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In the two decades after the Second World War real tennis was a little-known, little-played sport, considered the private domain of a privileged few and probably a relic of a game played by monks in their spare time. However, the last thirty years of the twentieth century saw a change in the fortunes of the game. Numbers of players worldwide began to grow and with this growth came a greater interest in the history of the game. Now the sport is flourishing in many parts of the world, along with an interest in the interrelated history of many ball games, especially those which were being played and, in some cases, are still being played in Europe. This book gives an overview of the game, looking particularly at its history, other related ball games, equipment and rules, heroes, villains and victims of real tennis and the game in Europe, Australia and the United States. ... Read more

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The best introduction to Real Tennis (and the most affordable!)
'Real' Tennis, 'Court' Tennis, 'Jeu de Paume' or 'Pallacorda' - Real Tennis is the original racquet sport developed in the 15th century in Europe and has been played by monarchs (Henry VIII and Francis I), gambled on by artists (Caravaggio) and referred to in works by famous writers (Shakespeare and Marlowe). Today, it is a thriving cult sport played by 10,000 people in the UK, (Ireland), France, (Holland), USA and Australia.Real Tennis players caught trying to explain what this fantastic yet complex sport is to their friends and colleagues are extremely grateful to Kathryn McNicoll, an enthusiastic player herself and sister of a World Champion, for writing a concise, informative and entertaining introduction on Real Tennis.With lots of photos and packed with useful facts including a list of all the current acitve courts, this short book is a perfect gift for every racquet/ball player to learn more about Real Tennis (and hopefully inspire them to build a court too!)In addition, there is an interesting chapter on other European Ball games and a fun chapter on notable characters and great players past and present. Highly recommended and especially at such a great price. ... Read more

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The new edition of this bestseller in hardcover features never-before-published, all-new inside info on the money, personalities and politics of pro-tennis: Jimmy, Monica, Boris, Martina, et al.Now in paper.Amazon.com Review
Though John Feinstein made his mark writing about basketball-- A Season on the Brink is one ofthe top sports books ever--he's always had a love of tennis. For HardCourts, he spent nearly 15 months interviewing the players, coaches,managers, tournament officials, agents and fans -- more than 200 people inall -- that make-up the international tennis circuit. What he found wasn'talways as pretty as a Pete Sampras backhand.While Feinstein touches on the scandal and corruption that is as much a partof tennis as any other professional sport, he offers revealing profiles ofthe greatest players and a celebratory tribute to the sport's eleganttradition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Real Life On The Tour
Though it now reads like a history of early '90's tennis, when this book first came out I pored over it with excitement to find out what the lives of my favorite players were like. All the big names of fifteen years ago are here: Sampras, Navratalova, Selles, Graf, Courier, Agassi, Fernandez, Vicario, McEnroe, Edberg and Lendl. Great champions all. This is set over the course of one full year on the circuit, from the Australian Open in January, to the end of season tournaments that follow the conclusion of the Grand Slam series at the US Open.Anyone who wants to learn about what it takes to compete at this level of tennis can get an education here. Also someone interested in the inner workings of the tour and the agencies that govern it can find out what they want to know. And although it seems odd to say this about one of the most influential books I read when I was so into this sport, it also serves today as the record of a long-ago year in the game of tennis.

Controversial Tour of the ATP Tennis Circuit
It's a nerve wracking sport played at a high level.Different in that there's an opponent standing within yourself and across the net.

This excellent journalist brings his intensity, investigative style and chronicles the sports heroes at the turn of the '90s, both men and women.

Many of the games stars are as high-strung as their rackets.Feinstein paints them all here. ... Read more

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Italy has a long history of competitive games and sports, which was to a great extent inspired by the athletic contests of Antiquity. The human educators and the Renaissance rulers attempted to recreate the grandeur of Imperial Rome. Athletic excellence became an equally strong component of Italian culture during the Renaissance as in ancient Greece and Rome. Italy was the place to be for spectators and to train to be proficient in a variety of physical exercises. The main focus of this study is on how Renaissance Italy became the playground where royal tennis, the ancestor of the modern game, developed into a high cultural form of private court entertainment. The book regularly quotes from the text of the first book on tennis, Antonio Scaino's Trattato del giuoco della palla (Treatise of the Ball Game) of 1555, which was written as an instructive manual for the ballplaying courtier. Scaino's introduction of tennis laws enabled the aristocracy to draw a line between themselves and the populace who continued to play a crude type of the game in the streets. ... Read more

