International Real Tennis Reports

Dutch Real Tennis Association

By Theo Bollerman, President

The year started well with two groups of Dutch playing in different countries. One group consisting of André Driessen, Rogier Botting, Marian van Koesveld, Feikje Nassy, Erik Gunter, Henk Jan Meere, Florentine Molkenboer and top player Andreas van Braam Houckgeest, had their annual meeting in Cambridge with a fair result. The Cambridge team beat the Dutch 7–5. Many thanks again to Christie Marrian, who organized the meeting for the umpteenth time. The other group stayed in Australia. In Ballarat, Lucie and Theo Bollerman competed in the lovely handicap doubles tournament for the Joey Cup. They came third. Robert Jolly gave one of his great speeches. After that, the trip went to Melbourne where they joined forces with Huub and Kim van Boeckel to play the Roo. Saskia Bollerman was also there but could not play in the Australian Open and Ladies World Championships as she was still injured. Her hip procedure took place in June; and she was not allowed to do any sport for at least six months. The yearly Dutch week at Radley College was attended by some 60 players, of which 42 competed in the Dutch Real Tennis Championships and the handicap doubles tournament. In the absence of Saskia, Stephanie Zaaijer was a worthy successor, who later that year went to the

The Dutch Real Tennis Championships, August 2021, Fontainebleau.

Irish Real Tennis Association

By Ben North, Secretary

The IRTA is delighted that its members were able to get back on court over the past year. We travelled to Hardwick House in October to take part in the Brigands Doubles Tournament for Peripatetic Clubs, where we had a promising start but narrowly missed out on advancing beyond the group stage. March saw the IRTA back at Hardwick House, this time for a fixture against The Haphazards. Also in March, the IRTA team emerged the victors in the Celtic Challenge at Radley, who then hosted our Irish Open Championship in June. Our Closed Championship will be held later in the year, and further fixtures and trips are being planned. We are RMTC for a three-month period to assist in the proshop. Second place was for Marian van Koesveld. The men’s tournament was won again by Paul Bollerman in a very good match against Hugo van der Meer. Many extra activities were undertaken; a group of Dutch even took part in a session of Eton Fives. Of course golf, Rackets, fives and lawn tennis were also popular. It was a great week again, made possible by Chris Ronaldson, his assistant Nino Merola and the friendly ground staff who prepared the grass courts especially for the Dutch.

grateful to all the clubs, supporters, and professionals who have welcomed the IRTA and given us the opportunity to start playing Tennis again.

The planning permission which was to see the historic Dublin Real Tennis Court become part of a museum expired in late 2021; an application by the developers for an extension was denied. The IRTA will now resume its campaign for the restoration of this important part of Ireland's built heritage to its intended purpose.

By Susie Falkner, CEO

The schedule for the season was beginning to look very condensed for the months in May, June and July 2022, but restrictions started to lift in the UK and there was at last play with the first ranking tournament since the conclusion of the US Open 2020 being played with the British Open in November 2021. The U.S. Open and the U.S. Professional Singles playing for the Schochet Cup were scheduled to be played concurrently as possible with a week in between the two events. The U.S. Open was hosted by the Tuxedo Club. History was made for this event in the prize money was US$100,000, the highest ever for an Open tournament with US$65,000 going to the singles prize fund, with a draw of 16 players (the qualifying tournament was very competitive!) and US$35,000 going to the doubles prize fund for a draw of 12 pairs. If prize funds could be kept at this level there would be no shortage of players, and our professionals would not be out of pocket for chasing ranking and race points from around the world. The Open Singles and US Pro Singles titles saw Camden Riviere maintain his winning form. The Champions Trophy sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric was held at the Royal Tennis Court, Rob Fahey was defending the title he won back in 2019 and he retained it winning in four sets. There are only three more ranking tournaments this year before the race for the world championship in 2023 concludes following the British Open in November. The race is quite close and one more large prize fund from the three remaining Opens would make that event very competitive indeed. The Australian is in August, the French late September and the British in November. The World Doubles took place at the new Bordeaux court following the Champions Trophy. It is fitting that France’s newest court should be the host for a new world doubles format where the best four pairs play over the best of nine sets in each match. The IRTPA has created a world double ranking system which partly takes an individual’s current singles ranking and their results from four years of doubles events to calculate a player ranking and points value. The points value of the pair is then combined with the highest value being No. 1. The full explanation can be read on the IRTPA’s web site.

Tournament

Results for events played to 3rd July 2022

Winner Finalist

British Open 2021 John Lumley Ben Taylor-Matthews U.S. Open 2022 Camden Riviere Rob Fahey U.S. Pro Singles 2022 Camden Riviere Rob Fahey Champions Trophy 2022 Rob Fahey Ben Taylor-Matthews World Doubles 2022 Camden Riviere & Tim Chisholm John Lumley & Steve Virgona

