Royal Melbourne Tennis Club

Last updated

Royal Melbourne Tennis Club
Formation1882;142 years ago (1882)
TypePrivate members' club
PurposeSport
Location
Coordinates 37°49′08″S144°59′29″E / 37.81889°S 144.99139°E / -37.81889; 144.99139
President
David Llyod Jones (as of 2024)
Website rmtc.com.au

The Royal Melbourne Tennis Club (RMTC) is one of only four real tennis clubs in Australia, and the site of one of less than fifty real tennis venues in the world. The RMTC is the second oldest in Australia and the largest. It is one of only five clubs in the world with more than one court (along with Queens Club in London, Prested Hall, Cambridge University Real Tennis Club and the Racquet and Tennis Club).

The RMTC is the home of the Australian Open, as well as the largest (in terms of player involvement) Real Tennis tournament in the world, the Boomerang Cup. Robert Fahey, who holds the record for most World Championship wins, was a professional at RMTC prior to his move to the UK.

History

In 1882 Lord Normanby, the Governor of Victoria, opened the court of the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club at 343 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, just north of La Trobe St. This building originally consisted of a real tennis court and club rooms, but later included squash courts (said to have been Australia's first) and an indoor swimming pool.

The club's status was enhanced in 1897, when Queen Victoria granted a Royal Charter to the club enabling it to be known by its present title, The Royal Melbourne Tennis Club. Thomas Stone was appointed the first Professional and manager of the club and was in time succeeded by his son Woolner Stone. Thomas and then Woolner each made an immense contribution to the club over a period of many years.

As the City of Melbourne expanded, the costs of owning and maintaining the Exhibition Street building - prime city real estate - increased beyond the financial means of the club. In 1974, the club committee sold the site and established the present club premises in Sherwood Street, Richmond. Today, the former Exhibition Street site houses the Mantra Hotel.

The new courts and clubhouse were officially opened in 1975 by Lord Aberdare, President of the Tennis and Rackets Association, and the facilities now include two tennis courts, a squash court, a bar, a swimming pool, a gymnasium, a library/meeting room and dining room.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real tennis</span> Racquet sport played in a walled court.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Waverley, Victoria</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Glen Waverley is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km (12 mi) south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. Glen Waverley recorded a population of 42,642 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct</span> Sports and entertainment precinct

The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is a series of sports stadiums and venues, located in Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia. The precinct is situated around 3 km east of the Melbourne central business district, located in suburbs of Melbourne and Jolimont, near East Melbourne and Richmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Laver Arena</span> Arena in Melbourne

Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose arena located within Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena is the main venue for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the calendar year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racquet and Tennis Club</span> Social and athletic club in New York City

The Racquet and Tennis Club, familiarly known as the R&T, is a private social and athletic club at 370 Park Avenue, between East 52nd and 53rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlton Gardens</span> Public gardens in Melbourne, Australia

The Carlton Gardens is a World Heritage Site located on the northeastern edge of the Central Business District in the suburb of Carlton, in Melbourne, Australia. A popular picnic and barbecue area, the heritage-listed Carlton Gardens are home to an array of wildlife, including brushtail possums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moe, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Moe is a town in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is approximately 130 kilometres east of the central business district of Melbourne, 45 kilometres due south of the peak of Mount Baw Baw in the Great Dividing Range and features views of the Baw Baw Ranges to the north and Strzelecki Ranges to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racquet Club of Philadelphia</span>

The Racquet Club of Philadelphia (RCOP) is a private social club and athletic club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has facilities for squash, real tennis, and racquets. The club is ranked in the Top 20 Athletic Clubs on the Platinum Club of America list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swifts Creek</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Swifts Creek is a town in the Tambo Valley of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Great Alpine Road between Omeo and Ensay, 379 kilometres (235 mi) east of the state capital Melbourne and 300 metres (980 ft) above sea level. The area was originally settled by Europeans in the gold rushes of the mid-1800s. At the 2011 census, Swifts Creek and the surrounding area had a population of 419, with a median age of 47.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Payne Whitney Gymnasium</span> Athletic facility of Yale University

The Payne Whitney Gymnasium is the gymnasium of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. One of the largest athletic facilities ever built, its twelve acres of interior space include a nine-story tower containing a third-floor swimming pool, fencing facilities, and a polo practice room. The building houses the facilities of many varsity teams at Yale, including basketball, fencing, gymnastics, squash, swimming, and volleyball. It is the second-largest gym in the world by cubic feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre</span>

Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre is an international sporting venue located in Albert Park, Victoria, Australia. The centre was opened on 24 July 1997 at a construction cost of A$65 million. The cost was funded by the State Government of Victoria and the City of Port Phillip. The centre has hosted international events including the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2007 World Aquatics Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Baths, Melbourne</span> Building in Melbourne, Australia

The City Baths, located at 420 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, opened in 1904 as public baths, with swimming pools and bathing facilities. Extensively renovated in the early 1980s, it is now considered one of Melbourne's most architecturally and historically significant buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hobart Real Tennis Club</span> Sporting club in Tasmania, Australia

The Hobart Real Tennis Club is a real tennis court in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Opening in 1875, it is one of the oldest sporting clubs in the southern hemisphere, the oldest of only four real tennis clubs operating nationally, and one of 45 worldwide. Originally known simply as the Hobart Tennis Club, the court predates the advent of lawn tennis, remaining an exclusive haven for the elite to engage in what was then called "real tennis" or "royal tennis". Following a club referendum, the sporting facility was renamed the 'Hobart Real Tennis Club' in 2001.

Kardinia Park is a major public park located in South Geelong, Victoria. A number of public and sporting facilities are located in the park: a major AFL stadium, a secondary football oval, a cricket field, an open air swimming pool, a number of netball courts, various sporting clubrooms, and a senior citizens centre. The park is bounded by Moorabool Street, the Geelong railway line, Kilgour Street, Latrobe Terrace, and Park Crescent.

The Royal Willingdon Sports Club is a private sports club in South Mumbai. The club was founded in 1918 by Lord Willingdon, at that time Governor of Bombay. Amenities include an 18-hole golf course, six tennis courts, squash and badminton courts, health club and a swimming pool. Non-sports amenities include a formal dining room, a semi-formal dining rooms, bar, garden cafe, bakery, members' provision and separate beer and wine shop, a swimming pool cafe and a plant nursery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boomerang, Elizabeth Bay</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Boomerang is a heritage-listed private house and garden located at 42 Billyard Avenue in the inner eastern Sydney suburb of Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales, Australia. The house was designed by Neville Hampson and the gardens and grounds by Max Shelley, and built from 1926 to 1928.

The RMIT Redbacks are the sport collective of the Australian research University the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), based at all campuses in Victoria and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The program is managed by the RMIT Sport team, part of RMIT Student Life.

Most leisure centres in Cardiff, capital of Wales, are owned by Cardiff Council. Since 2016, the running of eight formerly Council-run leisure centres has been outsourced to Greenwich Leisure Limited, operating under their 'Better' branding. Channel View Leisure Centre continues to be managed by Cardiff Council, whilst the Cardiff International Pool in Cardiff Bay is run separately by another private company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Sydney Golf Club</span> Golf club in Sydney, New South Wales

Royal Sydney Golf Club is golf club in Rose Bay, New South Wales, Australia, a suburb of Sydney.

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.

References