Career
Taylor-Matthews began his real tennis career as a trainee professional at the Hyde Real Tennis Club in Bridport, Dorset. He quickly rose through the ranks of the game, dropping his handicap below 20.0 in 2004. He played his first top-level tournament at the 2004 IRTPA Championships at The Oratory School, defeating Craig Greenhalgh in qualifying, but losing to Ricardo Smith in the first round. In 2006, he moved to the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace to play as the Assistant Professional under former World Champion Camden Riviere, and later under Nick Wood. [1]
Taylor-Matthews's tennis continued to improve through the 2005 season, progressing through qualifying at the British Open to his first main draw Open match which he lost to Peter Paterson from Cambridge. He won the Category B Championships in 2006, bringing his handicap into single figures for the first time. He won his first Open match at the 2006 French Open against Josh Bainton in 5 sets. By the 2009 season, Taylor-Matthews won the Category A Championships in Oxford and reached the quarter final stage at three of the four Open championships that year. His breakout season continued at the 2009 IRTPA Championships at Manchester, reaching the final for the first time losing to World Champion Robert Fahey. This started an eight-year run where Taylor-Matthews progressed to at least the quarter final stage at all major competitions, broken only at the 2017 French Open against French champion Matthieu Sarlangue. [2]
In 2010, Taylor-Matthews won his first doubles Open title, partnering with then-doubles World Champion Steve Virgona to win the US Open, defeating Camden Riviere and Tim Chisholm in straight sets. [3] In 2011, he partnered with 19-time British Amateur Champion Julian Snow in the World Doubles Championship in Melbourne. After defeating Chris Chapman and Ruaraidh Gunn in the semi final, Taylor-Matthews and Snow lost to Robert Fahey and Steve Virgona 5 sets to 0.
By virtue of a run of semi final performances in a matter of months at the 2010 British Open, 2011 Australian Open and 2011 US Open, Taylor-Matthews qualified to challenge for the 2012 Real Tennis World Championship. Taylor-Matthews was drawn into a First Round Eliminator against Queen's Club professional Bryn Sayers. The format for the match was to be the winner of three home-and-away best of 5 set matches. Taylor-Matthews opted to play his home match at Prested Tennis Club, which he won 3 sets to 1. [4] However, he lost to Sayers in straight sets at the away match at Queen's, sending the fixture into a deciding third match, also held at Queen's due to Sayers' higher World Ranking. Sayers proved the victor again, 3 sets to 1, but would lose to eventual challenger Steve Virgona in the Final Eliminator. At the end of the 2012 season, Taylor-Matthews moved to a role as Senior Professional at Hatfield House Real Tennis Club in Hertfordshire. [5]
Taylor-Matthews next highlight was reaching the final of the 2014 and 2016 Australian Opens, losing to Robert Fahey in straight sets on both occasions. Despite this, he missed qualification for the 2014, 2016 and 2018 World Championships. At this time, he moved to take up the Head Professional role at the Leamington Tennis Court Club. His next breakthrough was at the 2018 French Open, where he won the doubles competition with John Lumley, defeating Steve Virgona and Chris Chapman in the final in 5 sets. Singles titles would remain elusive, however, even though he was regularly reaching the semi final stages of most Opens. [6]
In 2020, Taylor-Matthews qualified to challenge for the Singles World Championship for the second time based on his results across the 2018 and 2019 seasons. [7] Drawn as the third seed, Taylor-Matthews played against second seed Chris Chapman in the first round eliminator, played as a best of 9 set match across two days at Chapman's home court in Melbourne. After the first day, the match was tied at 2 sets all. Starting the second day, the players exchanged sets a third time before Chapman took the final two sets to win the match. Chapman would go on to lose to eventual Champion Camden Riviere in the Final Eliminator. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final would eventually be played in 2022, even though the Eliminators took place in 2020.
During the Eliminator process and subsequent pandemic, Taylor-Matthews started a real tennis themed podcast with fellow player Robert Shenkman called "A View From the Hazards". He moved to become head professional at Bristol Real Tennis Club in 2022. When play resumed, Taylor-Matthews reached the final of the British Open for the first time, losing to John Lumley. [8] [9] He also reached the final of the Champions Trophy for the second time in 2022, losing to Fahey.
Taylor-Matthews would again qualify for the World Championship Eliminators in 2023. This time he was second seed, but he failed to beat the bid to host the First Round Eliminator to third seed Nick Howell, so the best of 9 set match was hosted at Howell's home club at Aiken. In front of a boisterous crowd, the first three sets of the match were very tight 5-all sets, with Howell ultimately leading after the first day 3 sets to 1. [10] Taylor-Matthews rallied to win the first set of the second day, but couldn't bring it back far enough with Howell winning the final two sets and the match. Howell will go on to lose to John Lumley in the Final Eliminator. 2023 did bring Taylor-Matthews success on the doubles court, winning the French Open with Steve Virgona, as well as the final of the US Open. 2024 did not start as well, with a first round loss at the Australian Open to Australian amateur Kieran Booth. Taylor-Matthews would win his first Singles competition since the 2009 Category A Championship at the 2024 Jesmond Dene Cup. By the middle of the year, he had recovered his form enough to reach a third consecutive Champions Trophy Final, losing to Nick Howell.
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.
Robert Leo Fahey, nicknamed "Bag", is an Australian real tennis player and the former World Champion of the sport, holding the title from 16 March 1994 to 21 May 2016 and again from 28 April 2018 to September 2022. Fahey retired from competitive Real Tennis following his loss to Camden Riviere in the 2022 World Championship.
Steve Virgona is an Australian professional real tennis player based in Chicago. As of 2017, he is ranked number three in the world. Virgona's victories include the Australian Open, the British Open (twice) and the US Open.
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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.
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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.
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.
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Leon Smart is an professional British real tennis player currently based at the Tennis and Racquet Club in Boston, Massachusetts. He is currently ranked seventh in the world at singles and tenth at doubles. His best result was reaching the semi finals of the US Open singles in 2022 and the French Open singles in 2024.
Lewis Williams is a British professional real tennis player, currently the head professional at the Leamington Tennis Court Club. He is currently ranked twelfth in the world at singles and thirteenth in the world at doubles. His most notable result was reaching the semi-finals at the 2023 Australian Open, and twice a quarter finalist at the French Open.
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