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The
Real Tennis
Champions
Trophy 2024

 
 
 
 

Presented by

 

Supported by

 
 

Dates

 

The Real Tennis Champions Trophy 2024 will take place between Sunday 28th July and Sunday 4th August.

 
 
Date Events
Sunday 28th July Qualifier practice
Monday 29th Qualifier & main draw practice
Tuesday 30th Main draw practice
Qualifying Day One
Wednesday 31st Main draw practice
Qualifying Day Two
Welcome Drinks (by invitation)
Thursday 1st August Main draw matches
Coaching Clinic (see below for details)
Friday 2nd Main draw matches
Golf Day (see below for details)
Saturday 3rd Semi-finals
Sunday 4th Final
Prize Giving (ticket holders only)
 

Coaching Clinic, Thursday 1st August, 10:00am—11:30am

Are you ready to elevate your game? Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn from the best!

Expert Guidance

Steve Virgona, world number 6, shares his insider tips and techniques.

Interactive Sessions

  • Hands-on practice
  • Q & A
  • Demonstrations

Exclusive Access

Gain insights that can transform your game.

Limited Spots Available!

Entries have closed for the Coaching Clinic.

 

Golf Day, Friday 2nd August

Join Champions Trophy sponsors and competitors for a unique golf experience

Hampton Court Palace Golf Club, located in Home Park, is a hidden gem that may have eluded the attention of many golf enthusiasts. Tucked away within the magnificent grounds of Hampton Court Palace, this parkland course offers a truly unique and enchanting golfing experience. Boasting 18 meticulously designed holes, players are treated to the splendour of a traditional parkland layout set amidst one of the country's most famous royal parks.

Cost: £60

Entries have closed for the Golf Day.

 

PLAYERS

 
 

Qualification GroupS

 
 

Eight of the fourteen Champions Trophy participants compete in two qualification groups, A and B, with the winner of each qualifying for the main draw. All of the qualification matches are one set to nine games. This event takes place over two days, Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 31st July, providing twelve quick-fire, high-pressure matches – exciting for both competitors and spectators.

The eight qualifiers for 2024 are:

* amateur

Qualification positions are determined by: number of wins; then games won/lost ratio, if tied; then the result between players, if tied.

All matches played on Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 31st July

Group A

  Williams Long Hamilton Merola W/L Position
Williams (8) 9 9 3 2/1 2nd
Long (9) 6 9 8 1/2 3rd
Hamilton (11) 3 5 5 0/3 4th
Merola (13) 9 9 9 3/0 1st

Nino Merola (13) qualifies from Group A, with three wins out of three.

Group B

  Shenkman Gale Mackenzie Gordon W/L Position
Shenkman (7) 9 9 9 3/0 1st
Gale (10) 2 9 9 2/1 2nd
Mackenzie (12) 0 0 2 0/3 4th
Gordon (14) 0 2 9 1/2 3rd

Rob Shenkman (7) qualifies from Group B, with three wins out of three.

The group winners drew lots to decide which of the main draw participants they will face, with Nino Merola drawing Bryn Sayers (5), and Robert Shenkman drawing Leon Smart (6).


Main Draw

 
 

The six seeds in the main draw for 2024 are:

 

Schedule

 
 

Sunday 28th July: Practice Day

Time Players
09:45 Bryn Sayers (5) & Levi Gale (10)
15:45 Lewis Williams (8) & Neil Mackenzie (12)
17:30 Vaughan Hamilton (11) & Louis Gordon (14)
19:15 Robert Shenkman (7) & Darren Long (9)
 

Monday 29th July: Practice Day

Time Players
10:45 Bryn Sayers (5) & Levi Gale (10)
12:30 Vaughan Hamilton (11) & Neil Mackenzie (12)
14:30 Nino Merola (13) & Louis Gordon (14)
16:30 Robert Shenkman (7) & Lewis Williams (8)
18:30 Steve Virgona (4) & Darren Long (9)
 

