List of real tennis world champions

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Men's singles championship, Dublin, 1890.

Below are the lists of real tennis world champions.

1 Men's singles
2 Men's doubles
3 Women's singles
4 Women's doubles
5 Mixed doubles
6 Reference
7 External links

[edit] Men's singles

Men's singles in "real" tennis is the oldest world championship in sports. It predates the use of the term "real tennis," as the sport was simply "tennis" until lawn tennis gained popularity.

The championship has been maintained on a challenge basis — the champion retains the title until losing a challenge or retiring. Originally, the champion had the right to accept or reject a challenge, usually depending on the prize money put up by a challenger's sponsor. Several years could go by between challenge matches. Today the title must be defended every even-numbered year. The top four ranked players in the world (excluding the champion) play off for the right to challenge. The champion and challenger then play a match of up to 13 sets over multiple days. In theory this is the only match the champion has to play in the two years since winning the last one.

The most recent men's singles world championship was competed on April 25 and April 27, 2006 at the Oratory Tennis Club in Woodcote, South Oxfordshire where Robert Fahey won an eighth consecutive title match. The next challenge is scheduled for spring of 2008.

1740 Clergé
1765 Raymond Masson
1785 Joseph Barcellon
1816 Marchisio
1819 Philip Cox
1829 Edmund Barre
1862, 1871 Edmund Thompkins
1871 George Lambert
1885, 1890 Tom Pettitt
1890 Charles Saunders
1895, 1898, 1904 Peter Latham
1905, 1906 Cecil Fairs
1907 Peter Latham
1908, 1910 Cecil Fairs
1912 Fred Covey
1914 George Jay Gould II
1916, 1922, 1923, 1927 Fred Covey
1928, 1930, 1937, 1948, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952 Pierre Etchebaster
1955 Jim Dear
1957 Albert "Jack" Johnson
1959, 1966, 1968 Northrop Nox
1969, 1970 Pete Bostwick, Jr.
1972, 1974 Jimmy Bostwick
1976, 1977, 1979 Howard Angus
1981, 1983, 1985 Chris Ronaldson
1987, 1988, 1991, 1993 Wayne Davies
1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 Robert Fahey

[edit] Men's doubles

The men's doubles title is earned in a tournament, played off among the sport's eight top ranked pairings. Competed every odd-numbered year, it is hosted in rotation among the countries with active courts in the following order: the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and the United States. The championship match uses a best of 9 sets format. The most recent men's doubles world championship was held between September 22 and September 26, 2005 at the Cercle du jeu de paume de Fontainebleau, Fontainebleau, at which Fahey/Virgona retained the title in 5 straight sets.

2001 Tim Chisholm/Julian Snow
2003 Robert Fahey/Steve Virgona
2005 Robert Fahey/Steve Virgona

[edit] Women's singles

Unlike the men's singles title, the women's title is earned in a tournament. The title holder must win her way through the draw for the right to defend the championship. The championship tournament is held every odd-numbered year. The most recent women's singles world championship was held in April 2005 at the Société sportive du jeu de paume et de racquets, Paris.

1985 Judith Clarke
1987 Judith Clarke
1989 Penny Fellows (Lumley)
1991 Penny Lumley
1993 Sally Jones
1995 Penny Lumley
1997 Penny Lumley
1999 Penny Lumley
2001 Charlotte Cornwallis
2003 Penny Lumley
2005 Charlotte Cornwallis

[edit] Women's doubles

The women's doubles world championship is held at the same time and venue as the women's singles championship. It is also a tournament format, rather than a challenge.