 20th century , with several new courts being built, for example in the UK at Clifton College and the Millennium Tennis Court at Middlesex University and in Australia in Sydney, Ballarat and Romsey.

In 1999 Mike Carter became probably the first private individual to build a pair of real tennis courts at Prested Hall near Colchester, England, one with a unique glass viewing wall. In the United States, the court at the Newport Casino, now the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, was restored and brought back to use in 1980 after more than 50 years of inactivity. In 1997, the first new court in the United States since World War I , was completed in McLean, Virginia near Washington, DC. Known as Prince's Court, it is the first to have an entirely glass wall to facilitate viewing. Both of these courts are open to the public. The Netherlands and Ireland have real tennis interest groups. The Irish Real Tennis Association is currently involved in a legal battle with University College Dublin to restore one of the few two surviving real tennis courts in the Republic of Ireland , which has been used by the college as a gymnasium and more recently a laboratory, since 1939. The Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace is the oldest court in the world still in use.

It is one of several courts in England where members of the public can watch the game being played. Manner of play Racquets and balls The rules and scoring are similar to those of lawn tennis , which derives from court tennis. Although in both sports game scoring is by fifteens, in real tennis 6 games wins a set, even if the opponent has 5 games. A match is typically best of 5 sets. The 2½ inch (64 mm) diameter balls are handmade and consist of a core made of cork with fabric tape tightly wound around it and is covered with a hand-sewn layer of felt. Until recently the felt was always white, but yellow has been introduced for player safety. They are much less bouncy than a lawn tennis ball, and weigh about 2½ ounces (71 grams). The 27 inch (686 mm) long racquets are made of wood and use very tight strings to cope with the heavy ball. The racquet head is bent slightly to make it easier to strike balls close to the floor or in corners.

A court tennis court (jeu à dedans) is a very substantial building (a larger area than a lawn tennis court, with walls and a ceiling to contain all but the highest lob shots). It is enclosed by walls on all sides, three of which have sloping roofs (known as "penthouses") with various openings, and a buttress ( tambour) off which shots may be played. The courts (except at Falkland Palace, a jeu quarré design) share the same basic layout but have slightly different dimensions. The courts are about 110 by 39 feet (33.5 × 11.9 m) including the penthouses, or about 96 by 32 feet (29.3 × 9.8 m) on the playing floor, varying by a foot or two per court. They are doubly asymmetric —not only is one end of the court different in the shape from the other, but the left and right sides of the court are also different.

The service only happens from one end of the court (the "service" end) and the ball has to travel along the penthouse to the left of the server to the other end, called the "hazard" end. There are numerous widely differing styles of service, many with exotic names to distinguish them. The game of stické uses a smaller court of a similar layout. The game has other complexities, including that when the ball bounces twice at the serving end, the serving player does not generally lose the point outright. Instead a "chase" is called, and the server gets the chance, later in the game currently being played, to replay the point from the other end, but under the obligation of ensuring every shot he plays has a second bounce further back from the net than the shot he failed to reach. A chase can also be called at the receiving end, but only on the half of the receiving end nearest the net; this is called a "hazard" chase. Those areas of the court in which chases can be called are marked with lines running across the floor, from left to right, generally about 1 yard apart - it is these lines that the chases are measured against.

One result of this feature is that a player can only gain the advantage of serving through skillful play (i.e. gaining a "chase" which ensures a change of end), as opposed to lawn tennis where service alternates between the players by rotation. In theory this means that an entire match could be played, with no change of service, and the same player serving every point. The heavy, unbouncy balls take a great deal of spin, causing them to swerve when bounced off the walls, and a cutting stroke is often used to cause them to drop sharply off the back wall for the sake of a good chase. Another twist to the game is the various windows below the penthouse roof that, in some cases, offer the player a chance to win the point instantly by hitting the ball into the opening. The largest window, located behind the server, is called the "Dedans" and must often be defended from hard hit shots (called "forces") coming from the receiving (called the "hazard") side of the court. The resulting strategy of long volleys and shots off the side walls and penthouse roof lead to many interesting shots not normally played in lawn tennis.