Tuesday 30th July: Practice (am) & Qualifying Rounds Day One

Practice (am)

Time Players
10:00 Nick Howell (1) & Ben Taylor-Matthews (2)
11:30 Rob Fahey (3) & Steve Virgona (4)

Qualifying Rounds Day One

Time Group Players Marker Result
13:00 A Hamilton vs Merola Scott Blaber 5/9
Followed by
(approx 14:00)
B Mackenzie vs Gordon Rob Fahey 2/9
Followed by
(approx 15:00)
A Long vs Hamilton Scott Blaber 9/5
Followed by
(approx 16:00)
B Gale vs Mackenzie Jack Josephs 9/0
Followed by
(approx 17:00)
A Williams vs Merola Jack Josephs 3/9
Followed by
(approx 18:00)
B Shenkman vs Gordon Darren Long 9/0
 

Wednesday 31st July: Practice (am), Qualifying Rounds Day Two & Welcome Drinks

Practice (am)

Time Players
08:30 Leon Smart (6) & Nick Wood (!)
10:00 Ben Taylor-Matthews (2) & Rob Fahey (3)
11:30 Nick Howell (1) & Steve Virgona (4)

Qualifying Rounds Day Two

Time Group Players Marker Result
13:00 A Long vs Merola Rob Fahey 8/9
Followed by
(approx 14:00)
B Gale vs Gordon Scott Blaber 9/2
Followed by
(approx 15:00)
A Williams vs Hamilton Ben Taylor-Matthews 9/3
Followed by
(approx 16:00)
B Shenkman vs Mackenzie Nino Merola 9/0
Followed by
(approx 17:00)
A Williams vs Long Levi Gale 9/6
Followed by
(approx 18:00)
B Shenkman vs Gale Jack Josephs 9/2

Welcome Drinks

The Champions Trophy Welcome Drinks (invitation only) will be in the RTC Club Garden from 19:00 onwards.

 

Thursday 1st August: Main Draw Day One

Time Match Players Marker Result
12:30 A Sayers (5) vs Merola Jack Josephs 2/6 (Sayers rtd)
Followed by
(approx 14:30)
B Smart (6) vs Shenkman Jack Josephs 2/6 1/6
Followed by
(approx 16:30)
C Howell (1) vs Fahey (3) Scott Blaber 4/6 6/1 3/6
Followed by
(approx 18:30)
D Taylor-Matthews (2) vs Virgona (4) Darren Long 4/6 6/2 5/6
 

Friday 2nd August: Main Draw Day Two

Time Match Players Marker Result
14:00 E Howell (1)
vs
Merola
Jack Josephs 6/3 6/1
Followed by
(approx 16:00)
F Taylor-Matthews (2)
vs
Shenkman
Scott Blaber 6/3 6/2
 

Saturday 3rd August: Main Draw Semi-finals

Time Match Players Marker Result
11:00 G Fahey (3)
vs
Taylor-Matthews (2)
Jack Josephs 5/6 4/6
Followed by
(approx 13:00)
H Virgona (4)
vs
Howell (1)
Scott Blaber 3/6 4/6
 

Sunday 4th August: Final, Prize-giving & Garden Party

Time Players Marker Result
11:30 Howell (1)
vs
Taylor-Matthews (2)
Scott Blaber 3/6 6/2 6/4

The Champions Trophy Prize Giving and Garden Party (ticket holders only) will be in the RTC Club Garden at 2pm.

 

THE FINAL

 

The Real Tennis Champions Trophy 2024 Final

Nick Howell (1) vs Ben Taylor-Matthews (2)

3/6 6/2 6/4

 

How to Play

  • A player wins a point if

    • the ball travels over the net and is not returned

    • the opponent hits the ball out of court or into the net that divides the two halves of the court

    • the ball hits a Winning Target

    • the player wins the Chase in play

  • A player loses the rally if

    • the ball is not struck back to the opponents side of the court

    • the ball is struck into the net across the centre of the court, or out of court

    • the player is unsuccessful in beating a Chase

    • an illegal shot occurs, such as a double hit

  • It is possible for a rally to be inconclusive, ie where the point is not awarded to either player.

