The Chairman’s Statement

Fred Satow, Chairman

Our annual report seeks to comment on and commemorate key events and achievements in the past year. I also set out below the three key areas on which the T&RA will focus whilst I am chairman.

Participation With the effect of Covid abating, it has been pleasing to enjoy a full season of Tennis and Rackets with nearly all competitions being held and clubs and courts returning to nearly pre–covid levels of activity. However, the effect of Covid followed by the cost-of-living crisis continues to be felt with most courts and clubs losing some members who will take time to replace.

Facilities The major event of the season was the decision of Middlesex University to give Middlesex University Real Tennis Club four years notice of their intention to close the court and re-purpose the space. It is very disappointing to lose such a well-built court created by the generosity of Peter Luck–Hille and many others. However, much can happen in four years and we are working to make the best of a disappointing situation. However, there are prospects of new Tennis courts at Hewell Grange and elsewhere in the UK, which our indefatigable Director of Court Development Simon Talbot- Court preservation and Williams is progressing. development remains a top It was pleasing to see the second priority of the T&RA. There Harrow Rackets court restored to its full potential thanks to Charles are prospects of new Tennis Hue-Williams, John Prenn, the Harrow courts in the UK. School Foundation and many others. Eton too have decided to proceed with the improvement of their Rackets court galleries. Further afield new Tennis courts have been built in Bordeaux and Washington DC and Tennis courts in Charleston and Sand Valley, USA and Sydney, Australia are getting closer to realisation. Court preservation and development remains one of my three top priorities for the T&RA. Professionals The Tennis Investing in Professionals programme to recruit and train new professionals and help existing professionals to improve their skills remains a major focus of the T&RA and me as chairman. The first apprentice, Jack Josephs has completed his one-year course and joined the Royal Tennis Court as a junior professional; and other apprentices continue at various clubs. In addition, a second phase of apprentices are in training. The issues of recruitment and training of new professionals are equally if not of greater importance in Rackets. This year the T&RA has taken the first steps in developing a similar programme for Rackets apprentice professionals. Under the leadership of Rory Sutton, chairman of the Rackets committee, we are hopeful that the coming season will see at least two apprentices in training at schools. This is the third major priority for the T&RA under my chairmanship. The Board and the office Doctor Victoria Harvey, the chair of the Cambridge Real Tennis Club has recently joined the Board, following the departure of David Watson in November. We are very grateful to David, who served for nine years on the board and was instrumental in developing Tennis IiP, which has already started to produce apprentice Tennis professionals for the future. The Board and Games Committees have continued to meet regularly. We are always looking for volunteers for these posts who need not be based in the South East. Please contact me or Chris Davies if you are interested. The office has weathered the storm of Covid and has been busy organising various tournaments and events. We were very sorry at the passing of Andrina Webb, whom many members and benefactors will know. We are hoping to return the team in Centenary House to full strength shortly. Membership numbers have slipped back a bit because of Covid but we are hopeful that this will recover as play returns to pre-covid levels. We are grateful to members, clubs, their boards and schools for their continued support of these games we love. The Future New Tennis courts in the USA and Australia are coming closer to realisation and Harrow has a newly refurbished Rackets court. In France a new court has opened recently and more are planned. After the recent surge of new Tennis courts in the UK over the past ten years or so, it would be good to see another new Tennis court here, which could happen at Hewell Grange. In the meantime, we must secure the future of Tennis and Rackets by recruiting, training and retaining new Tennis and Rackets professionals, upon whom our games depend. We have made good progress in Tennis but much remains to be done in Rackets.