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Tennis for Real is the second in the series (following on from Rugby for Real) containing the core information for various sports. Tennis for Real covers all aspects of training and conditioning for tennis, from fitness drills and exercise programmes to motivation and diet. The focus market is tennis players outside the professional rank - keen amateurs. Tennis for Real is aimed at the person who enjoys tennis as a single part of a varied life. You may have to balance work, your family and your sport. Until now you may have found it difficult to decide exactly what to do with the time you want to commit to tennis training. Tennis for Real is all about how to get the maximum benefit from the time you have available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

hidden treasure
Wow...what a hidden treasure.Found this book by accident.It was not only a fun, interesting read but boy did it help my game.This would be a great gift for any tennis player.

A NO NONSENSE APPROACH TO TENNIS
I REALLY LOVED THE BOOK. IT GIVES ME PRACTICAL TOOLS TO APPLY TO MY GAME IN A VERY DIRECT MANNER. EACH TIME I RE-READ A CHAPTER OR A SECTION I GET MORE AND MORE OUT OF IT. I PLAYED THIS WEEK WITH SOME OF HIS POINTS IN MINDAND I PLAYED VERY WELL. HE SHOULD WRITE A SEQUEL (PERHAPS HE HAS)

A great change of pace!
I knew from the first page I read in this book that it was going to be amazing.The author takes all of the cliches out of learning and explains things in a way to allow beginners and advanced players to change theirgames.

Very Good Book - Covers Most Everything
I have read quite a few books on tennis, but this one is probably my favorite.I keep going back to it for reference everytime I play a big match.This book covers almost everything from strokes, to the mentalgame, to fitness.One thing I really like is the list of do's and don'tsthat you can use as a quick reference. ... Read more

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Chapters: Olympic Real Tennis Players of Great Britain, Olympic Real Tennis Players of the United States, Jay Gould Ii, Neville Bulwer-Lytton, 3rd Earl of Lytton, Eustace Miles, Charles Sands, Evan Noel, Vane Pennell. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 22. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: See: Jay Gould (disambiguation) George Gould II and Jay Gould II at the wedding on Helen Miller Shepard in 1913Jay Gould II (September 1, 1888 January 26, 1935) was an American real tennis player and a grandson of the railroad magnate Jay Gould. He was the world champion (19141916) and the Olympic gold medalist (1908, under the name jeu de paume). He held the U.S. Amateur Championship title continuously from 19061925, winning 18 times (no tournaments were held during the U.S. involvement in World War I). During the same period, he never lost a set to an American amateur, and lost only one singles match, to English champion E.M. Baerlein. The court built for him by his father at the family's Georgian Court estate was restored in 2005. He was born on September 1, 1888 to George Jay Gould I. He married Anne Douglass Graham, and had the following children: He died on January 26, 1935, at Margaretville, New York. The cause of death was "hemorrhage of the esophagus brought on by a complexity of ailments." ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1635735 ... Read more