    When this happens the score remains as it was before the start of the rally.

    This happens when a Chase is laid, or, when playing off a Chase if the Chase if exacly matched/equalled (know as “Chase off”)

  • Players win points, in order to win games, in order to win sets, and ultimately, in order to win the match.

    However, in addition to this there is an underlying battle of superiority over territory!

    Statistically, the player at the Service End of the court wins a greater percentage of points, so players use Chases to wrestle their way to the Service End, and, when serving, attempt to prevent Chases so that they can remain there.

  • At the beginning of a match, the serving player is determined by a flip of a coin or, by the spin of a racket using the “rough or smooth” string on the racket (traditionally known as “trebling”). The player who wins the flip may choose to serve or receive.

    Each rally begins with the Serve. The Serve is always delivered from the Service End of the court. The Serve must be delivered from any position behind the Service Line (also known as the Second Gallery line). The Serve is struck along the side penthouse and must have at least one true bounce on the penthouse on the Hazard (receivers) Side.

    The ball must then land within the service box outlined at the receivers end of the court. The receiving player may choose to volley their return of serve, ie strike the ball before it hits the floor.

  • Lawn Tennis retains the same scoring system as Real Tennis. It is believed that this system is ancient and that it, in fact, predates the game itself. Based on the sexagesimal (base sixty) system, the scoring uses quarters of sixty, but with 40 replacing 45 at some time over the intervening centuries.

    One subtle difference to the scoring compared to Lawn Tennis is that the player who won the point just completed has their score called first, whereas, in Lawn Tennis, the serving player’s score is always called first.

  • The Chase is one of the parts of Real Tennis that sets the game apart from other racquet sports. It’s not part of the scoring system; instead the Chase adds another layer of strategy and creates opportunities for the players to manipulate the asymmetric nature of the court to their advantage.

    The strategic advantage lies with the player at the Service End of the court, though not due to the Serve itself (see above), but instead because there are more opportunities to win points outright when at that end.

    To get to the Service End, a player must “lay” a Chase. It is the only way the players change ends. The players do not change at the end of a game or a set; they must earn the right to gain the Service End by laying a Chase.

  • A Chase is a measurement of the length of one players shot, requiring the opponent to attempt to improve upon it when the Chase is “played off” (after the players swap ends).

    No point is scored by either player when a Chase is laid; it is a part-played point that will be completed at a later time.

    The length of a Chase is determined by the distance from the back wall to the second bounce of the ball, using the Chase Lines that run across the floor of the court. Some Chase Lines are numbered whilst others are not. These are named after and associated with the netted Galleries down the side of the court (see court diagram).

    A Chase can occur at both the Service End (a “Chase”) and at the Receiver’s End of the court (a “Hazard Chase”). They are named differently to remind players what is required when the Chase is being played off.

    They can be set in one of two ways: if the ball bounces twice on the floor (measured where the second bounce lands in the Chase Area, the red floor at Hampton Court), or when the ball enters one of the netted Galleries along the side of the court.

    The Galleries are separated by wooden posts that create the individual galleries, each with their own label: First Gallery (nearest the net that divides the court), The Door, Second Gallery and Last Gallery (nearest the back wall). Last Gallery at the Receiver’s End is called the Winning Gallery, and any shot from the Service End that goes into the Winning Gallery automatically wins the point for the server.

  • The second bounce on the floor always ends the rally. However, it is where the second bounce lands that determines the outcome.

    The court floor is set out with areas where points are won - the Stroke Area (green at the Royal Tennis Court), and the Chase Area (red at the Royal Tennis Court) where chases are laid, won and lost.

