2025 Real Tennis World Championship | |
---|---|
Date | 23-27 September |
Edition | 70th |
Category | IRTPA |
Draw | 4D |
Location | Newport, Rhode Island |
Venue | International Tennis Hall of Fame |
Champions | |
Men's singles | |
TBC |
The 2025 Real Tennis World Championship (known in the US as the 2025 Court Tennis World Championship) is to be the 70th edition of the real tennis World Championship. It is scheduled to be held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. [1] The 2025 Ladies Real Tennis World Championship is to be held at the same venue in May. [2]
Defending champion Camden Riviere is expected to contest the Championship for the sixth time, having previously won on three occasions. His challenger will be chosen through a series of eliminators. It will be the third time that Newport has hosted the Challenge, being the venue that Riviere won his first World Championship in 2016.
As the defending champion, Camden Riviere automatically qualifies for the final. The challenger is determined by a series of eliminators. The top four players in the World Race, excluding Riviere, qualify for the eliminators. Points in the World Race were available for events in 2023 and 2024 from the following tournaments: [3]
As at the conclusion of the 2024 French Open, the standings in the World Race are as follows: [4]
Rank | Player | Club | Points | Qualified |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Camden Riviere | International Tennis Club of Washington | 78755 | Yes, as Defending Champion |
2 | John Lumley | Racquet Club of Philadelphia | 59589 | Yes |
3 | Nick Howell | Aiken Tennis Club | 49518 | Yes |
4 | Steve Virgona | Racquet Club of Chicago | 34112 | |
5 | Ben Taylor-Matthews | Bristol and Bath Tennis Club | 33232 | |
6 | Leon Smart | Tennis and Racquet Club, Boston | 21145 | |
7 | Bryn Sayers | Queen's Club | 18565 | No |
8 | Robert Shenkman (A) | Manchester Tennis and Racquet Club | 14345 | No |
9 | Robert Fahey | The Oratory School | 11840 | No |
10 | Matthieu Sarlangue (A) | Jeu de Paume de Paris | 11264 | No |
11 | Lewis Williams | Leamington Tennis Court Club | 10534 | No |
12 | Chris Chapman | Royal Melbourne Tennis Club | 9654 | No |
Should the top four players elect to enter the Eliminators, the matches will be seeded in the first round, with the first seed playing the fourth seed and the second seed playing the third seed. The winners will progress to the Final Eliminator, from which the winner will challenge Camden Riviere. The venues for the eliminators will be chosen through a series of monetary bids from the players in order to select their preferred court. [5] The Final Eliminator may also be bid by a neutral club.
The event was announced as the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island on 1st October 2024. It will be organised by the United States Court Tennis Association. It will be the third singles World Championship held in Newport, following 2004 and 2016. It will be the second consecutive challenge held in the United States, the first time since 1994. Newport will also host the 2025 Ladies Real Tennis World Championship, having previously hosted that event in 2009 and 1995. The club has never hosted the World Doubles Championship. Riviere has not lost a match at Newport since 2013. [6]
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United States, royal tennis in England and Australia, and courte-paume in France. Many French real tennis courts are at jeu de paume clubs.
The Real Tennis World Championship is the main competition in real tennis.
Camden Riviere is an American left-handed real tennis player and current world champion. He became world champion on May 21, 2016, defeating long-time holder Robert Fahey 7 sets to 2 at Riviere's home court, the National Tennis Club, Newport, Rhode Island. Two years later, at Riviere's first defense of the title, Fahey reclaimed the title beating Riviere by 7 sets to 5 at Queen's Club, London. Riviere regained the title from Fahey at the 2022 World Championship played at Prested Hall in Feering, Essex, England, winning by 7 sets to 5. He retained the title in 2023, defeating John Lumley 7 sets to 3 at the Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Virginia.
Ben Taylor-Matthews is a professional British Real Tennis player based at Bristol Real Tennis Club. His career high ranking is world number 4, and his current ranking is 5. To date, he is yet to win a major singles title but has contested two Australian Open finals, as well as an IRTPA Championships final, plus a Champions Trophy final. He unsuccessfully challenged for the World Championship on three occasions, most recently in 2023.
The 2018 Real Tennis World Championship was a real tennis tournament held at the Queen's Club in London, England. 12-time world champion Rob Fahey regained the world title defeating the defending champion Camden Riviere by a score of 7–5.