However, because of the weight of the balls, the small racquets, and the need to defend the rear of the court, lawn tennis strategies like serve and volley are rarely employed. Tennis in literature The Penguin book of Sick Verse includes a poem by William Lathum comparing life to a tennis-court: If in my weak conceit, (for selfe disport), The world I sample to a Tennis-court, Where fate and fortune daily meet to play, I doe conceive, I doe not much misse-say. All manner chance are Rackets, wherewithall They bandie men, from wall to wall; Some over Lyne, to honour and great place, Some under Lyne, to infame and disgrace; Some with a cutting stroke they nimbly sent Into the hazard placed at the end; ... The Scottish gothic novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg (1824) describes a tennis match that degenerates into violence. The detective story Dead Nick takes place in a tennis milieu, and the title alludes to a shot that drops in the nick between the back wall and the floor.

Hazard Chase (1964) by Jeremy Potter is a thriller-detective story featuring court tennis on the court at Hampton Court Palace. During the story the game is explained, and the book contains a diagram of a real tennis court. Jeremy Potter wrote historical works (including Tennis and Oxford (1994)), and was himself an accomplished player of the game, winning the World Amateur Over-60s Championship in 1986. The First Beautiful Game: Stories of Obsession in Real Tennis (2006) by top amateur player Roman Krznaric contains a mixture of real tennis history, memoir and fiction, which focuses on what can be learned from court tennis about the art of living. In Act I - Scene II of William Shakespeare's " King Henry V"; the Dauphin, a French Prince, sends King Henry a gift of tennis-balls, out of jest, in response to Henry's claim to the French throne. King Henry replies to the French Ambassadors: "His present and your pains we thank you for: When we have matched our rackets to these balls, we will, in France, by God's grace, play a set [that] shall strike his father's crown into the hazard ...

And tell the pleasant Prince this mock of his hath turn'd his balls to gun stones". Tennis in film Court tennis is featured in the film The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, a fictionalized meeting between Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud. One of the film's plot points turns on Freud being forced into a grudge set with a Teutonic nobleman. The film The French Lieutenant's Woman includes a sequence featuring a few points being played. Also The Three Musketeers (1973) and Ever After briefly feature the game. Although presented with varying degrees of accuracy, these films provide a chance to see the game played, which otherwise may be difficult to observe personally. The Showtime series The Tudors (2007) portrays Henry the VIII playing the game. Retrieved from " " This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia with only minor checks and changes (see for details of authors and sources) and is available under the Geometry.Net - Sports: Real Tennis real tennis is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis, is descended.

It is also known as jeu de paume in France, Extractions: Jump to: navigation search It has been suggested that Jeu de paume be merged into this article or section. ( Discuss Jeu de paume in the 17th century. Real tennis is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis , is descended. It is also known as jeu de paume in France , "court tennis" in the United States , and "royal tennis" in Australia. The term "real" may be a corruption of "royal" and related to the game's connection with royalty during its heyday in England and France in the and 17th centuries . Others believe that "real" was first used at the end of the century as a retronym to distinguish it from the then recently invented game of lawn tennis. Real tennis players often just call the game "tennis", describing the modern game as "lawn tennis". Real tennis is still played by enthusiasts on about 35 existing courts in the United Kingdom Australia , the United States , and France .

The sport is supported and governed by organizations around the world The term "tennis" derives from the French word tenez A real tennis ball, Hampton Court Palace. A real tennis ball, The Royal Tennis Club Rooms (bookable for functions). A real tennis ball International real tennis Professional Association. Extractions: Dec 02, 2007 details Betting Is Here MatchBet backs Real Tennis Nov 23, 2007 details The 2008 World Championships will be held in Fontainebleau, France on the 20th, 22nd and 24th May. complete sponsor list.... International Real Tennis Professionals Association 43 Montholme Road London SW11 6HX Tel: +44 (0)20 8333 4267 Fax: +44 (0)20 7771 0139 Email: Acknowledgements headperm.com Records the history of real tennis as it developed in Europe. Extractions: Welcome to our new and improved website.

This site deals with The Royal Game of Tennis , the forerunner of our present game of tennis, especially the game of Pallacorda as it was played at the Italian Renaissance Courts (between c.1470-1700). A new feature of the site is an overview of courts, past and present, spread over different countries in Europe. Britannica online encyclopedia article on real tennis racket sport that is descended from and almost identical to the medieval tennis game jeu de paume Extractions: Close Enable free complete viewings of Britannica premium articles when linked from your website or blog-post. Now readers of your website, blog-post, or any other web content can enjoy full access to this article on real tennis , or any Britannica premium article for free, even those readers without a premium membership. Just copy the HTML code fragment provided below to create the link and then paste it within your web content. For more details about this feature, visit our Webmaster and Blogger Tools page Copy and paste this code into your page Cambridge have two functional real tennis courts. real tennis Australia.com is currently upgrading photos and content.

