Six world champions tell their stories

Lea Van Der Zwalmen - rackets and real tennis

Lea Van Der Zwalmen is the reigning world champion in rackets, a sport which banned women from playing until 2008 because of concerns it was too dangerous.

After being a French junior squash player, Lea switched to rackets upon attending sixth form at Clifton College in Bristol in September 2013. Her obsession for the serve-dominated sport grew, winning her first world title in 2015.

But when she retained her world title two years later, she knew she needed a new challenge.

“When you get something that’s too unchallenging, you don’t appreciate it as much,” Lea said. “I knew I needed a new challenge. I was hungry for something completely new. I was playing at Queen’s, and people told me to try real tennis – the sister sport of rackets.

"I had heard of Claire Fahey's successes and that really inspired me to give it a shot. In a way, I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for her.”

Within a year, she was in the top three in the world in real tennis as well.

Now her motivation is to make it to number one in both sports, a feat which has never been achieved before.

Real tennis is like chess within tennis, and the myriad ways of serving allow lots of room for creativity. There are also many rules and traditions. Real tennis is a sport which wears its heritage, dating back to the 16^th century, on the sleeves of its all-white uniforms.

Lea said: “For the most part, the courts are located in extraordinary places, Hampton Court or Fontainebleau in France.”

She’s a little disappointed to be so dominant in rackets – it masks the remarkable progress made on the women’s side of the sport over the past decade, with new tournaments set up, an increase in participation and an established World Ranking.

“It’s nice to be dominant,” Lea said, “but it has its cons as well.

“Because I’ve had no one to really push me in rackets, winning events hasn't been as exciting. I hope a strong Challenger emerges soon so we can take the Ladies' game to the next level."

In real tennis, she is the one pushing, as she faces up to the challenge of trying to dethrone five-time world champion Claire in the world championships next year.

“I love being the underdog in real tennis,” Lea said. “I have no pressure at all, except the one I put on myself, of course.

“If anything, all the pressure has been on Claire, because she has been, and still is, the undisputed champion. I know it will take something special for me to get the win but I am absolutely determined to give it my best shot.

“It takes two people to really drive things forward. Now it's very exciting to have other girls pushing things as well. I truly believe the Ladies game might be at a turning point.”

As a pioneer for women in these two racquet sports, she wants to continue to be involved at all levels of the game. As well as organising new tournaments and running masterclasses, she is also involved in various initiatives to actively promote the games.

“Ultimately a dream of mine is to be involved in the construction of a rackets or real tennis court because there’s so few out there,” she said.  

Being at the top of two sports – and studying a Master’s degree in Economics in Belgium – was a balancing act, but Covid-19 lockdown has allowed her to take a break to read and watch that long list of BBC dramas everyone seems to be talking about.

For Lea, it’s only a brief step away from the pursuit of glory.

“I haven’t hit a ball in ages,” Lea said. “Now I dream about real tennis and the next tournament. It’s a bit crazy. I don’t relax, unless I’m forced to relax – like now.”

Photo credit: PlayBrave