My friend Ivan Ronaldson, who has died of a heart attack aged 51, was an inspirational real tennis professional. He mentored dozens of future stars at clubs including Hampton Court, Fontainebleau, France, and Prested Hall in Essex. Prior to his coaching career, Ivan was a brilliant junior player winning a string of national age group titles.

Real tennis is the forerunner of lawn tennis; it was played from medieval times and enjoyed by Henry VIII. The game is little changed today, with players hitting solid, hand-stitched balls with asymmetric wooden rackets over a drooping net and off the walls of the court.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Ivan was the eldest son of British parents, Lesley (nee Lee) and Chris Ronaldson, real tennis professionals and later world champions. They returned t

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