(Image: Horacio Gomes; real tennis court as Jesmond Dene, Newcastle)
The roots of tennis are centuries-old, developing from 12th century sports like palla and fives. By the 16th century, though, it had morphed into something akin to the sport we know today. The racquet made an appearance, play moved into a more formalized court, and a standard set of rules governed the manner in which the game was played. By 1596, more than 250 real tennis courts could be found in Paris alone, and its popularity would only rise.
Several basic differences separate real tennis from what’s played at Wimbledon and elsewhere today – which is a sport more accurately called lawn tennis, though it’s rarely played on a lawn nowadays.
In this fascinating forerunner to the modern game, which captured the imagination of kings, sometimes to deadly effect, heavy, cork-based balls are served from the same end of the court, while the racquets have a distinct shape designed to make it easier to hit the ball in closer quarters and in the corners of the court.
(Images: Peter Cahusac)
Real tennis rules are complex, and the solid balls make understanding the physics of spin important, while understanding that certain lawn tennis tactics, such as serve-and-volley and the use of topspin, are less effective in this centuries-old game.
(Image: Horacio Gomes; indoor real tennis court in Hendon, London)
It’s surprising how many fascinating anecdotes revolve around real tennis and its enclosed courts. In 1437, James I of Scotland was ambushed by a group of conspirators, and attempted to flee through a sewer tunnel. But the king, who had previously ordered the tunnel to be blocked because he was fed up of fetching stray tennis balls from the muck, became the master of his own downfall. Unable to escape, he was trapped and killed.
(Image: Kim Traynor; an outdoor real tennis court with spectator gallery)
Only a few decades later, Charles VIII of France was escorting a consort to a real tennis match when he hit his head on the overhead lintel of a low door, and subsequently died after falling into a coma. Previously, Louis X, who is credited as the inventor of the enclosed indoor court, had also died a tennis-related death, consuming an awesome amount of chilled wine after playing a particularly heated match. He died soon after – although it’s been suggested the wine was poisoned.
(Image: Horacio Gomes; Petworth House’s real tennis court)
Other kings went on record as losing some impressive sums of money because of their love of real tennis. France’s John II loved the game but was notoriously bad at it, with records from 1355 referring to the debts he paid after losing multiple games. Henry VII was also a fan, challenging lords from England and occasionally even inviting tennis stars from other countries to come and play him.
(Image: via Wikimedia Commons)
Today, a handful of real tennis leagues keep the sport alive, and a number of courts survive in various states of repair. The Guinness Court of Dublin was built in 1885 by Edward Guinness, Lord Iveagh, and descriptions of it from the history of the 1890 world championships paint a picture of a court made from black marble so highly polished that the balls were reflected in its surface, making for some challenging play. The Irish Real Tennis Association has been fighting adecades-long battle to restore the court to its former glory.
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