John Lumley (real tennis)

Last updated
John Lumley
Lumley2.jpg
John Lumley at the 2023 World Championships
Full nameJohn Colin Lumley
Country (sports)United Kingdom
ResidenceUnited States
Born (1992-08-07) 7 August 1992 (age 31)
Turned pro2010
PlaysRight-handed
Club Racquet Club of Philadelphia
World Championships
Open SinglesChallenger (2023)
Open DoublesF (2022, 2024)
Singles
Career titles5
Highest ranking2
Current ranking2
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open W (2022, 2024)
British Open W (2021)
French Open SF (2019)
US Open F (2021, 2023, 2024)
Doubles
Career titles8
Highest ranking2
Current ranking2
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open W (2022, 2024)
French Open W (2016, 2018, 2019, 2022)
British Open W (2019, 2022)
US Open F (2021, 2024)

John Colin Lumley (born August 7, 1992) 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.

Contents

Career

John Lumley started playing real tennis as a junior at Holyport Real Tennis Club. His father, Colin Lumley was a real tennis professional and two-time Australian Open champion while his mother, Penny Lumley was a 6-time Ladies Real Tennis World Champion and 28-time Open Champion. [1] His sister, Tara Lumley would also compete in both real tennis and Rackets, winning two Open Championships and two doubles World Championships in the former sport. As a junior, John Lumley won the British Junior Open at the Under 16 level against future top 10 Frenchman Mattheiu Sarlangue, and at the Under 18 level against future professional Neil Mackenzie. [2]

John Lumley turned professional in 2010 at Radley College under former World Champion Chris Ronaldson. [3] He entered qualifying for the British Open Championships for the first time in 2009, losing to Adam Player. As a professional, he won the Taylor Cup in 2011 – a tournament for professionals less than three years into their careers – and reached the semi-final of the Satellite Draw at the 2012 US Professional Singles in Newport, Rhode Island, his first international tournament. He also won the British Under 21's Open in 2012 and 2013, and the British Under 24's Open in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He reached the first round of the British Open for the first time in 2011 and won his first IRTPA-sanctioned match at the US Professional Singles in 2012. In doubles, he reached the final of the 2012 French Open playing alongside doubles World Champion Steve Virgona. [4]

In 2013, Lumley moved to Philadelphia to take up a role as the assistant professional. Shortly afterwards, he recorded his so-far only win against then-future World Champion Camden Riviere at the USCTA National League. He won two-second-teir tournaments in 2015, the Satellite draw of the US Pro Singles against Women's World Champion Claire Fahey, as well as the US National at Tuxedo. During the former tournament, his handicap dropped below scratch for the first time. By 2016, Lumley was regularly reaching the quarter final stage at major tournaments. By 2016, Lumley was regularly reaching the singles quarter final stage at major tournaments. In doubles, he won the 2016 French Open with singles World Champion Camden Riviere, a feat he would repeat in 2018 and 2019 with Ben Taylor-Matthews and Riviere respectively. His breakthrough singles victory came at the 2018 IRTPA Championships against World Champion Robert Fahey, his first victory against Fahey in all competitions. However, a quarter final loss against Ben Taylor-Matthews at the 2019 British Open meant that he failed to qualify for the 2020 Real Tennis World Championship. [5]

The 2020 season started well for Lumley, winning the Governor's Cup in Hobart against Chris Chapman and reaching the semi-final at the Australian Open. However, following the US Open in February, the remaining events in the calendar where cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to travel restrictions, he was only able to compete in US-based tournaments through much of 2020 and 2021, although he did reach the finals of the US Open and US Professional Singles. In November 2021, Lumley competed in the British Open at Queen's defeating Robert Fahey in the semi-finals and Ben Taylor-Matthews in the final to claim his first Open title. [6] In the next 12 months, he won his second Open title at the 2022 Australian Open in Melbourne defeating Nick Howell in the final in five sets. In doubles, he also won three of four Opens, partnering with Keiran Booth for the Australian Open and Camden Riviere for the British and French Opens. Lumley partnered with Steve Virgona at the 2022 World Doubles Championship in Bordeaux, reaching the final against Riviere and Tim Chisholm. [7] He would go on to partner Virgona for the proceeding 2023 and 2024 seasons.

In 2023, Lumley reached a career high ranking of number 2 in the world. He won the 2023 Champions Trophy at the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace [8] and reached the finals of the British and US Opens, losing only to Camden Riviere. Since the start of 2023, Riviere is the only opponent who has beaten Lumley in all competitions. By virtue of his performance in the 2020–2022 World Race, Lumley qualified into the World Championship Eliminators for the 2023 Real Tennis World Championship. [9] As the first seed, Lumley had preferred bidding for hosting rights for the first round eliminator, successfully bidding for it to be hosted at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia. There, he played Chris Chapman, beating him 5 sets to 2. [10] In the second round, Lumley played against Nick Howell, also at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia, winning 7 sets to 1 and qualifying to challenge Camden Riviere for the World Championship.

The 2023 World Championship was held at the Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Virginia, held as a best of 13 set format over 3 days. On the first day, Riviere won all four sets, and needed only three more to reclaim his title. However, Lumley fought back on the second day, winning three of four available sets. On the third day, Lumley was unable to win any more sets and ultimately lost his first challenge. [11] [12]

Lumley's form has continued into 2024, winning the Australian Open in January and was a finalist at the US Open for the second consecutive year. [13] He again partnered Steve Virgona at the World Doubles Championships in Chicago, in a rematch of the previous edition against Riviere and Chisholm, but lost 5 sets to 2. He also reached the final of the US Open Rackets Doubles at his home club of Racquet Club of Philadelphia, playing with Freddie Bristowe but losing to Will Hopton and singles World Champion Ben Cawston.

