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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Elias Visontay

Handmade balls and no two courts the same: Tudor-era ‘real tennis’ is making a racket in Sydney

Man holding racket moves to hit ball
A game of real tennis in Cheltenham in Sydney. The court is one of only 50 in the world. Photograph: James Gourley/Publishd

“It’s a bit like three-dimensional chess, and it’s much more intellectual than an average sport because it’s so complicated,” Maggie Henderson-Tew says through a wide grin after walking off the court.

Amid an explosion of interest in newfangled racket sports such as pickleball and padel, which have found popularity due to their dynamic, speedy and easy to learn styles of play, one Sydney sports club is instead leaning into the past – specifically, the Tudor period.

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