From November 2006 onwards, photo quality will be better but may take longer to Oxford University real tennis dates from 1595 and is supported by a thriving Club of around 250 members. Extractions: The club is open to all, not just to members of the University. There is play at all levels with junior, student and senior members playing all year round. The club is a friendly place, presided over by two full-time professionals, and membership is simple - just phone or call in and talk to the pros. If you'd like to know more about the sport, you're welcome to come along to the club and watch a game. Or you can find an introduction to the "king of racquet sports" and its rules under About Real Tennis Note: The other kind of tennis (known by some of our members as 'unreal' or 'modern' tennis!) can be found at the University's Lawn Tennis Club A club that deemphasises lawn tennis, site offers information on events, news, schedule and contact information. Tennis History and Information. Tennis. This site has moved to Please update your website links.

Hobart is the host for the year 2000 World Championship defence by Rob Fahey. Extractions: Hobartâs Rob Fahey âbaggedâ his eighth world championship. September Newsletter 3 Sep 2007 A bumper edition with info on our very special annual dinner, special general meeting on membership and AFL Grand Final party. [Full details] April 07 Newsletter 8 Apr 2007 The April Newsletter is now available for download, with lots of news of coming events... [Full details] July Newsletter out now! 8 Jul 2006 Your July newsletter has loads of important information...on fees and charges and about our upcoming Commonwealth Challenge international tournament! Download it now. [Full details] Home Club The Game ... Contact Us Created and maintained by Quaife Software IGN is the ultimate Super real tennis resource for trailers, screenshots, cheats, walkthroughs, release dates, previews, reviews, soundtracks and news. Extractions: Days of Ruin document.write(''); document.write('IGN Turns 10'); document.write(''); SECTIONS CHANNELS Insider Founders' Club Games Entertainment ...

Club.IGN GET GAMES IGN Games Wireless Game Profiles Super Real Tennis Blogs Boards Guide FAQs Cheats Reviews Previews News Features Send to Friend Contribute A behind-the-player tennis game built specifically for mobile phones. Features a replay mode, skill upgrades and a full-screen mode for icon-free play. Super Real Tennis employs a smart engine that pulls off convincing 3-D on a handset. Other high notes include chalk marks from a hard hit and effective shadows that are designed to help the player track the ball trajectory. Super Real Tennis also includes a replay mode that allows you to relive every thrilling shot, as well as a full screen option that uses the entirety of the screen's real estate. Like Virtua Tennis, Super Real Tennis rewards the player with skill points following each tournament match and a variety of competitors. Previews Super Real Tennis May 24, 2004 Bristol Bath Tennis Club real tennis in the Heart of the West Country. Extractions: One might have thought that a game dating back to the 14th century would have died out, but despite our high tech society quite the reverse is true. It is being played by a more varied cross section of people than ever before and the rules have hardly changed in 450 years.

New courts are being built, and there are an ever increasing number of new players, including a substantial number of converts from lawn tennis and squash. Devotees of the game will give you many reasons for its popularity: New development in Essex, UK, with two real tennis courts. Extractions: Prested Hall Real Tennis Club RICARDO HAS SUCCESSFUL BRITISH OPEN! Ricardo knocked out world no.11 Rod Mcnaughtan 6/3 6/3 4/6 0/6 6/1 to reach the last 16 where he faced Rob Fahey (again....) an lost 0/6 3/6 5/6. But put up a close fight with Rob it was a promising performance. Ricardo and partner Bryn Sayers crushed number 5 seed's Adam Phillips and Andrew Lyons 6/1 6/3 6/1 to reach the quarter finals of the doubles. They played good friends Camden Riviere and Ben Matthews in the next round where they came unstuck 3/6 4/6 5/6. Bryn and Ricardo are shaping up into a very good doubles team as there results are showing!!

BRODIE CUP TEAM WIN AWAY AT LEAMINGTON!!!! Congratulations to Dan Mead, TimLodge, JLR, Chris Vigrass , Tony Blake , Lewis Williams and Bryan Eaton. The took the match 3/2 and now have a home quarter final against Hyde! AJ MAKES ANOTHER CATEGORY FINAL APPEARANCE! Aj travelled all the way up to Moreton Morrell to play the national Category C tournament! He won his first match against Freddy Adam (6-4 6-1) which put him into the semi-finals, his opponent pulled out after Aj had taken a 3-0 lead. Aj then met Tim Henmans brother Mike Henman in the final, he claims that Mike hits the ball 'incredibly hard'. Mike won the match 6-1 6-2 however Aj has had a great start to the season and should be proud of himself! The main difference from real tennis was that the court didn t t have side or end walls. But as a marked difference to the modern game, the shape of the Extractions: The origin of Tennis, like so many Sports and Games is something of a mystery with various theories having been espoused.

