PRESERVED for centuries, this is how tennis began.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Royal tennis, also known as real tennis, is a quirky, indoor racquet sport that offers a living history lesson in how the game has evolved.
Courts are rare but there is a hidden gem in Ballarat.
A little like an indoor squash court and calling for the quick reflexes of a cricket batsman, royal tennis is very much a 360-degree and cognitive challenging version of modern tennis.
History buffs may know it from popularised Tudor-era movies and television series. England’s King Henry VIII was a big fan and legend has it that he was playing a game when he received news of Anne Boleyn’s beheading.
A Versailles royal tennis court was also a pivotal turning point in French history, where the Tennis Court Oath that sparked the French revolution was signed.
Historically reserved for aristocrats, royal tennis in Ballarat is open to everyone.
Step behind the nets for a closer look inside the Ballarat Tennis Club in the latest episode of From the Press Box with Melanie Whelan, the weekly online video that takes you behind the scenes in Ballarat sport