Clergé was the greatest player of

real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...

in the mid 18th century, with the height of his career being about 1753 in France. He is credited with being the first

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

of any sport, holding the real tennis title from 1740 until 1765, when Raymond Masson succeeded him. He was particularly good in a four-handed game. Also known to history as ''Clergé de Elder'', the dates of his birth and death are unknown.

References

* Noel, Evan Baillie and J. O. M. Clark. ''A History of Tennis'', p. 129, Oxford University Press, 1924. * ''Real Tennis World Championship 2004 Program'', p. 5,

National Tennis Club The National Tennis Club (NTC) is a court tennis (also known as "real tennis") club in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. Its home is the reconstructed Court Tennis Building at the Newport Casino. The National Tennis Club hosted the Real Tennis ...

, Newport, Rhode Island. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clerge French real tennis players History of tennis Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown