The driving force behind the sport is the Barbados Road Tennis Association, which has done an excellent job in taking it out of the back roads and into the sphere of a nationally recognised sport.
Road Tennis is indigenous to Barbados and its name tells the story of its origins. This fast-paced, exciting game could be described as a cross between lawn and table tennis. It was first played mainly on the less travelled village roads and any available paved areas, hence its name.
The rules of Road Tennis are identical to those of table tennis. The court is like an overgrown table tennis board painted on a paved surface. The racquets are made of wood and resemble large table tennis racquets or could even be described as paddles while the ball is the regular lawn tennis ball.Efforts are now underway to take Road Tennis beyond the shores of Barbados and introduce it to the world. With this in mind some people have re-packaged the game as Paddle Tennis but for all Barbadians it will always retain its original name.
The Barbados National Sports Council has undertaken tours to the United States and Britain as part of the efforts to promote Road Tennis internationally. In some parts of the USA it’s now referred to as Paddle Tennis and companies there are already developing and producing equipment and sports wear for this game.The major tournament for this indigenous game is the World Road Tennis Series, which is held in November.
