Play real tennis
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Real tennis is the original racquet game that lawn tennis came from, played indoors on a lopsided court with sloping roofs, netted galleries and handmade cork-cored balls. It is called court tennis in the US, and clubs such as the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court will give you an hour on court with a professional to try it.
Moderate£100 to £500 / $130 to $650A few weeksIndoorsWith othersUK and US
What makes it different
The court is indoors, with irregular walls and a sloping roof. Penthouses, the sloping roofs, run round three sides; under them are netted galleries. Hit the ball into the dedans, the winning gallery or the grille and you win the point outright, and a buttress called the tambour can make a return hard to retrieve.
Racquets are wooden and asymmetric. The balls are hand-built and heavy, with a cork core wrapped in tape and covered in felt, so players mostly hit underspin or sidespin. Scoring runs 15, 30, 40 as in lawn tennis, but a second bounce can create a chase, a point that is played off later, and players change ends only when there are two chases, or game point and one chase.
The game has its own handicap system, so players of different standards can have close matches. The Tennis & Rackets Association's lists have 27 courts at 24 venues in the UK, from palaces and country houses to schools and universities; the US association lists nine clubs.
What it costs to try
| Where | What | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| The Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court | One-hour introductory session with a professional; racquet and court included | £66.50 |
| The Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court | Three-month trial membership with full booking rights | £80 |
| The Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court | Lesson with a professional | £30 per lesson, plus the court fee |
| National Tennis Club, Newport, Rhode Island | Private lesson | $80 an hour |
The Royal Tennis Court asks for non-marking court shoes, such as badminton shoes, and predominantly white clothing. At Newport, court time and lessons are booked through the club's pro shop.
How to start
- Find your nearest court on the Tennis & Rackets Association's UK list or the US Court Tennis Association's club list.
- Ring or email the club and ask for an introductory session or a lesson with the club professional.
- Take non-marking indoor court shoes and mostly white clothing, then ask about a trial membership if you want to carry on.
Where to go
- Tennis & Rackets Association: Real Tennis Courts in the UK UK
- The Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court: membership and introductory sessions UK
- United States Court Tennis Association: Clubs US
- National Tennis Club, Newport, Rhode Island: Court Tennis US
We opened these links on 14 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
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Two ways to plan it.
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The links you need to book it, get there, find somewhere to stay and eat, and see what else there is to do nearby. They are searches for you to run; nothing is saved.
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Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between real tennis and tennis?
Real tennis is the original indoor game; lawn tennis was created in England in the 1870s as an outdoor version. Real tennis uses a walled, asymmetric court, wooden racquets and heavy handmade balls.
Where can I play real tennis?
The Tennis & Rackets Association lists 24 venues in the UK. In the US, where the game is called court tennis, the US Court Tennis Association lists nine clubs, including New York, Boston, Chicago and Newport.
How much does it cost to try real tennis?
At the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court, an hour's introduction with a professional was listed at £66.50 with racquet included. A private lesson at Newport's National Tennis Club was listed at $80 an hour.
Is real tennis scored like normal tennis?
Points go 15, 30, 40, deuce and advantage, and a set goes to the first player to six games. Chases, set by where the ball bounces twice, add a layer lawn tennis does not have.
Where this comes from: Tennis & Rackets Association, What is Real Tennis; Tennis & Rackets Association, How Do You Play Real Tennis?; Tennis & Rackets Association, Real Tennis Courts in the UK; Tennis & Rackets Association, Who Plays Real Tennis?; United States Court Tennis Association, Introduction to Court Tennis; United States Court Tennis Association, Clubs; The Royal Tennis Court, Membership; International Tennis Hall of Fame, National Tennis Club. Opened 14 November 2026.
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