Hobart Real Tennis Club
{{Short description|Sporting club in Tasmania, Australia}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox organization
|name = Hobart Real Tennis Club
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|image = Hobart Real Tennis Club logo.png
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|size = 145px
|alt = Hobart Real Tennis Club logo
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|formation = {{Start date and age|1875}}
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|location = 45 Davey Street, Hobart
|coords= {{coord|42|53|7.5|S|147|19|40.2|E|region:AU-TAS_type:landmark|display=inline title}}
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|leader_title = President
|leader_name = Andrew Brough ({{As of|2018|lc=yes}})
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|website = {{URL|https://hobarttennis.com.au/}}
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The Hobart Real Tennis Club is a real tennis court in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Opening in 1875,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29896052 |title=Royal Tennis |newspaper=The Mercury |volume=CXXXIV |issue=19,813 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=6 February 1931 |accessdate=22 June 2024 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}}
it is one of the oldest sporting clubs in the southern hemisphere, the oldest of only four real tennis clubs operating nationally, and one of 45 worldwide.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/5312518/prince-edward-to-play-real-tennis-during-ballarat-visit/|title = Prince Edward to play real tennis during Ballarat visit|date = 28 March 2018}}
Originally known simply as the Hobart Tennis Club, the court predates the advent of lawn tennis, remaining an exclusive haven for the elite to engage in what was then called "real tennis" or "royal tennis". Following a club referendum, the sporting facility was renamed the 'Hobart Real Tennis Club' in 2001.{{Cite web |url=https://www.utas.edu.au/tasmanian-companion/biogs/E001003b.htm |title=Companion to Tasmanian History: Real Tennis Club |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=University of Tasmania |last=Alexander |first=Ted |publisher=Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies |year=2005}}
Hobart hosted the international biennial Bathurst Cup in 1985, 1999 and 2015, and has also held the Australian Open tournament for real tennis on several occasions since the mid 1990s. It was the first home court of twelve-time world champion player, Robert Fahey and Judith Clarke, Australia's first female real tennis World Champion.{{Cite web |url=https://www.womenaustralia.info/entries/clarke-judith-anne/ |title=Clarke, Judith Anne (1954 – ) |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=Australian Women’s Register}}
History
The first court on the site was constructed in 1875 by Samuel Smith Travers, inspired by his experiences at Oxford University while living in England and playing frequently at Hampton Court. The Hobart court was modelled after Hampton Court.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18420942 |title=Henry VIII Played Brilliant Tennis |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |issue=36,293 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=17 April 1954 |accessdate=22 June 2024 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}}
The court is believed to have opened in June or July 1875. Records indicate the court was completed in May of that year, but the opening was delayed due to the late arrival of racquets from England.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30097372 |title=Royal Tennis. Game in Tasmania. The Diamond Jubilee. |newspaper=The Mercury |volume=CXLIII |issue=20,201 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=24 July 1935 |accessdate=22 June 2024 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}
The first professional player brought to Hobart by Travers was Tom Stone in 1875, an assistant at the Hampton Court Tennis Club in England. Notably, Stone was the same player who initially taught King Edward VII the basics of the game. In 1882, inspired by their experiences in Tasmania, a group of enthusiasts built a court in Melbourne.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10051441 |title=Royal Tennis. The Game in Hobart. History of the Court. |newspaper=The Mercury |volume=XCIII |issue=12,431 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=25 January 1910 |accessdate=22 June 2024 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}
File:Royal Tennis Court Hobart 20171120-019.jpg
In 1968, the club admitted female members.
=Modernisation of the club=
Spearheaded by the successes of world champion player Robert Fahey, who first held the world title between 1994–2016, the club underwent significant restoration and modernisation in 2002. The revitalisation of the premises involved integrating two historic buildings with a new entrance and amenities pavilion and redeveloped roof terrace. The pavilion, designed by H20 architects, showcases a lightweight addition with a transparent skin behind a timber screen inspired by espalier trellis. This design element not only provides sun shading but also supports a grapevine planted in 1974 by world champion Pierre Etchebaster.{{Cite web |url=https://www.h2oarchitects.com.au/project/hobart-real-tennis-club/ |title=Hobart Real Tennis Club |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=h2oarchitects.com.au |publisher=H2o architects}}
Court layout and game rules
Real tennis is a racket sport with medieval origins.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243406319 |title=Sport Of Kings And Men-at-Arms........ |newspaper=The Herald |issue=19,468 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=7 October 1939 |accessdate=22 June 2024 |page=29 |via=National Library of Australia}} The origins of real tennis are unclear, but it likely evolved from the ancient ball games pa paume and palotta, played in Italy and jeu de paume in France.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196491676 |title=Royal Tennis. |newspaper=Leader |issue=2840 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=11 June 1910 |accessdate=22 June 2024 |page=28 |via=National Library of Australia}}
The game seems to have developed in a French monastery 700 to 800 years ago, later adopted by the French aristocracy. The court's design resembles an old abbey courtyard with cloisters on two sides.
The Hobart court conforms to the traditional dimensions of real tennis courts worldwide and is modelled after the Hampton Court in England. The game is played indoors on a court approximately {{convert|100|ft}} long by nearly {{convert|40|ft}} wide, with walls and floors made of stone.
The court features a unique layout with a net dividing it into two halves—the hazard court and the server's court. The game's scoring system is complex, involving "chases" marked by lines on the floor, and the use of features like the penthouse, dedans, galleries, grille, and tambour, each contributing to the strategic play.
References
{{reflist|refs=
|date= 16 April 2014
|first= Geoff |last= Ritchie
|title= Royal Tennis Club, Hobart
|work= On the Convict Trail
|accessdate= 21 March 2015
|url= http://ontheconvicttrail.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/royal-tennis-club-hobart.html
|url-status=live
|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150321130239/http://ontheconvicttrail.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/royal-tennis-club-hobart.html
|archivedate= 21 March 2015}}
|year= 2012
|first= Morgan |last= Barnsley
|title= Real Tennis
|work= Tasmanian Life
|accessdate= 21 March 2015
|url= http://tasmanianlife.com.au/real-tennis/
|url-status=live
|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150303220538/http://tasmanianlife.com.au/real-tennis/
|archivedate= 3 March 2015}}
|date= 31 May 2015
|title=Real Tennis Hobart
|work=Living Loving Hobart
|accessdate=11 January 2018
|url=https://livinglovinghobart.com.au/2015/05/31/real-tennis-hobar/
|url-status=live
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111044422/https://livinglovinghobart.com.au/2015/05/31/real-tennis-hobar/
|archivedate=11 January 2018
}}
|title=Historical Results
|website=International Real Tennis Professionals Association
|date=4 February 2013
|accessdate=11 January 2018
|url=https://www.irtpa.com/historical-results/
}}
|date= 3 May 2010
|first= Peter |last= Newlinds
|title= Tasmania's world champion is a real deal on the tennis court
|work= Australian Broadcasting Corporation
|url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/05/03/2889092.htm
|accessdate=11 January 2018
|url-status=live
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111043304/http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/05/03/2889092.htm
|archivedate=11 January 2018
}}
}}
External links
- [http://www.hobarttennis.com.au Official site]
- [https://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia/hobart/attractions/hobart-real-tennis-club/a/poi-sig/1445731/362446 Hobart Real Tennis Club] on lonelyplanet.com
{{Hobart landmarks}}
Category:1875 establishments in Australia
Category:Sports clubs and teams established in 1875
Category:Sports organizations established in 1875
Category:Sports venues in Hobart
Category:Sports clubs and teams in Tasmania
Category:Organisations based in Hobart
Category:Tasmanian Heritage Register