One version would have us believe that Stone Age man once hit rocks backwards and forwards with clubs, perhaps. A more substantial beginning is that Tennis derived from Handball, a version of which was played in the ancient world including the civilisations of Rome, Greece and Egypt. There is an Egyptian town on the Nile called Tinnis (in Arabic) and some speculate that this is the origin of the name 'Tennis'. Another string to this theory's bow is that the term 'racquet' is thought to derive from the Arabic word 'rahat' which means 'the palm of the hand' By the 14th century, Tennis had found its way to England where both Henry VII and Henry VIII apparently became keen players and instigated the building of courts up and down the country. Apparently Henry VIII invented the 'service' - his servants used to throw the ball up in the air for him because he was too fat to do it himself. The Tennis racket by 1500 was no longer completely made of wood but consisted of a wooden handle with a sheep gut strung head.

The Royal enthusiasm for the game continued both in France during the sixteenth century where there were apparently more than 1000 courts in Paris alone at that time and in England during the Tudor seventeenth century. Notable English royal players include George IV (1763-1830), Prince Albert (1819-1861) who owned a locker in the changing room at Hampton Court Palace which still bears his name, Edward VII (1842-1910) and George V (1866-1936). For unknown reasons, the game's popularity waned in France and England during the 17th century and in France it was virtually non-existent by 1800. Super real tennis for Cell Phones GameSpot offers reviews, previews, cheats, and more. Count on us for all of the latest on the Super real tennis Cell Extractions: We hit around a bit with this pretty 3D tennis sim at E3.

Posted May 20, 2004 12:31 pm PT Review Super Real Tennis Review Aug 6, 2004 Screens 9 new screens May 20, 2004 Preview Super Real Tennis Hands-On Impressions May 20, 2004 All Super Real Tennis Updates Super Real Tennis Summary Reviews Images Videos Downloads Related Games Forum Check Prices Super Real Tennis for Mobile Super Real Tennis Summary Super Real Tennis Review Super Real Tennis Reader Reviews Super Real Tennis News Super Real Tennis Previews Super Real Tennis Screens Super Real Tennis Screenshots Super Real Tennis Images Super Real Tennis Pictures Super Real Tennis Similar Games Super Real Tennis Forum Super Real Tennis Message Board The Ladies real tennis Association was founded in 1981 to encourage and promote the game and to manage ladies tournaments. Today there are over 300 members real tennis is king of all racquet sports, a game where subtlety and thought are more prized than power and fitness. It is played in an asymmetrical court Extractions: Home About Us The Dublin Court The Irish Real Tennis Championships ...

Contact Us [The following information is taken from the Cambridge Real Tennis web page , used by permission.] Interior of Cambridge University court Real Tennis is king of all racquet sports, a game where subtlety and thought are more prized than power and fitness. It is played in an asymmetrical court which contains many unusual features, sloping roofs, openings (galleries) in the walls and a main wall which has a kink in it (tambour) so the ball on hitting the sloping face moves across the court instead of continuing down the line of the main wall. It has the classic elements of warfare where a failed attack is punished by a counter-attack. The game is played with racquets made of wood, of reasonable dimensions (not those over-sized snow shoes favoured by lawn tennis players), and with hand-made balls re-covered every week with new cloth. The ball can be given spin either by the player or by contact with the wall and the action of this spin can be even more deadly than Shane Warne. Reading the spin is an important part of the game; initially one is totally bewildered by the spin but soon one begins to judge where the ball will move after contact.

More information on the game of real tennis: History of the game Real tennis has a long history. It was a favourite of many kings in the past, but is now enjoyed by people from all walks of life. This wiki contains information about the ancient game of real tennis. real tennis today has around 10000 players worldwide, and 51 courts, in France, Extractions: Create an account Home ... Discussion X Jump to: navigation search This wiki contains information about the ancient game of Real Tennis. Real Tennis today has around 10,000 players world-wide, and 51 courts, in France, the US, England, and Australia. The world championship is the longest-running world championship of any sport today. Here you can find (click the links to read more): If you want to make yourself useful (and we know that you do!) please pick a topic from our Articles To Write and make a start on it! Start by reading The Tutorial and then read our help on how to Edit a Page We have one real tennis court which is used for games between members, by school boys and staff, and also for matches, tournaments and special events.

