Small court game making big impact

Just days after his famous doubles victory over Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic at Wimbledon, former British Davis Cup player Chris Eaton was beaten by a player with a 3.2 LTA rating.

“I was just outplayed in the final,” the British No.12 openly admitted after losing to Elliot Mould. It wasn’t quite the shock you might imagine. Mould is the world No.3, and victory over Eaton sealed him the All England title – in the world of touchtennis.

It is a year since tennishead visited the home of Rashid Ahmad, the founder and passionate promoter of touchtennis to learn more about the game he began playing back in 2003 with friends in a back garden in south-west London (you can read our take on it here). The appeal of the format was instantaneous – the tiny court, 21-inch rackets and sponge balls altered the dimensions, and particularly the pace and power, of the long game without radically altering the principles of the sport.

Everything in touchtennis is geared towards taking the chancer’s arm out of the equation, making each shot count and putting a premium on precision, nerve, and invention – or, in tennis parlance, touch.

The current proposal to do away with the second serve, under the consideration of the nine-man committee, is a case in point. touchtennis rules for the serve are already stricter than the long form of the game; once a ball is tossed, it must be hit or it is a fault, a feature tempered by the no-let rule.

Taking away the second serve, presumably, loads pressure onto the first, but if one serve is all you’re getting then that perception will eventually dull with experience. The serve, as a stroke, will need to be consistent first and a weapon second.

Whether or not the committee decides to go ahead with the move to the single strike, it reflects the philosophy behind the sport. With modern tennis dominated by weapons-grade athletes, touchtennis is a throwback to the vintage game – cat and mouse, nowhere-to-hide court craft where devastating strokes are, by design, the exception rather than the rule.

“Everyone seems to know that it’s not really a serious sport,” Ahmad told us a year ago, “but it’s meant to be taken as a bit of fun.” Since then, things have moved on apace: the back-yard clowning around has evolved into a string of sponsored events across the south east, permanent court installations and high-profile endorsements.

Manufacturers Babolat, Slazenger, Tecnifibre, and Wilson and UK retailer Stringer’s World have supported the venture, and former British No.1 Jeremy Bates has taken on an ambassadorial role.

In that same time, the registered players’ pool has trebled to over 250 players, an immense achievement for a sport less than a decade old and a level of support that is reflected in the prizes on offer at tournaments. A year ago, tournament winners were in line for a £50 winners’ cheque as Ahmad ran many events to a personal loss. This year’s ‘US Open’ – the events are run roughly in line with the ATP’s major events – will have a prize pot of £500.

The LTA have sat up and taken notice as well. Chief executive Roger Draper has had a go and is reportedly a fan, and this week LTA Coach Support Manager Sam Richardson and Ahmad introduced the game to the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

“Obviously working for the LTA its always nice to know what’s going on, programmes like this that can help grow the game,” said Richardson, who was introduced to the sport by a fellow coach. “I went and played my first event in Hyde Park in May and thought it was great fun.”

So impressed was Richardson that he agreed to host a tournament for staff members at the NTC. 28 of the 32 entrants had never played touchtennis before – and one of them, development coach Matt Byford, won the event. “It was an unbelievable success,” said Richardson.

“We’re going to look to host the US Open here later in the year, and hopefully support it,” he added. “It’s got huge potential to grow the game. If you think about traditional tennis markets it appeals because it’s very easy to play touchtennis – it’s a smaller court, it’s a lighter racket, with lighter balls.

“Even a complete beginner can get on a touchtennis court and start playing, have a rally, get some form of success and a bit of a workout, and it’s a good leveller for all different levels of players. I’m hoping that we can get touchtennis going and support it in different venues because I think it will appeal to lots of people.”

It is too early to say whether or not the LTA will be throwing their official backing behind the sport according to Richardson, but in his opinion the national body would be “silly” to overlook a tennis-like game that has the potential to widen the sport’s appeal.

“It could easily be a stand-alone sport, it could be a sport that complements tennis, and it can be a stepping-stone, an entry level format for younger players, and an entry level for other people coming back to the sport.

“It’s a bit like Cardio Tennis – it’s one of those things that breaks down the barriers because you don’t need to be able to play in order to have a good time. Anyone can play touchtennis, anyone can take part in a Cardio Tennis class.”

One of the greatest challenges the sport faces in attracting new potential Andy Murrays and Laura Robsons is the time and experience necessary to begin enjoying competitive tennis. In comparison, the child-like dimensions behind touchtennis make it much easier to start rallying and competing – which can only be a good thing.

“You’ve got to constantly look at how we can get more people into tennis, how can we get more people playing, how can we make tennis more attractive, more accessible, easier, more affordable, and make it as fun and enjoyable from the first experience.”

For more information and to find out how you can have a go at touch tennis, head to the touchtennis website. To buy equipment and balls visit the official touchtennis online store.