Performance timeline

Singles

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#DNQANH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Current through the 2024 World Doubles Championships [14]

Tournament2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024SRWLWin %
World Championship
World ChampionshipNHDNQNHDNQNHDNQNHDNQNHDNQNHDNQFNH0 / 12167%
Winloss000000000000000000000000000021000 / 12167%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAAAAQFAASF1RAASFNH W A W 2 / 611473%
British OpenQ2Q31R2R2R2RA2RA2RQFNH W SF F 1 / 1014961%
French OpenAAA1RAAAQF1RQFSFNH QF A0 / 65645%
US OpenAAAA2RQF2RQFQFQFQFQF F SF F F 0 / 12181260%
Winloss000001122322115423334322618352713 / 34483161%
IRTPA Sanctioned Tournaments
Champions TrophyNH1R1RFNHSFW1 / 59469%
European OpenANHAQ1ANHANH0 / 000  
IRTPA ChampionshipAQ11RQFAQFANHQFWSFNH1 / 69564%
US ProAA1RQF1R1R1RQFQFAQFNHFSFF0 / 11111150%
Winloss000002220112011133516300213261002 / 22292059%
Career Statistics
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024Career
Tournaments0034442565623652Career total: 57
Titles0000000001001111Career total: 5
Finals0000000001103152Career total: 13
Overall winloss00000334243412655684106228211513471795260%
Win %    0%43%33%43%33%55%45%67%63%50%80%69%76%88%Career total: 60%

Doubles


Tournament2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024SRWLWin %
World Championship
World ChampionshipDNQNHDNQNHDNQNHQFNHSFNHDNQNHFNH F 0 / 44450%
Winloss000000000000010011000000002100110 / 44450%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenANHAASFAASFSFAASFNH W A W 2 / 69469%
British OpenQ2Q11RSFQFSFASFASFWNH SF W SF 2 / 1016867%
French OpenAAAFNHAAWQFWWNH W A4 / 612286%
US OpenAAAASFQFASFQFSFQFSF F QF SF F 0 / 1191145%
Winloss000001322322007323525122328122518 / 33462565%
IRTPA Sanctioned Tournaments
IRTPA ChampionshipNHAWQFNH1 / 21150%
Winloss000000000000000010010000000000001 / 21150%
Career Statistics
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024Career
Tournaments0012321454322523Career total: 39
Titles0000000111200401Career total: 10
Finals0001000111201403Career total: 14
Overall winloss000001322322017344535122321022251513063%
Win %    0%60%40%50%0%70%50%63%83%50%60%83%50%75%Career total: 63%

Related Research Articles


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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real Tennis World Championship</span>

The Real Tennis World Championship is the main competition in real tennis.

Tim Chisholm is a semi-retired American real tennis player. He is Racquets Director at The Tuxedo Club in Tuxedo Park, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden Riviere</span> American real tennis player

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 Grand Slam on five 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.

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.

Léa van der Zwalmen is a French rackets and real tennis player and the current rackets World Champion. She is undefeated in rackets since the inaugural Ladies World Championship in 2015. In real tennis, she represents the Jeu de Paume de Bordeaux in Mérignac, Bordeaux and is women's world number 2. She has contested two World Championship singles finals and has won one Open doubles title. She has previously represented France in junior squash and also plays padel tennis.

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 French Open also known as the 2023 Open de France du Jeu de Paume was the 41st 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 24 and October 1, 2023, and was organised by the Comité Français de Courte-Paume, forming part of the qualifying series for the 2025 Real Tennis World Championship. The event was held days after the 2023 Real Tennis World Championship meaning that world top 2 Camden Riviere and John Lumley were not in attendance. The men's draw was the third grand slam event of the year.

The 2022 Real Tennis British Open, branded as the Sir John Ritblat Foundation British Open for sponsorship reasons, was the 43rd 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 13–22, 2022 and was organised by the Tennis and Rackets Association. It was the final qualifying event for the 2023 Real Tennis World Championship. The women's event was held at the Seacourt Tennis Club on Hayling Island between April 6–10, 2022. The men's draw was the fourth and final grand slam event of the year.

Tara Lumley is a British real tennis and rackets player and current women's World Doubles Champion. She is currently ranked world number 3 in both singles and doubles at real tennis. She holds 2 Open singles and 7 Open doubles titles. She won the inaugural women's doubles Rackets World Championship with India Deakin, and has challenged for the women's singles Rackets World Championships on three occasions, playing in the eliminator process in each occasion.

The 2023 Court Tennis US Open was the 91st 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.

References

  1. Hodgkinson, Thomas. "Inside the weird world of real tennis". The Spectator. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  2. "Junior Open Singles Championships 2008". Tennis & Rackets Association. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  3. "Player Profile – John Lumley". Tennis & Rackets Association. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  4. "French Open Draws, Results and Webstreaming". Tennis & Rackets Association. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  5. "WC Eliminators 2020". International Real Tennis Professionals Association.
  6. Prenn, Tamara. "Real Tennis British Open makes triumphant return to Queen's Club". SW Londoner. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  7. "Real Tennis World Doubles 2022". Tennis & Rackets Association. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  8. "Champions Trophy – John Lumley". Royal Tennis Court. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  9. "The 2023 WC Eliminators". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  10. "Lumley Awaits Winner From Aiken". International Real Tennis Professionals Association. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  11. Dawson, Kyle. "Aiken-raised Riviere wins 3rd real tennis world championship". Aiken Standard. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  12. "Riviere wins 2023 World Championship". United States Court Tennis Association. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  13. "2024 US Open". United States Court Tennis Association. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  14. "Player Profile – John Lumley". International Real Tennis Professionals Association.