Today we're heading back in time to
look at an old sport, getting new life,
MVA Adam Longo looks at how it works.
I can almost guarantee you have
never seen this sport before.
Just look at that racket.
It's one of the most unique
things I've ever seen.
We're in McLean today on the
4th floor of a sport and health.
This court is known as a court tennis court,
also known as Real Tennis.
We're going to talk about that.
There are fewer than 50 of
these courts in the world.
This is Ivan. He's the head coach here.
So Ivan, this sport has been around
longer than the tennis that all
of us watch on TV to play and see.
Sports everywhere, so what's the?
What's the hook?
What's great about this sport?
So regular tennis
has been around about 150
years for 1000 years before
that, this was tense.
Server it's based on a French monastery
courtyard from the 13th century.
It had roofed corridors going around
the outside of an open air courtyard.
That big glass wall over there,
that would be the Chapel wall,
and the monks would play with the ball
made of horse hair wrapped in leather.
So it's originally a handball
game. OK, so it's played today by
about 5000 people around the world.
There are 50 courts in the world,
ten of them in the US.
Now is it a dig at the tennis that we all
know by calling this sport real tennis?
So some people say it's called real,
as in royal, like Real Madrid. OK.
But we didn't choose that tennis, kind of.
When tennis became popular
in the early 20th century,
they took over the tennis name.
So we were, we were left.
It's called court tennis in this country.
You're gonna teach me? Yeah,
a little bit of how to play. So let's,
let's let's get into that. All
right. OK. So first thing you're
going to your grip, you're going
to hold the racket as if you were
shaking almost like a hammer. So
we're going to roll the
ball up onto this side roof.
These are called penthouses.
Going to try and put it any
way you like over the map.
OK, rack it back early.
The rackets heavier than a.
Tennis racket that I've played with before
and the Bulls coming from behind you.
You wanna walk out with it?
I'm gonna hit this one,
I'm gonna walk out with it.
And that way I've ensured that my body
weight is going to walk out with it.
Real test.
That's for you. For the service to be
good, you have to hit the penthouse,
that's the inside roof.
Ohter shake specifically
passed that Green Line there, so you've
got to get that bit of roof, all right.
So I just want to get out of your hands.
All right, there we go. It's called court
tennis. It's also known as real tennis.
Is that a dig at the current
tennis that we all know?
No, we're jealous.
They the man who invented tennis
as everybody else, knows it.
A little bit of a nemesis for us
because it was an extremely popular game
and that happened in the late 1800s.
Eighteen 73 and this has been around since.
It could be 1000 years,
it could be 1000 years. Now.
It's also known as the
sport of kings. Why is that?
Well, it has had its moments of being
extremely popular with the nobility.
Even what draws you to this sport?
Why is it so ingrained in your life?
It has a physical and mental component that
really fit got to be your nutrition right?
To go to think about you.
So there's some from the neck up and some
from the neck for older people as I am,
it's good that the ratio of above your
neck to below your neck is pretty high.
Now, are you permitted to talk trash
in this game as much as you like?
As much as we like? You're going down.
All right, that's one game.
Get a point though.
OK, this is real fun.
30%.
All right.
Back
Thanks so much. You
give me a good whipping and a good workout,
so really appreciate it.
This is such a fantastic sport.
Thanks for showing us around.
Very welcome. First of all,
I don't know if I can't
be the only one who enjoyed
how much Haven Pell seems
to hate the game of tennis.
Like, I'm just imagining him.
Just disgusted every year
when Wimbledon comes home.
Like, get it off.
That's not real tennis.
Yeah. Yeah, he he's one of these guys
that has played at every single court.
Tennis court or real tennis.
Royal Tennis court.
There is in the world.
There's only 50 of them.
He's been to all of them.
So one of the courts is
actually in a place in England.
Hampton Court Palace.
This is Henry the eighth palace.
So in between, Henry the eighth. No.
Sending off his wives to be beheaded.
He was actually into this game.
And so that's one of the courts that was
that was that's still there at the palace.
Now, one interesting thing about Ivan,
the head coach who you met in this story,
his parents were court pros at that cause.
It's still an active court.
He lived at the palace.
Wow.
That's impressive because he's nice.
Get in the back door. Yeah.
Yeah. Well, you nobody
lives there now, but it is still active.
So the the place that you saw there,
it's on the 4th floor of a sport and health
and McLean air conditioning wasn't really
getting all the way up to the 4th floor.
It was hot, it was sweaty.
Now they've actually.
I don't know if they've
they've ended their lease.
I guess they're just gonna be
separating from the sport and health.
They're actually building a brand
new one of these court tennis courts
at Westwood Country Club in Vienna.
One of the really cool things about it too,
is if somebody asked me how to describe it.
Talk Topper as a second ago.
Just basically take tennis and
racquetball and smoosh it together.
But the courts are disproportionate,
like one side of the court has some stuff.
Other side has other stuff.
It's really a game that you
can only play with strength,
but you got to play with your head
as well, so. Clearly you,
if you found this as you're due
outlet because you need one,
I would love to do it if I didn't
have to seek out every court in the world.
There's only 10 in the US.
Listen interesting stories,
cool people were all about
that here at open mic.
Find me on social media or e-mail
me some ideas a long ago at ws9.com.
I wanna come to your
neighborhood and see what's
up. I can see you being the
John McEnroe of real tennis.