List_of_real_tennis_world_champions

Real Tennis World Championship

Real Tennis World Championship

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The Real Tennis World Championship is the main competition in real tennis.

Men's singles championship, Dublin, 1890.

Men's singles

Men's singles in real tennis was the first world championship in any sport: it also predates the use of the term "real tennis," as the sport was called just "tennis" until lawn tennis gained popularity.

Except in cases where the champion has retired, the championship has always been on a challenge basis — the champion retains the title until losing an official challenge or retiring. Originally, the champion had the right to accept or reject a challenge, usually depending upon the prize money put up by the challenger's sponsor: several years could thus go by between challenge matches.

The top four ranked players in the world (excluding the champion himself) playoff for the right to challenge, with the champion and challenger playing a match of up to 13 sets over three days (4 sets, 4 sets and up to 5 sets on the final day). In theory, this is the only match the champion has to play in the two years since winning the last one.

The most recent men's world championship match was held in 2023, with sets being played on the 17th, 19th, and 21st of September in suburban Washington, D.C.

World men's singles champions

More information Year, Venue ...

Men's doubles

The men's doubles title is earned in a tournament with the sport's eight top-ranked pairings. Competed every odd-numbered year, it is hosted in rotation among the countries with active courts in the following order: the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and the United States. The championship match uses a best of nine sets format.

After the first championship was won by Tim Chisholm and Julian Snow,[8] the title was won and then defended five times by singles world champion Rob Fahey and Steve Virgona. They lost their title in the final set of the final match in 2015, in a championship held at Prested Hall (UK).

The title now belongs to Camden Riviere and Tim Chisholm.

More information Year, Venue ...

Women's singles

Unlike the men's singles title, the women's title is earned in a tournament: the title holder must win her way through the draw for the right to defend the championship.

The championship tournament is held every odd-numbered year. Since 2011, the title has been held by Claire Fahey (née Vigrass).[9]

More information Year, Venue ...

Women's doubles

The women's doubles world championship[10] is held at the same time and venue as the women's singles championship. It is also a tournament format, rather than a challenge.

More information Year, Venue ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    ""The Tennis Championship." Times [London, England] 27 Dec. 1913". Times Digital Archive.
  2. [2]
    "Adventures of an Irish Expatriate: Real Tennis in Ireland". Irish Real Tennis.
  3. [3]
    ""Sports in Brief." Times [London, England] 12 Apr. 1906". Times Digital Archive.
  4. [4]
    "Ted Johnson". Leamington Tennis Court Club.
  5. [5]
    "Fahey profile". Tennis & rackets.com.
  6. [6]
    "World Championship Singles 2016". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. 13 March 2013.
  7. [7]
    "World Championship Singles 2018". Queen's Club.
  8. [8]
    "Annual Report" (PDF). United States Court Tennis Association. 2008–2009. p. 54. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2020.
  9. [9]
    "The Antique Sport of Real Tennis, and the Woman Who Dominates It". The New Yorker. 27 September 2015.
  10. [10]
    Tennis and Rackets Association https://www.tennisandrackets.com/downloads/TennisResults/LadiesWorldDoubles.pdf. Retrieved 21 July 2020. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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