Royal tennis, also referred to as real tennis, takes place on indoor asphalt courts as opposed to the outdoor grass and clay courts commonly utilized in conventional tennis. According to the Royal Tennis Court, modern outdoor lawn tennis was adapted from the rules and game procedures of royal tennis. Royal tennis was a popular leisure activity for the nobility of France and England throughout the 16th century and is still played there as of 2010 at a limited number of facilities.
Serving and Faults
The Royal Tennis Court rules state that each player in royal tennis has the opportunity to serve the ball to his opponent at the beginning of each point. An opposing player may not return a serve that has been ruled as a fault. A fault can be due to a number of mistakes made by the serving player, including incorrect foot positioning or a serve hit out of fair territory. The serving player's feet must remain in contact with the playing court during the service attempt. The service attempt is automatically ruled a fault if the player jumps into the air or steps over the service line while making contact with the ball.
Chases and Points
According to the Royal Tennis Court rules, a chase refers to how each player gains or loses the serving side of the court. A chase consists of the ball being exchanged back and forth by opposing players. The serving player must forfeit the serving side after two chases have been made. The point system in royal tennis is identical to conventional tennis. One point is referred to as a score of 15, two points is 30 and three points is 40. A player who attains a score of 40 and has two more points than his opponent wins the game. If the receiving player hits the ball into the net during an attempt to return the serve, the serving player scores one point. A set in royal tennis consists of six games. The first player to win four games wins the set. Royal tennis matches are comprised of three sets. A player must win two sets to win the match.
Proper Etiquette
The proper etiquette of royal tennis refers to the appropriate behavior and game conduct of the players. The Royal Tennis Court rules regarding etiquette state that each player must abide by the specified rules of royal tennis, as well as dress in proper tennis attire. Players may not display an outburst of anger or show signs of disapproval regarding the decisions of the official referees. Players may address the referees only when inquiring about the official score or the call regarding the previous chase.
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