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Chapters: Kenneth Gandar-Dower, Sally Jones, Neville Bulwer-Lytton, 3rd Earl of Lytton, Eustace Miles, Evan Noel, Jim Dear, Fred Covey, Julian Snow, Albert Ariel Bedwin Johnson, Charles Saunders, Peter Latham, Walter Kinsella, George Lambert. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 41. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Kenneth Cecil Gandar-Dower (31 August 1908 12 February 1944) was a leading English sportsman, aviator, explorer and author. Born at his parents' home in Regent's Park, London, Gandar-Dower was the fourth and youngest son of independently wealthy Joseph Wilson Gandar-Dower and his wife Amelia Frances Germaine. Two of his elder brothers, Eric and Alan Gandar Dower, served as Conservative Party members in the House of Commons. Gandar-Dower attended Harrow School, where he played cricket, association football, Eton Fives and rackets and, with Terence Rattigan, wrote for The Harrovian. He then received a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1927 to read history, gaining an upper second. More important, he won athletic blues in billiards, tennis and real tennis, Rugby Fives, Eton fives and rackets. In addition, Gandar-Dower edited Granta and chaired the Trinity debating society. Gandar-Dower became a leading tennis player, competing in a number of tournaments throughout the 1930s, including Wimbledon and the French Championships. He was nicknamed "The undying retriever" for his ability to run large distances during matches. At the 1932 Queen's Club Championship in London Gandar-Dower had his greatest tennis success when he defeated Harry Hopman in three sets. Newspaper reports stated that he "had Hopman perplexed with his unorthodox game and the number of astonishingly low volleys from apparently impossible positions." Gandar-Dower also won the British Amateur Squash cha...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=21490266 ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Charles VIII, called the Affable, French: (30 June 1470 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death. Charles was a member of the House of Valois. His invasion of Italy initiated the long series of Franco-Italian wars which characterized the first half of the 16th century. Charles was born at the Château d'Amboise in France, the only surviving son of King Louis XI by his second wife Charlotte of Savoy. His godfather was Edward of Westminster the son of King Henry VI of England who had been living in France since the deposition of his father by King Edward IV. Charles succeeded to the throne on 30 August 1483, at age 13. His health was poor and he was regarded by his contemporaries as of pleasant disposition but foolish and unsuited for the business of the state. In accordance with Louis XI's wishes, the regency of the Kingdom was granted to Charles' elder sister, Anne, a formidably intelligent and shrewd woman described by her father as "the least insane woman in France." She would rule as regent, together with her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon, until 1491. Charles was betrothed in 1482 to Margaret of Austria, the daughter of Emperor Maximilian I and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy; the marriage had been arranged by Louis XI, Maximilian, and the Estates of the Low Countries, as part of the Peace of Arras between France and Burgundy. Margaret brought the Counties of Artois and Burgundy to France as her dowry, and she was raised in the French court as prospective Queen consort. In 1488, however, Francis II, Duke of Brittany died in a riding accident, leaving his 11-year old daughter Anne as his heiress. Anne, who feared for her Duchy's independence against the ambitions of France, arranged a marriage in 1490 between herself and Maximil... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=77606 ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Palla (Italian for ball) is a traditional Tuscan ball game played in towns between Siena and Grosseto. It is also called palla EH! (or pallaeh!) because players call out eh! before serving.Small hand-made balls contain a lead pellet wrapped in rubber and wool with a leather cover. The game is played by facing teams who strike (not catch) the ball with either a bare or gloved hand. Courts are marked out with painted lines on town streets, but there is no net, and players can move between sides. Adjacent buildings, objects, and sometimes spectators, are considered "in play." Play does stop for oncoming automobiles. Similar to real tennis, a second bounce can result in a "chase" rather than an outright point, marked in chalk where the ball stops rolling. ... Read more

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Chapters: Pete Bostwick, Ogden Phipps, Jay Gould Ii, Robert L. Gerry, Jr., Gene Scott, Tom Pettitt, Charles Sands, Camden Riviere, Tim Chisholm. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 35. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: George Herbert "Pete" Bostwick (August 14, 1909 - January 13, 1982) was an American court tennis player, a steeplechase jockey and horse trainer, and an eight-goal polo player. Born in Bisby Lake, New York, Pete Bostwick was the son of Mary L. Stokes and Albert Carlton Bostwick (18761911). His grandfather, Jabez A. Bostwick, was a founder and treasurer of the Standard Oil Company of New York and a partner of John D. Rockefeller. His grandmother, Helen C. Bostwick, left upon her death in April 1920 a sum of $1,156,818 to him and similar amounts to his siblings. Among his cousins were the cross-dressing woman speedboat racer "Joe" a/k/a Betty Carstairs and the pilot Francis Francis. Pete Bostwick's inherited wealth afforded him the opportunity to pursue a number of sporting interests. His father was a horseman and polo player and Pete Bostwick become one of a leading steeplechase owners, trainers, and riders. Pete Bostwick was a member of The Jockey Club and a patron of the National Tennis Club. He rode Thoroughbred steeplechase horses from 1927 to 1949 both in the US and Grand National in the UK and also rode in flat racing. At Belmont Park in 1932 he became the second jockey (after Jockey W. C. ("Bill") Clancy in 1895) ever to ride a flat and steeplechase winner on the same day a feat which he repeated again within two weeks. Initially he rode to victory at Belmont Park aboard Thomas Hitchcock's Silverskin in a steeplechase and Latin Stables' Ha Ha in a flat race on the same day. Then repeated the feat two weeks later in the Metropolitan Driving Club, a 1-1/16-mi. flat ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=8584578 ... Read more