The 2022 Real Tennis World Championship was a real tennis tournament held at Prested Hall in Feering, Essex, England in September 2022. Rob Fahey, the 13-time and reigning world champion, was beaten by the challenger, and former champion, Camden Riviere. The challenge had been originally scheduled to take place in April 2020, but was postponed to September 2022 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2016 Real Tennis World Championship was a real tennis tournament held at the National Tennis Club in Newport, Rhode Island. 12-time world champion Rob Fahey lost the championship for the first time since 1994 to challenger Camden Riviere by a score of 7–2.
Claire Faheynée Vigrass is a British real tennis and rackets player and current real tennis Ladies World Champion. She holds over 40 Open singles titles and has completed a calendar year Grand Slam on six occasions. She is the first female player to play in the main draw of three of the four Men's Opens, and the first to female player to reach a semi final stage. She has also challenged for the Rackets World Championships on two occasions and has won five British Open Rackets titles.
John Colin Lumley is a British professional real tennis player currently ranked at number 2 in the world. He unsuccessfully challenged Camden Riviere for the 2023 Real Tennis World Championship at Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Virginia. He currently works as the assistant professional at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.
Nick Howell is a professional real tennis player based at the Aiken Tennis Club in Aiken, South Carolina. Howell currently ranked number 3 in the world in both singles and doubles and won the French Open in 2023. Howell has challenged for the Real Tennis World Championship on two occasions, playing in the First Round Eliminator in 2020 and the Final Eliminator in 2023.
The 2023 Real Tennis World Championship was a real tennis tournament held at the International Tennis Club of Washington in McLean, Virginia in September 2023. Reigning champion Camden Riviere was challenged by first-time challenger John Lumley. Riviere won his third World Championship title, and his first successful defense, defeating Lumley 7 sets to 3.
The 2023 Real Tennis British Open, branded as the Sir John Ritblat Foundation British Open for sponsorship reasons, was the 44th edition of the British Open since it became an annual event in 1979. The men's event was held at the Queen's Club in London between November 12-21, 2023 and was organised by the Tennis and Rackets Association, forming part of the qualifying series for the 2025 Real Tennis World Championship. The women's event was held at the Seacourt Tennis Club on Hayling Island between March 29 and April 2, 2023. The men's draw was the fourth and final grand slam event of the year.
The 2023 Court Tennis US Open was the 73rd edition of the US Open. The men's event was held at the Tennis and Racquet Club in Boston, Massachusetts between February 23-March 2, 2023 and was organised by the United States Court Tennis Association, forming part of the qualifying series for the 2025 Real Tennis World Championship. The women's event was held at the International Tennis Club of Washington at Westwood Country Club in McLean, Virginia between May 19-23 2024. The men's draw was the second grand slam event of the year.
Chris Chapman is an Australian professional real tennis player formerly ranked world number 3 and currently based at the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club. Chapman challenged for the Real Tennis World Championship on three occasions, reaching the Final Eliminator in 2020. Over his career, he won three Open singles titles, two at the Australian Open and one at the French Open. He also holds three four Open doubles titles. In 2023 during the British Open he announced his retirement from international competitions, although he still competes in Australian competitions.
Bryn Sayers is a British professional real tennis player currently ranked at number seven in the world. He unsuccessfully challenged for the Real Tennis World Championship on four occasions, reaching the Final Eliminator in 2014 against Camden Riviere. He holds two singles Open titles, having won both in 2012. He works as the senior professional at the Queen's Club in London.
The 2024 Real Tennis World Doubles Championship was the 12th edition of the real tennis World Doubles Championship and was held at the Racquet Club of Chicago from April 24-28th 2024. The event was won by defending champions Tim Chisholm and Camden Riviere representing the United States. It was their fifth consecutive title, with Chisholm equalling Robert Fahey and Steve Virgona with 6 overall titles.
The 2024 French Open also known as the 2024 Open de France du Jeu de Paume was the 42nd edition of the real tennis French Open. The event was held at the Société Sportive du Jeu de Paume & de Racquets in Paris between September 22 and 29, 2024, and was organised by the Comité Français de Courte-Paume, forming part of the qualifying series for the 2025 Real Tennis World Championship. The men's draw was the third grand slam event of the year. It was the first French Open to be played without the pass rule.
The European Open was a real tennis tournament held annually at Lord's Cricket Ground in London, England. It was a ranking point tournament for the purposes of qualifying for the Real Tennis World Championship.
The 2024 Champions Trophy was the 6th edition of the Champions Trophy. It was held at the Royal Tennis Court from 30 July to 4 August. It was a qualifying event for the 2025 Real Tennis World Championship.
The 2023 Champions Trophy was the 5th edition of the Champions Trophy. It was held at the Royal Tennis Court from 18-23 July It was a qualifying event for the 2025 Real Tennis World Championship.