Lawn and Real Tennis - Online Guide Origins of Tennis The origin of Tennis, like so many Sports and Games is something of a mystery with various theories having been espoused. One version would have us believe that Stone Age man once hit rocks backwards and forwards with clubs, perhaps. A more substantial beginning is that Tennis derived from Handball, a version of which was played in the ancient world including the civilisations of Rome, Greece and Egypt. There is an Egyptian town on the Nile called Tinnis (in Arabic) and some speculate that this is the origin of the name 'Tennis'. Another string to this theory's bow is that the term 'racquet' is thought to derive from the Arabic word 'rahat' which means 'the palm of the hand'. The picture to the left is of a lady and gentleman playing at Handball from a 14th century engraving. The first game which was definitely like Tennis was played in France and the alternative philological theory is that 'Tennis' comes from the French 'Tenez' ('Take it' or 'Play').

Legend has it that the game was given to the French Royal Court in the 10th century by a wandering minstrel but, regardless, by the 11th century early Tennis was being played in French monasteries for sure. The monks usually stretched a rope across the cloistered central quadrangles in the monastery or sometimes played immediately adjacent to a castle and the court of the game of Royal Tennis is clearly synonymous with these beginnings. Hands were used to hit the ball to begin with (jeu de paume); gloves were used later on and eventually players started to use short bats. Louis IV and the Church both attempted to ban the game in France over the following years but this was clearly to no avail - there were supposedly around 1800 courts in France during the 13th century. By the 14th century, Tennis had found its way to England where both Henry VII and Henry VIII apparently became keen players and instigated the building of courts up and down the country. Supposedly, Henry VIII himself invented the 'service' - his servants used to throw the ball up in the air for him because he was too fat to do it himself.

The Mysterious Tennis Scoring System The mysterious scoring system also extends back at least as far as this point in history since it is mentioned in a poem about the Battle of Agincout written in 1415. Originally it seems that the scoring was in fifteens going 15, 30, 45 but over time, instead of saying "forty-five", people started to say forty" for short and eventually this stuck. But why 15s? Well no-one really knows. Some have said that it is based around the clock face, the target score of 60 being a complete revolution of the minute hand. This is possible but rather circumstantial and this author hasn't come across any evidence to support it. A more plausible hypothesis points to a French origin since in the early middle ages, 60 was a very key number in France in the same way that 100 is today. That's why the words for seventy, eighty and ninety in French are based on sixty e.g. seventy is "soixante-dix" or "sixty and ten" so it makes sense that a game might be to sixty points. But then, why divide by four?

The most likely theory is to do with betting since most sports including tennis were played for money in the middle ages. There were laws in nearby Germany in the 14th and late 13th centuries that forbade stakes greater than sixty "deniers", which supports the theory. And it so happens that at about the same time there was a coin in circulation called a "gros denier tournois" which was worth 15 deniers. So maybe the French tennis playing public were playing for one "gros denier tournois" per point up to the maximum stake of sixty deniers for a game. The picture to the left is from a book called Orbis Sensualism Pictus by Commenius, 1638. And what of the sources of the words "love" and "deuce". The latter is derived from the French "a deux du jeu" - two points away from game, or de unx , the English having shortened it first to "a deus" ("deus" being deux in old French) and thence thoroughly incorrectly to "deuce".

The similar proposal, that "love" comes from the French for egg - "l'oeuf", is doubtful, despite the assumed linkage with the cricketing phrase "out for a duck's egg (duck for short)". The most likely explanation is that it comes from the Dutch/Flemish "lof" which means honour. Around the time that the expression came to be used, England received a wealth of immigrants from the low countries due to the trauma caused there from incoming Protestantism. Bearing in mind that most games were played for money, if a player scored no points, the phrase "omme lof spelen" would have been applicable - he "played for the honour"... The Decline of Tennis The Tennis racket by 1500 was no longer completely made of wood but consisted of a wooden handle with a sheep gut strung head. The Royal enthusiasm for the game continued both in France during the sixteenth century where there were apparently more than 1000 courts in Paris alone at that time and in England during the Tudor seventeenth century. For unknown reasons, the game's popularity waned in France and England during the 17th century and in France it was virtually non-existent by 1800.