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Chapters: James I of Scotland, List of Real Tennis World Champions, Robert Fahey, Steve Virgona. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 22. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: James I (10 December 1394 21 February 1437) was nominal King of Scots from 4 April 1406 until his death, although his effective reign only began in May 1424. He spent the earlier part of his reign as a prisoner in England. On his release he made moves to create a strong centralised monarchy in Scotland, and was assassinated by dissident nobles. James was born on 10 December 1394 at Dunfermline Palace, Fife, the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. In March 1402 his elder brother, David, starved to death at Falkland in Fife while in the custody of their uncle, Robert, Duke of Albany. With his brothers death, James became heir to the throne and was created Duke of Rothesay and Earl of Carrick in 1404. By early 1406, with his health failing and his eleven-year-old son all that stood between Albany and the throne, Robert III decided to send James to France for his protection. In February, an army of Jamess supporters were defeated in battle by Albanys allies at Hermiston Moor, east of Edinburgh, and James, accompanied by the Earl of Orkney, was taken for safety to the Bass Rock to be hidden until he could be shipped to France. He remained there for a month before boarding the Maryenknycht, a merchant ship from Danzig which was bound for France. However, the vessel was intercepted by English sailors near Flamborough Head and James was taken prisoner by Henry IV to begin 18 years of imprisonment in England. Upon his fathers death in April 1406, James became King of Scots. However, since the King was in English captivity, Robert, Duke of Albany became Governor or Regent on his behalf. James received an education and exce...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=58732 ... Read more

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Chapters: Palace of Fontainebleau, Hampton Court Palace, Clifton College, Canford School, Marylebone Cricket Club, Lambay Island, Georgian Court University, Queen's Club, Racquet and Tennis Club, Tuxedo Club, Racquet Club of Philadelphia, Aiken Tennis Club, Royal Melbourne Tennis Club, Cambridge University Real Tennis Club, Falkland Palace Royal Tennis Club, Royal County of Berkshire Real Tennis Club, Oratory Tennis Club, International Tennis Club of Washington, Tennis and Racquet Club, Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court, Merton Street Tennis Court, Bristol and Bath Tennis Club, Hobart Real Tennis Club. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 97. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London; it has not been lived in by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located 11.7 miles (18.8 km) south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames. It was originally built for Cardinal Wolsey, a favourite of King Henry VIII, circa 1514; in 1529, as Wolsey fell from favour, the palace was passed to the King, who enlarged it. The following century, William III's massive rebuilding and expansion project intended to rival Versailles was begun. Work halted in 1694, leaving the palace in two distinct contrasting architectural styles, domestic Tudor and Baroque. While the palace's styles are an accident of fate, a unity exists due to the use of pink bricks and a symmetrical, albeit vague, balancing of successive low wings. Today, the palace is open to the public, and is a major tourist attraction. It is cared for by an independent charity, Historic Royal Palaces which receives no funding from the Government or the Crown. The palace's Home Park is the site of the annu...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=52947 ... Read more

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Chapters: Myopia Hunt Club, Galerie Nationale Du Jeu de Paume, Prince's Club, Racquet Club of Chicago, Oriel Square Tennis Court, Greentree, Macquarie University Real Tennis Club. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 22. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Myopia Hunt Club is a foxhunting and private country club at 435 Bay Road in South Hamilton, Massachusetts founded in 1882 by J. Murray Forbes. The name "Myopia" is due to some of its founding members having come from the Myopia Club in Winchester, Massachusetts, which had been founded by four brothers with poor vision. Today, the Myopia Hunt Club is a drag hunt, meaning that the hounds follow a laid scent rather than live fox. Myopia also boasts the oldest continually running polo field in the nation. Polo is still played on Sunday afternoons and is open to the public for a small fee. In 1902 a real tennis court was opened at the Myopia Hunt Club, but has since been converted to other uses. This is the only course in the United States to have been listed by Golf Magazine as having two of the United States's top 100 signature holes, Myopia's fourth and ninth. The U.S. Open was held at the club in 1898, 1901, 1905, and 1908. The 72-hole winning score by Willie Anderson in 1901 was 331, a record high that still stands today. He defeated Alex Smith (golfer) in an 18 hole playoff, 85 to 86, his highest 18 hole score of the tournament. Herbert Corey Leeds was the course designer. The first nine was completed in 1896, but the second nine was not finished until 1901, so the 1898 U.S. Open was actually played on eight rounds of nine holes. From 1995-2005, the course underwent a series of major improvements under the leadership of Club president Michael Greene. Greene, along with Captain of Golf Steve Warhover (and with the consent of the votin...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=4881579 ... Read more

