The Real Tennis court at Radley College is one of the newest in the world and, since opening in 2008, has maintained one of the highest occupancy rates in the world. We have a healthy mix of students, staff, Old Radleians, members of the local community and visiting players.
Racquets are available for beginners to borrow and the handmade balls belonging to the club are provided for each court booking. Please contact the Real Tennis Professionals if you would like to have an introductory lesson or learn about the game, court or membership.
Come and try the ancient and extraordinary game of Real Tennis at Radley!
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About
The game we now generally call ‘Tennis’ or ‘Lawn Tennis’ developed in the 1870s as a variation on the much older game of ‘Tennis’, now known as ‘Real Tennis’ (i.e. the first or original form) to distinguish it from the newer game. In the Middle Ages, Real Tennis was hugely popular throughout society in England and all over Europe.
History
Tennis began as an outdoor handball game, played in streets and courtyards. When enclosed courts were built, from the thirteenth century, some of these architectural elements were incorporated. Standardisation came slowly and no two Real Tennis courts are exactly alike, although (almost) all have common features. The nearby Oxford court is the smallest in England (and second oldest), while Radley’s is a similar size to the larger ones at Queen’s Club in London and the courts in Melbourne and Paris.
Champions
Real Tennis claims the first World Championship of any sport (1740s), and this tradition continues. The current Men’s World Champion, Camden Riviere, is American, and the Women’s World Champion, Claire Fahey, is English. Radley’s Head Professional, Chris Ronaldson, is a previous World Champion and multiple Grand Slam winner.
Radley College has produced two winners of the British Open since 1980, Julian Snow (who challenged for the World Championship) and James Male (also Rackets World Champion), as well as many Oxbridge Blues and junior British champions.
Radley College Real Tennis Court and Club
The court was opened in 2008 and is one of the busiest in Britain. Hampton Court Palace has the oldest court in England, dating from 1625, but Falkland Palace in Scotland has the world’s oldest survivor, built in 1539. Most medieval courts have disappeared, but courts were built in the UK and elsewhere as a result of renewed enthusiasm for the game in the 19th Century and early 20th Century. Currently, there are 28 courts ‘in play’ in Britain and others in Australia, France and the USA bring the total close to 50. Today, the game is thriving, renovation and construction continues, and more courts are needed.
Radley College Tennis Court, opened in 2008.
This image of part of the hazard side at Radley is reproduced by kind permission of the photographer, Frederica Adam
Rules Real tennis is more complex than Lawn Tennis. For clarity, the following summary of the rules and the method of scoring should be read whilst referring to a diagram of the court or watching the game being played. In Real Tennis, serving only ever takes place from one end. The court is divided by a net, to form the service side and the hazard (receiving) side. A serve, which may be hit over-arm, under-arm, forehand or backhand, is indirect, and must bounce on the sloping roof of the hazard penthouse to be valid. As in Lawn Tennis, players can lose points by hitting the ball into the net or ‘out’, but in this game, points can be won by hitting the grille, putting the ball into the dedans or winning gallery, or by bouncing twice beyond the service line on the hazard side. The ball may be boasted off any of the walls, as in squash or rackets.
Like most racquet sports, it is an advantage to serve. Scoring is like Lawn Tennis, except that in Real Tennis the mechanism by which service is won or lost is ‘the chase’. At the service end, chases are set when the ball touches the floor twice. At the hazard end, a chase is set when the ball’s second bounce is closer to the net than the yellow service line on the floor. Balls entering the galleries on either side of the net (except the winning gallery) also set chases. Chases are measured against the lines on the floor.
Players do not automatically change ends (therefore changing serve) as soon as a chase is set. They change ends when game point is reached or, if a second chase is laid, they change ends immediately, regardless of the score. Once they have changed ends, the new receiver must try to make the ball’s second bounce fall closer to the back wall of the court than the chase being played. If this is achieved, the point is won. If the second bounce will be further away, the ball should not be played, as the chase will be lost and the server will win the point.
Play Unlike Lawn Tennis scoring, the first score called is that of the player who has won the preceding point. A set is played to six games. If the score reaches 5-5, the set will be decided by a single and final game. Both singles and doubles matches are played (‘triples’ now being considered too dangerous!) and may be contested by men, women or may be mixed. Every player has a handicap (rather like golf) and there is a system for ensuring that contestants of different standards can play an enjoyable and competitive game. The rules of Real Tennis are complicated but are part of this historic, tactical and physical game’s appeal. It is a difficult game to master, but offers endless challenge and fascination. Membership of Radley College Tennis Club (RCTC) is open to all and new players are most welcome. Anyone wishing to try the game should contact one of the Club’s Professionals, Chris Ronaldson, Nino Merola and Alex Machin, by calling: 01235 543176 or e-mailing: cjr.ronaldson@radley.org.uk or coming into the club, which is open every day.
We look forward to welcoming you to Real Tennis!
The Court
Modern Styles of Play There are as many ways to play the game as there are players, and we show here two exceptional examples. The compilation accessed below is from Day 1 of the 2016 Men’s World Championship, played at the Newport Tennis Club, Rhode Island, USA, in which the Challenger, Camden Riviere, took on defending Champion, Rob Fahey.
Radley College Tennis Court 