In England, the game continued but perhaps more as a fashionable pastime for the rich. Notable English royal players include George IV (1763-1830), Prince Albert (1819-1861) who owned a locker in the changing room at Hampton Court Palace which still bears his name, Edward VII (1842-1910) and George V (1866-1936). Emergence of Lawn Tennis However, the middle of the 19th century saw a turnaround. in 1858, Major T.H. Gem and J.B. Perara invented an outdoor version of Tennis adapted for play on grass and in 1873, Major Walter Wingfield came up with a new version of Tennis using modified rules which he patented under the name "Sphairistike". He was probably the first person to write down a set of rules for lawn tennis - one of which stated that only the server could score a point. The main difference from Real Tennis was that the court didn't have side or end walls.

But as a marked difference to the modern game, the shape of the court was an "hourglass", the length being 20 yards but the width being 30 yards at the end and only 21 yards at the net. Then in 1877 the All-England Croquet Club at Wimbledon decided to hold the first Wimbledon lawn tennis championships. For this tournament, three members of the club drew up a new version of the rules, the composition of which marked the first accepted standard set of rules. These rules abandoned the hourglass court shape standardising it at 78 x 27 feet and have remained unchanged in any significant fashion with the exception of the tie break introduced in 70s (except for the Davis Cup - 1989). Pictures of the 2 chaps and the picture to the left are from an American encyclopedia dated 1890. Already Lawn Tennis is described as "more common" than Real Tennis. In 1874, a US traveller brought the game to the Americas and the US Lawn Tennis Association was formed in 1881.

International competition soon followed, with the International Lawn Tennis Challenge Trophy (later the Davis Cup) first contested in 1900 and the Wightman Cup, for competition between British and American women's teams, in 1923. Men's singles and doubles play was included on the program for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Survival of Real Tennis The old game of Tennis (still called Jeu de Paume or 'hand ball' in France) in the meantime suffered a large eclipse as a result of the new found dominance of the Lawn version. The number of courts steadily diminished during the 20th century but at the turn of the century they are increasing again. I was informed that in 2001, the number of courts in use are 26 in Great Britain, 8 in the USA, 3 in France and 6 in Australia and the number of players is a few thousand around the world. Tennis is now called called Real Tennis or Royal Tennis in Britain to distinguish it from Lawn Tennis and in the USA it is known as Court Tennis. No two Royal Tennis courts are exactly alike.

There are minor differences in the width or angle of the penthouse roof above the corridor and in the width of the tambour as well as the dimensions of the court. For instance, the court at Hampton Court is slightly wider than most. TENNIS TENNIS Tennis is a game played indoors or outdoors by two players (singles) or four players (doubles) on a level court, which may be of grass, tarmac or manmade surfaces. The object of the game is to hit a rubber inflated ball into your opponents court, over a net of a fixed height, such that your opponent fails to return the ball. The game of tennis is the same everywhere in principle. The name given to the game differs in different countries. In Great Britain it is called Tennis or, to distinguish it from Lawn Tennis, Real Tennis or Royal Tennis. In the USA it is called Court Tennis: in France Jeu de Paume (hand ball): and in Australia Royal Tennis. The various names throw light on the development of the game. Tennis was played in 5th century Tuscany when villagers used to strike balls up and down the streets with bare hands.

How it all began Some people believe that that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans played different versions of tennis. Drawings and descriptions of any tennis-like games have not been discovered, but a few Arabic words dating from ancient Egyptian times are cited as evidence. The theory goes that the name tennis derives from the Egyptian town of Tinnis alongside the Nile and the word racquet evolved from the Arabic word for palm of the hand, rahat. Aside from these two words, evidence for any form of tennis preceding the year 1000 is lacking, and most historians credit the first origins of the game to 11th or 12th century French monks, who began playing a crude handball against their monastery walls or over a rope strung across a courtyard. The game took on the name jeu de paume, which means "game of the hand." Many who dispute more ancient origins argue that tennis derived from the French tenez, which meant something to the effect of "take this," said as one player would serve to the other. As the game became more popular, courtyard playing areas began to be modified into indoor courts, where the ball was still played off the walls.

After bare hands were found too uncomfortable, players began using a glove, then either a glove with webbing between the fingers or a solid paddle, followed by webbing attached to a handle--essentially a racquet. Rubber balls were still centuries away, so the ball was a wad of hair, wool, or cork wrapped in string and cloth or leather, then in later years, hand-stitched in felt to look something like a modern baseball. The nobility learned the game from the monks, and some accounts report as many as 1800 courts in France by the 13th century. The game became such a popular diversion, both the Pope and Louis IV tried unsuccessfully to ban it. It soon spread to England, where both Henry VII and Henry VIII were avid players who promoted the building of more courts. By the year 1500, a wooden frame racquet strung with sheep gut was in common use, as was a cork-cored ball weighing around three ounces. The early tennis courts were quite different from the modern "lawn tennis" court most of us are used to.