Australia Real Tennis Association

By Alistair Curley, Chair of Tennis

2021 saw the return of competitive Tennis within Australia, albeit with events needing to be re-scheduled on several occasions due to lockdowns. However, as we know, most international events remained off limits last year. Our clubs have all come through the pandemic in good shape. Government furlough schemes allowed them to keep going, and each club used the various periods of lockdown to undertake maintenance and upkeep. We emerged into 2022 with a full calendar of domestic Tennis events and all clubs saw court bookings return towards pre-covid levels. There was also a period of introspection for ARTA, as we were required to revamp our Rules to meet new requirements for incorporated bodies. The upshot is that we now have a set of rules which allow all players of Real Tennis in Australia to have a genuine say within ARTA. Our most important local project is the goal of a new Real Tennis court in Sydney and the team there have been working tirelessly to get the necessary approvals. They now have an excellent site at the Cheltenham Recreation Club and exciting plans for the court. I visited the site in May and can assure everyone it will be a great location for a court! The hard part of course is raising the necessary funds; the fundraising project is well under way, and you can find all the details of how to donate at www. sydneyrealtennis.com.au. If you are an Australian resident for tax purposes, then your donation can be tax-deductible too! Our Masters teams (some twenty-five players) were the first Australians to head overseas for Tennis in a long time, to attend the World Amateur Masters in France. It was a wonderful celebration of Tennis, and everyone survived the ordeal of vaccinations, paperwork and covid tests! As we look ahead to the rest of year and early 2023, we invite you to come join us in Melbourne for the Australian Open & Women’s Open 3-10 January, immediately followed by the Boomerang Cup, a great event for all standards of players. And of course, it’s an awesome time to escape the northern hemisphere winter, get some heat and lots of Tennis! There will be also supporting events in Ballarat and Hobart. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more details. Finally, Australia sends its very best wishes to the rest of the Real Tennis world – and invites you to ‘get down under’ soon!

By Mary A. Livingston President, United States Court Tennis Association

Iam pleased to say that the 2021-2022 season was complete, robust, and successful. It has been wonderful to see the energy and enthusiasm of USCTA members in getting back on court. I want to thank the professionals and all club leadership for their commitment to hosting national and club tournaments once again. Without them, we would not have been able to host two U.S. Opens, two U.S. Professional Singles for the Schochet Cup, and a full slate of national, age and level championships.

As we reflect on where we have been and where we are going as an Association in the postpandemic world, I must recognize the loss of two legends of the American game: Pete Bostwick and Temple Grassi. Pete was a consummate champion. Not only was he a two-time World Champion, but he won nearly every existing national title, in every age bracket, singles and doubles, over a span of many decades. In 1994, he was inducted into the International Court Tennis Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class. In Temple Grassi, we had the ultimate cheerleader, in the most profound and tangible sense of the term. His enthusiasm and support for our game never flagged; he spurred action and innovation in both player and court development. Though he left us far too quickly and far too early, he left us with a better, stronger game and we will be forever grateful. Here in the United States, we look forward to carrying on the legacy of these two great gentlemen of our sport. “I must recognize the loss of two legends of the American game: Pete Bostwick and Temple Grassi....Here in the United States, we look forward to carrying on the legacy of these two great gentlemen of our sport.”

To that end, as we look ahead to where we are going, I am thrilled that we have three very active ongoing court development projects. In this last year, it was announced that a new court is being built at the Sand Valley Golf Resort in Nekoosa, Wisconsin. Around four hours north of Chicago, this court will feature as part of a multi-sport venue alongside top-rated golf courses and grass lawn tennis courts. We continue to work with the Daniel Island Club to complete the exciting prospect of bringing a court to Charleston, South Carolina. It is a city that would be a unique destination for Tennis, particularly for our international visitors. And last, but certainly not least, it will be my particular pleasure to welcome friends from near and far as we open the new Washington, DC court at the Westwood Country Club. Since 1997, Prince’s Court has been a special venue for our game, featuring outstanding club players and warm fellowship, and I am confident that this tradition will continue at Westwood. Onward!

Photo: The new Washington, DC court at the Westwood Country Club, in progress!

By Ivan Semenoff

Agreat year of Real Tennis in

France !

This season has seen the renewal of the game after the covid-19 crisis. International and national competitions took place again. Matthieu Sarlangue won for the 12th time in a row the prestigious Raquette d’Or, beating the record of his father Bertrand (11 times). To be continued… Fontainebleau hosted the Ladies World Championships won by Claire Fahey against Lea van der Zwalmen in the final. Fontainebleau also hosted the Junior Open and the first Ladies French Championships won by Lea van der Zwalmen. Bordeaux organised the Doubles World Championships won by Camden Riviere and Tim Chisholm against John Lumley and Steve Virgona in the final. At this event the court was officially inaugurated by the mayor of Bordeaux, Mr. Pierre Hurmic. The legendary Coupe de Bordeaux was back after ten years of absence. This prestigious trophy won in the past by the best amateurs as Julian Snow and Howard Angus was awarded to Nicolas Victoir this year. And last but not least, France hosted for the first time the World Masters hosted by the three main French clubs: Bordeaux, Fontainebleau and Paris. More than 100 players from Australia, Great Britain, the United States and France participated in 14 individual competitions including for the first time the 80’s category. For the first time, matches could be watched on line, thanks to streaming. The Cockram Trophy, the Bostwick Cup, The Danby Trophy and the Muñoz Trophy were won by the respective British teams. The French Cockram team lost only in the final against Great Britain. A fantastic fortnight of Tennis, respect, friendship and style which prove one more time that nothing is greater than this game. The next World Masters will be hosted by Great Britain in 2024. The project of renovation of the court in Chinon is progressing with more than Euros 800,000 raised thanks to the efforts of the team headed by Thierry Bernard-Tambour. We are as well looking forward to playing again on the court Cockram French Team: Julien Bey, Tim Batten, Ivan Semenoff (cap.), Emmanuel Chelli, Alexandre Boy, Laurent Marville, Alexandre Girod, Charles Blanchot, Jean-Philippe Grabli

in Pau soon. This project has been approved by the mayor of the city. We would like to thank all volunteers who made all this events a succees and are happy to announce that the next French Open will take place in Paris at the end of September.