Jesmond Dene member Chris Pearson has broken the worldrecord for the most Real Tennis serves in one hour.
Sunday, 9 August, was an exciting day at Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club, where Chris Pearson broke the world record for the most Real Tennis serves in one hour. Following his incredible endeavour, Jesmond Dene shared this message:
"The previous record stood at 1,385 serves. We are still checking the video footage to confirm the exact final number, but our count has Chris at over 1,418 — so the worldrecord has been well and truly beaten. In my over 40 years around Real Tennis, I genuinely don't think I have ever seen anything quite as impressive on a court.
Chris found his rhythm within the first couple of minutes and simply never let up. The tempo at the start was the tempo at the finish. No noticeable drop-off, incredible concentration and, remarkably, only around five faults in the entire hour.
It was also very much a Pearson family effort. Everyone played their part, including young Edward tirelessly collecting the balls and keeping everything moving. A fantastic team performance.
A huge thank you to Andrew Shepherd for helping me with the counting, Phil Anderton for being there and helping throughout, and Simon, as always, for everything he does behind the scenes.
For the combination of speed, accuracy, concentration and endurance required, I honestly struggle to see this record being beaten.
Congratulations Chris and the whole Pearson family. A phenomenal achievement — and a worldrecord made at Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club."
As the T&RA previously reported, Pearson hoped to use his world record attempt to raise money for Smile for Life and the Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club Heritage Fund. And great news: He was able to raise nearly £1,000 which will be split between the two (75% for Smile for Life, and 25% for he Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club Heritage Fund). A happy day all around!
*Official final number to follow once the video footage has been checked.
