Camden Scott Riviere is a Real Tennis player and current World Champion of the sport. He started playing Real Tennis at the age of five with his father, Rhett, and grandfather, Hank. Riviere’s first coach was Mark Devine (the Aiken professional at that time). He played his first tournament at the age of seven, after which he went on to compete on the American Junior Squads, including the Clothier Cup team, and the Van Alen team. Riviere competed as a top-level amateur during his early teens, winning tournaments such as the US Amateur and the Tuxedo Gold Racquet.

In May 2005, when he was 17, Riviere moved to the UK to become a professional, working at Hampton Court Palace under Chris Ronaldson. He returned to the US one year later and became a touring professional based out of Newport, Rhode Island.

PLAYER STATS

Birthday: May 20, 1987

Birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina (but raised in Aiken, South Carolina)

L/R Handed: Left

TOURNAMENT AND MATCH HIGHLIGHTS*

World Championship: From 2006 to 2008 Riviere trained in Newport under coach Josh Bainton. He continued to improve and reached the ranking of #5 in the world in 2008. This allowed him to qualify for the World Championship Eliminators, where at the age of 20, he defeated the other top four players in the world and qualified to challenge for the World Championship. He was narrowly defeated by Rob Fahey 7 sets to 5.

Riviere finally became World Champion on May 21, 2016, after defeating Fahey 7 sets to 2 at his home court in Newport, Rhode Island. Fahey managed to win the title back two years later by 7 sets to 5 at The Queen’s Club in London. However, Riviere reclaimed the title 7 sets to 5 during the 2022 World Championship held at Prested Hall in Essex, England.

A year later, in September 2023, Riviere retained the title, beating the first-time-challenger, John Lumley, by 7 sets to 3.

U.S. Open: Riviere signed on to the Tennis and Racquet Club, Boston, as a Real Tennis, Rackets and squash professional in September 2008. He managed to rise to world number 2 during that time and won the U.S. Open – his first major tournament – on March 1, 2009, in Philadelphia. He has since gone on to win both the the U.S. Open singles and doubles in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. 2023, and 2024.

*As of 2024

FUN FACTS

• Riviere is the first and only American to rank #1 since the world ranking system was created in 1991. He managed to snag the top spot in September, 2013.

T&RA INTERVIEW ANSWERS

When and how did you get involved in Real Tennis?

I started when I was five years old after watching my dad play!

Why do you love Real Tennis?

I love the complexity of the game when playing. It feels impossible to master but always attainable to improve.

Which famous person would you love to see play Real Tennis?

My grandmother, who was a huge influence on my Court Tennis [but] never played. I would love to have gotten her out there to show her what I have been able to accomplish with her help.