The early game matured into what is now called "real tennis," and England's Hampton Court, built in 1625, is still used today. Only a handful of such courts remain. It's a narrow, indoor court where the ball is played off walls that include a number of openings and oddly angled surfaces toward which the players aim for various strategic purposes. The net is five feet high on the ends, but three feet in the middle, creating a pronounced droop. The game's popularity dwindled almost to zero during the 1700s, but in 1850, Charles Goodyear invented a vulcanization process for rubber, and during the 1850s, players began to experiment with using the bouncier rubber balls outdoors on grass. An outdoor game was, of course, completely different from an indoor game played off walls, so several new sets of rules were formulated. LAWN TENNIS ORIGINS Unlike most other sports, lawn tennis has precise origins. An Englishman, Major Walter C. Wingfield, invented lawn tennis (1873) and first played it at a garden party in Wales.

Called ï¿½Sphairistikï¿½ [Gr.,=ball playing] by its inventor, the early game was played on an hourglass-shaped court, widest at the baselines and narrowest at the net. In creating the new sport, Wingfield borrowed heavily from the older games of court tennis and squash racquets and probably even from the Indian game of badminton. In 1874, Major Wingfield patented in London the equipment and rules for a game fairly similar to modern tennis. In the same year, the first courts appeared in the United States. By the following year, equipment sets had been sold for use in Russia, India, Canada, and China. Croquet was highly popular at this time, and the smooth croquet courts proved readily adaptable for tennis. Wingfield's original court had the shape of an hourglass, narrowest at the net, and it was shorter than the modern court. His rules were subjected to considerable criticism, and he revised them in 1875, but he soon left the further development of the game to others.

In 1877, the All England Club held the first Wimbledon tournament, and its tournament committee came up with a rectangular court and a set of rules that are essentially the game we know today. The net was still five feet high at the sides, a carryover from the game's indoor ancestor, and the service boxes were 26 feet deep, but by 1882, the specifications had evolved to their current form. COURT TENNIS Court tennis is also known as royal tennis. It originated in France during the Middle Ages and became a favorite of British royalty, including Henry VIII. The progression from court tennis, which used an unresilient sheepskin ball filled with sawdust, sand, or wool, to lawn tennis depended upon invention of a ball that would bounce. Lawn tennis caught on quickly in Great Britain, and soon the All England Croquet Club at Wimbledon held the first world tennis championship (1877). Restricted to male players, that event became the famous Wimbledon Tournament for the British National Championship, still the most prestigious event in tennis. In 1884 Wimbledon inaugurated a women's championship. Soon the game became popular in many parts of the British Empire, especially in Australia.

Tennis spread to the United States by way of Bermuda. While vacationing there, Mary Ewing Outerbridge of New York was introduced (1874) to the game by a friend of Wingfield. She returned to the United States with a net, balls, and rackets, and with the help of her brother, set up a tennis court in Staten Island, N.Y. The first National Championship, for men only, was held (1881) at Newport, R.I. A women's championship was begun six years later, and in 1915 the National Championship moved to Forest Hills, N.Y. Since 1978 the National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., has hosted the event (known as the U.S. Open). The Tennis Hall of Fame is in Newport, R.I. In Great Britain, as in France, royal patronage ensured the continued popularity of the game. French Kings in the 16th century and Stuart Kings in the 17th century were enthusiastic players.

George IV (1763-1830), Prince Albert (1819-1861) - there is a locker in the changing room at Hampton Court Palace which still bears his name - Edward VII (1842-1910) and George V (1866-1936) have all supported the game. Lawn Tennis, which derived from Real Tennis in about 1874, is played on a marked-out surface without side or end walls. Court Tennis, to use the American name for Tennis, indicates that Tennis is played in a specially court with walls on four sides. Pete Sampras No two tennis courts are exactly alike. That at Hampton Court is marginally wider than others. Other differences occur in the width or angle of the penthouse roof above the corridor and in the width of the tambour. The number of courts has risen in the last thirty years. There are now 27 in Britain, 10 in the USA, 3 in France and 6 in Australia. There are not more than a few thousand players in the world; but they make up in keeness for any lack of numbers. There are amateur, professional open and world competitions.

