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Real Tennis
is the oldest of the racquet games - it started as a form of
handball played by French and Italian monks in the 11th century
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The rules evolved to take
account of the cloisters which acted as courts as the game became
more popular
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By the 14th century the
nobility had cottoned on and the game spread across Europe -
Henry VIII became one of the game's best known devotees
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In the 15th century the
bare hand was protected by a glove; the ball became harder and
heavier to increase the speed of play, and in 1500 the game
began to be played with a racquet made from ash and animal gut
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The game declined in the
18th century as a result of decreased royal interest, dishonest
betting, the economic impact of continental wars and the political
impact of the French Revolution
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However it revived in Britain
in the late 19th century as courts were constructed on large
estates, and the World Championship took off as international
competition thrived and spread to the USA and Australia
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However the First World
War dented the game's popularity, as with all sports, and Real
Tennis only really re-emerged as a popular sport in the last
couple of decades
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There are currently 45
active courts in the world - 26 in Britain, 10 in the USA, 6
in Australia and 3 in France
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The rules are now laid
down by the Tennis
& Rackets Association, but have changed little since
they were first formally introduced in 1599 at the same time
as the standard court
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Each court is different,
but the approximate measurements are 110 feet long, 40 feet
wide and 30 feet high; the net across the centre is 5 feet high
at its ends, falling to 3 feet in the middle
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