Indoor Tennis Stars Take to the Court

This past week was a busy one at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Didn't see any action on the courts? This particular game of tennis was taking place behind closed doors on an indoor court, tucked between the lawn courts. This is Real Tennis, to the Brits, or jeu de courte paume as the French call it, but in the states it is Court Tennis. The Pell Cup wrapped up on Sunday at the National Tennis Club after 72 hours of matches. First named the Tiffany Cup after sponsor Tiffany & Co. in 1980, the event was renamed the Walsh Cup in 1986 and finally the Pell Cup in 1993. It continues to take place every August.

Players of every skill level, including a handful of talented professionals, gathered from across the globe to participate in the doubles tournament. A favorite of many players, the tournament is broken up into divisions (A, B, C, D and E groups), based on a player's handicap or skill level.

The final match of the Open was played on Sunday morning, where the doubles team consisting of world-ranked No. 2 Camden Riviere and Newport Head Professional Richard Smith defeated the professionals from Philadelphia, Steve Virgona and Rob Whitehouse, in three sets, 2/6, 6/2, 6/5.

"It was a battle, as always," Riviere said after the 90-minute nail-biter of a match. "We had to play to our full potential to come out on top."

Smith was off the court for a brief moment to guzzle down a bottle of Gatorade and then retreated back onto the court to officiate the following match.

Made popular by bishops, priests, monks and monarchs, including Henry VIII, Court Tennis was the game of the royals in the 12th century. Today there are 41 active courts in the world, with 10 courts in the United States. The game is an eccentric combination of chess, squash and lawn tennis, requiring extreme hand-eye coordination and the ability to predict the movement of the dense, hand-sewn ball. The court consists of four cement walls, which are also areas of play, and of course, a net. The ball is served off the penthouse roof and must be kept in play without striking any area out of play, such as the ceiling. Points are scored much like in lawn tennis, but there are also opportunities to score from hitting the ball into special places on the walls.

"What is so exceptional about this game is that it allows players of every skill level to play and enjoy themselves," said National Tennis Club member Berry Packham.

Players are assigned a handicap based on their skill level, much like golf, and compete against players around the same numbers. This allows for any player to be involved in the tournament.

More than 40 pairs played over the course of this year's Pell Cup. For a full look at the results, go here.

Coming up on the National Tennis Club calendar is the The Lieb Cup, which will be held the second weekend in October. That event determines the U.S. National Juniors Doubles champions in three levels.