Rules and Equipment Lawn tennis was originally played on grass courts, but most major events are now played on courts of hard, composite materials; exceptions include Wimbledon, played on grass, and the French Open, played on clay. In singles play the court measures 78 ft by 27 ft (23.8 m by 8.2 m). The court is divided in half by a net 3 ft (91 cm) high in the middle and 3.5 ft (1.1 m) high at the end posts. On either side of the net lie the forecourts, each of which contains two adjacent service courts measuring 21 ft by 13.5 ft (6.4 m by 4.1 m) each. A backcourt 18 ft (5.5 m) long adjoins each forecourt. A base line that runs parallel to the net terminates the playing court. In doubles play, 4 1/2-foot-wide (1.4-m) alleys flanking either side of the court perpendicular to the net are also in play.

Play is directed toward hitting the inflated rubber, felt-covered, unstitched ball (slightly smaller than a baseball) with a racketï¿½oval headed, originally 27 in. (68.58 cm) long but now usually longer, the hitting surface strung with resilient fiberï¿½into the opponent's court so that it may not be returned. One player serves an entire game and is given two service tries each time the ball is put in play. The ball is served diagonally from behind the base line so that it bounces beyond the net, in the opposite service court. A let ball (one that caroms off the top of the net into the proper service court) does not count as a fault (bad serve). Service alternates after points, between the right- and left-hand courts. After the first game and all odd-numbered games, the players change ends of the court. Once the serve puts the ball in play, players may hit it into any part of the opponent's court until a point is scored. Rallies won by either player score points. Scoring progresses from love (zero) to 15 (first point), to 30, then 40.

The point scored after 40 wins the game, but when the game goes to deuce (tied at 40ï¿½40) a player must go two points ahead to win it. The first player to win six games takes the set, provided the opposing player has won no more than four games. Traditionally, after the players were tied at five games all, the first to go two games ahead won the set. In 1970, however, the United States Lawn Tennis Association (founded 1881 and now simply the United States Tennis Association), the sport's national governing body, initiated an abbreviated method, called the tie-breaker, for deciding deadlocked sets. In a tie-breaker, the first player to win seven points wins the set, provided the opponent trails by at least two points. Only in the deciding set of major championship matches outside the United States is the original two-game margin of victory retained. The best two out of three sets wins most professional matches; the best three out of five sets wins a late-round match in men's play in major championships. An umpire calls play, and in important matches a net judge, foot-fault judges, and linesmen often assist.

The Professionalization of Tournament Tennis In 1900 the international team competition known as the Davis Cup tournament began. Along with the Wightman Cup (begun 1923), an annual tournament between British and American women's teams, the Davis Cup helped to focus international attention on tennis. In 1963, a women's Davis Cup equivalent, the Federation Cup, usurped the prestige of the Wightman Cup. In the first decades of the 1900s tennis was primarily a sport of the country club set. The widespread construction of courts on school and community playgrounds in the 1930s (many built by the federal government's New Deal agencies) helped to make tennis more accessible to the public. When the professional game showed itself to be profitable in the late 1920s, a number of amateur players joined the tour. One of the first to do so was William Tilden, perhaps the greatest player in the history of tennis. Before Tilden turned pro (1931), he won a total of seven United States singles championships and three Wimbledon championships.

The continued defection of amateur players into the professional ranks was one of the factors that led amateur tennis's world governing body, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF, founded 1913), to open its tournaments to both professionals and amateurs in 1968. For many years the major ILTF-sponsored tournaments, including Wimbledon and the U.S. National Championship, had been restricted to amateurs. With the advent of open tennis, however, the great professionals were allowed to compete for the major titles. Eventually, the Davis Cup also allowed professionals. The four major annual tournaments in international tennis are Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the French Open, and the U.S. Open. Winning all four in the same year is called a grand slam. Only Don Budge (1938), Rod Laver (1962, 1969), Maureen Connolly (1953), Margaret Court (1970), and Steffi Graf (1988) have won grand slams. In 1971, the establishment of a women-only professional tour gave female pros financial parity with their male counterparts.

In the same year Billie Jean King became the first woman athlete in any sport to earn more than $100,000 in one year. In the 1970s a team league, World Team Tennis, operated for several years, but was unsuccessful. The professional tour remains the most visible focus for the sport, its major tournaments surpassing in prestige even competition in the Olympics, which added tennis in 1988.

Question: Which sport, known as jeu de paume in France , is still played at Hampton Court Palace ?
Answer: REAL TENNIS