Tennis

Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court. The object of the game is to play the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. The player who is unable to return the ball will not gain a point, while the opposite player will.

Links To Peel
In an article in the Observer published on 23rd July 2000, journalist Phil Hogan visited Peel Acres and mentioned that Peel had a tennis court put in from the money he made as 'the voice of Andrex'. Peel would often mention playing tennis at Peel Acres on his shows, for instances on his show of 24 October 1992, he mentioned how he had an injured back playing tennis and on 25 October 1992 (BFBS), stated how he did an amazing crosscourt backhand:

"This very morning, I was playing tennis... and I'm amazingly bad at tennis and never played it before 4 or 5 years ago, but I tend to enter into these things in a whole-hearted way... and I did the most beautiful crosscourt backhand I've ever done in my life... it may be the only crosscourt backhand I've ever done in my life, which would explain why, while doing it, I pulled some nerve or did something to something in my back... I'm in a lot of pain, but I'm chirpy as a cricket."

In an interview with David Gedge of the Wedding Present on the radio programme, Chain Reaction: David Gedge Interviews John Peel (Transcript), Peel described occasionally going out and playing half a couple of games of tennis during the week.

tbc