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Chapters: Real Tennis. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 84. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Real tennis, often called "Royal Tennis"one of several sports sometimes called the sport of Kingsis the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis, is descended. It is also known as jeu de paume in France, "court tennis" in the United States, "Royal Tennis" in Australia. The term "real" was first used by journalists in the middle of the twentieth century to distinguish the ancient game from modern "lawn" tennis (even though that sport is seldom contested on lawns these days outside the few social-club-managed estates such as Wimbledon). There is no evidence that it is a corruption of the word 'royal' as some have indicated. Real tennis players often call the game "tennis", while continuing to refer to its more widely played offshoot as "lawn tennis". Real tennis is still played by enthusiasts on 47 existing courts in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and France. Despite a documented history of courts existing in the German states from 1600s, the sport evidently died out there during or after the World War II reconstruction. The sport is supported and governed by various organizations around the world. The rules and scoring are similar to those of lawn tennis, which derives from real tennis. Although in both sports game scoring is by fifteens (with the exception of 40, which was shortened from forty-five), in real tennis six games wins a set, even if the opponent has five games. A match is typically best of three sets, except for the major open tournaments, in which matches are best of five sets. Unlike the latex-based technology underlying the modern lawn-tennis ball, the game still utilizes a cork-based ball very close in design to th...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=234582 ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Real tennis, often called "Royal Tennis"?one of several sports sometimes called the sport of Kings?is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis, is descended. It is also known as jeu de paume in France, "court tennis" in the United States, "Royal Tennis" in Australia. The term "real" was first used by journalists in the middle of the twentieth century to distinguish the ancient game from modern "lawn" tennis (even though that sport is seldom contested on lawns these days outside the few social-club-managed estates such as Wimbledon). There is no evidence that it is a corruption of the word 'royal' as some have indicated. Real tennis players often call the game "tennis", while continuing to refer to its more widely played offshoot as "lawn tennis". ... Read more

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Chapters: Jeu de Paume Players at the 1908 Summer Olympics, Jay Gould Ii, Neville Bulwer-Lytton, 3rd Earl of Lytton, Eustace Miles, Charles Sands, Evan Noel, Vane Pennell. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 22. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: See: Jay Gould (disambiguation) George Gould II and Jay Gould II at the wedding on Helen Miller Shepard in 1913Jay Gould II (September 1, 1888 January 26, 1935) was an American real tennis player and a grandson of the railroad magnate Jay Gould. He was the world champion (19141916) and the Olympic gold medalist (1908, under the name jeu de paume). He held the U.S. Amateur Championship title continuously from 19061925, winning 18 times (no tournaments were held during the U.S. involvement in World War I). During the same period, he never lost a set to an American amateur, and lost only one singles match, to English champion E.M. Baerlein. The court built for him by his father at the family's Georgian Court estate was restored in 2005. He was born on September 1, 1888 to George Jay Gould I. He married Anne Douglass Graham, and had the following children: He died on January 26, 1935, at Margaretville, New York. The cause of death was "hemorrhage of the esophagus brought on by a complexity of ailments." ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1635735 ... Read more

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Chapters: Grand Slam, Jeu de Paume at the 1908 Summer Olympics, List of Real Tennis Organizations, Irish Real Tennis Association, United States Court Tennis Association, Nederlandse Real Tennis Bond, Tennis and Rackets Association, Comité Français de Courte-Paume, Australian Real Tennis Association. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 49. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Real tennis, often called "Royal Tennis"one of several sports sometimes called the sport of Kingsis the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis, or tennis, is descended. It is also known as jeu de paume in France, "court tennis" in the United States, "Royal Tennis" in Australia. The term "real" was first used by journalists in the middle of the twentieth century to distinguish the ancient game from modern "lawn" tennis (even though that sport is seldom contested on lawns these days outside the few social-club-managed estates such as Wimbledon). There is no evidence that it is a corruption of the word 'royal' as some have indicated. Real tennis players often call the game "tennis", while continuing to refer to its more widely played offshoot as "lawn tennis". Real tennis is still played by enthusiasts on 47 existing courts in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and France. Despite a documented history of courts existing in the German states from 1600s, the sport evidently died out there during or after the World War II reconstruction. The sport is supported and governed by various organizations around the world. The rules and scoring are similar to those of lawn tennis, which derives from real tennis. Although in both sports game scoring is by fifteens (with the exception of 40, which was shortened from forty-five), in real tennis six games wins a set, even if the opponent ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=234582 ... Read more