by Victoria Scott
International Tennis Day is an annual celebration of our wonderful game occurring on June 20. Each participating court has a banner to take photos in front of—we encourage everyone to play as often as possible, especially on this day to commemorate.
June 20 was chosen for the celebration of International Tennis Day as it falls on the anniversary of the Tennis Court Oath, taken on June 20, 1789 by nearly 600 people at a tennis court near the Palace of Versailles. The Tennis Oath was a pivotal event at the start of the French Revolution. Jacques-Louis David’s iconic 1791 painting “Le Serment du Jeu de Paume” is perhaps the most famous image of a tennis court. To celebrate the painting and its communal message of hope and change, International Tennis Day was started on June 20 in 2014.
Players and clubs around the world celebrate in their own way through playing, tournaments, clinics, and parties. Let’s see what some of the pros had to say.
Racquet and Tennis Club:
- The Racquet and Tennis Club will be celebrating International Tennis Day with a shotgun start to our All-Comers Summer Handicap tournament. The All-Comers is the largest event in the world and will have 140+ competitors this year. On ITD, we will play 22+ first round matches. Additionally, we will also host the Spring Challenger Doubles Final and a cocktail party for the players.
Leamington Tennis Court Club
- Lewis Williams and the players at Leamington are going to enjoy a “Beat The Pro” afternoon session, leading into a Club Night for all of the members to get involved in.
Wellington Real Tennis Club
- Wellington is preparing for all students on court for a fun event to see how many students can get on court in one hour with a handicap event. They are also organizing an event for the members with drill sessions.
Hobart Real Tennis Club
- Hobart will be running a round robin tournament on the day to celebrate. Keep a look out to see a bit more of it on their social media pages.
Ballarat Tennis Club
- Ballarat’s preparing for the Ballarat Tennis Club 40thAnniversary amongst other things!
Royal Melbourne Tennis Club
- Melbourne is planning a usual day of action-packed tennis with the International Tennis Day banner set up in the club room so as members can take a photo in front of before they pop on court to commemorate the day.
Racquet Club of Chicago
- Chicago will be running a summer league every Thursday in the summer with doubles tennis that evening, along with doubles squash and rackets which is always a fun night and well supported by the membership drawing a big crowd for ITD.
Racquet Club of Philadelphia
- Philly is going to fill every single reservation time throughout June 20 and celebrate the day by having a Court Tennis themed party!
We hope that International Tennis Day motivates the current players, educates new players, and raises awareness of the game of real tennis. Every court, club and individual around the world can make an effort to celebrate this special day. We want to see your photos on social media using the hashtag #itennisday!
