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For Barbadians, Road Tennis Rules the Streets

Posted by CaribShout on December 2, 2010 at 8:51pm

As dominant as Roger Federer is at traditional tennis, there does exist an offshoot of the sport that the super Swiss would have trouble mastering. It’s called road tennis, and it’s been one of Barbados’ best-kept secrets for decades. Created in the 1930s by those who couldn’t afford to play lawn tennis, road tennis is essentially a miniaturized version of the version we all know, which means technique and coordination inherent to ping pong are necessary for mastery here. There’s one player on each side of the court, which in its most professional form is painted upon concrete. (Residents in the poorer neighborhoods may just chalk out an outline in the street.) Scoring is ping pong-based, so the first player to 21 (with at least a two-point lead) wins. Each player’s side is roughly that of a 10-foot square, and there’s a 8-inch-high net in between the service areas. Unlike in tennis, the served ball must first bounce on your side and then your opponent’s side in order to be considered valid. And points are decided once the ball is struck out of bounds, is hit into the net, or bounces twice within one player’s side of the court. The wood-crafted paddles are like larger versions of those used in ping pong, and the ball, which originated from “skinned” tennis balls with the fuzzy covering removed, play flatter and faster than the typical tennis balls of today. For those looking to experience true road tennis competition, which is promoted as something for tourists to try, head to the capital city of Bridgetown in the parish of St. Michael, and don’t be discouraged if you don’t have even basic tennis skills. According to the Professional Road Tennis Association, road tennis is for everyone, “played by people from all social classes, age groups, sex, race, and religion.”
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