    A Chase is laid when the second bounce of the ball is determined to have landed in the Chase Area, or when the ball enters one of the side Galleries (apart from the Winning Gallery).

    The second bounce is measured relative to the numbered or named lines on the floor (see diagram of the court). A point is not scored - although the rally is over - the outcome of the point has yet to be determined. The point, and therefore the outcome, will be concluded at a later stage within the game in progress, after the players change ends.

  • The only time that the players change ends is after a Chase is laid.

    Players do not change ends at the end of games or sets. A Chase must be laid for player to gain the advantage at the Service End of the court.

    The players change after two Chases have been laid, or, if one Chase has been laid and either player has reached game point - 40 or Advantage.

  • In the event of one Chase having been laid and game point, or two Chases having been laid, the players change ends.

    The Chase or Chases that have been laid are now resolved - “played off”.

    The player who did not lay the Chase now attempts to improve upon it, whilst the player that laid the chase attempts to defend it.

    To improve on the Chase, the second bounce of the player’s shot must land closer to the back wall than that of the Chase being played off (or in a Gallery that is nearer to the back wall that that of the Chase being played off). If successful, the point is awarded to the player who has beaten the designated Chase. If unsuccessful, the point is awarded to the player defending the Chase.

    To defend the Chase, the player must prevent the second bounce from landing closer to the back wall than the designated Chase (or entering a Gallery nearer to the back wall that that of the Chase being played off).

    If the defending player is successful, and the ball crosses the net dividing the court, then the rally continues until resolved. The trick that the player defending the Chase can use is to deliberately allow the ball to bounce twice if they believe that the second bounce will result in the chase being lost.

    If they are right, then they will win the point, but if they are wrong they will lose the point. Good awareness and judgement are required!

    The defending player can also win a Chase by laying any Chase on the opposite side, eg using the Galleries. This tactic is widely used at the highest levels of the game, and so the player attacking the chase must also take this into account when choosing their shots.

  • The Grille

    A rectangular window tucked in the back corner of the Receiver’s End of the court. Strike this to win the point outright.

    The Winning Gallery

    Located at the Receiver’s End of the court, this Gallery makes up part of the netted Galleries along the side of the court under the penthouse

    To distinguish the Winning Gallery, there is a bell hanging to indicate a hit. Strike the Winning Gallery to win the point outright. And ring the bell!

    Dedans

    This wide rectangular netted Gallery is located at the very back of the Service End and is used as a viewing gallery for spectators. Strike the Dedans to win the point outright.

    Winning “Zone” (green floor at the Royal Tennis Court)

    Not strictly a “target” but an area on the floor at the Receiver’s End of the court only where a player can win an outright point. If a player hits a shot so that the second bounce of the ball lands in this area then they win the point.

    The Chase “Zone” (red floor at the Royal Tennis Court)

    Other than the Winning Zone, the rest of the floor area is where Chases are laid and played off.

 

Event Information

 

Getting to Hampton Court Palace

See the RTC Home page for address and telephone numbers, and the HCP Getting Here page for directions and more general Palace information.

Parking

Visitors can use the main public car park within HCP if there is space. The entrance is via the main gate immediately on the north side of Hampton Court Bridge. If the main gate is shut then you can drive up to it and the security guards will open it and let you in if you tell them that you are visiting to watch the Champions Trophy tennis.

If the car park is full then you will have to use one of the public car parks at Hampton Court station or in Bushy Park, or find a space in the limited on-street parking nearby.

Getting to the court

Entrance is via Tennis Court Lane the road that runs along the left hand side of the Palace when viewed from the main, front entrance.

Go through the security barrier, where the guards will have your name on a list. Continue to the very end of the lane and go through the left hand archway facing you. Go through two sets of doors and you will arrive at the court. The club rooms are at the far end of the court, behind the dedans.

Tourists and other visitors to HCP are free to watch from behind the hazard and service galleries during British Summer Time.