Camden Riviere

Camden Riviere (born 1987) is an American left-handed real tennis player. He became World Champion on May 21, 2016, defeating long-time champion Robert Fahey 7 sets to 2 at his home court at the National Tennis Club, Newport, Rhode Island. As of September 2013, he is ranked first in the world for the sport.

Camden Scott Riviere was born May 20, 1987 in Charleston, South Carolina, but was raised in nearby Aiken, South Carolina. He started playing real tennis at age 5 with his father Rhett and grandfather Hank, and played his first tournament at age 7. Camden’s first coach was the Aiken professional (at that time) Mark Devine. As a junior, Camden competed on the American Junior Squads including the Clothier Cup team, and the Van Alen team. During his early teens Camden competed as a top-level amateur, winning such tournaments as the US Amateur and the Tuxedo Gold Racquet. Camden also played for the United States on the Bathurst Cup Team.

In May 2005, at age 17, Camden moved to the UK and turned professional, working at Hampton Court Palace under Chris Ronaldson. After a year in the UK, Camden returned to the US and became a touring professional based out of Newport, RI. From 2006-2008 Camden trained in Newport under coach Josh Bainton, and continued to rise up the ranking, until finally reaching the ranking of #5 in the world in 2008. This allowed Camden to qualify for the World Championship Eliminators, where at the age of 20, he defeated the other top 4 players in the world, and qualified to challenge for the World Championship being narrowly defeated by Rob Fahey 7 sets to 5.

In September 2008 Camden joined the team at the Tennis and Racquet Club, Boston, as a real tennis, racquets, and squash professional. Over the next three years Riviere would continue to rise in the rankings to #2 in the world, and won his first major tournament, the U.S. Open, in Philadelphia on March 1, 2009.

In November 2011, Camden returned to being a touring professional based out of Charleston, South Carolina. Since returning to a touring professional state Camden has accumulated a mass of titles and in September 1, 2013 became the #1 ranked player in the world. Since the world ranking system was created in 1991, no American had been ranked number one in the world. Rob Fahey had been number one for the past twenty years, but in late August 2013 Riviere passed Fahey.

2014 saw another great year for Camden, as he won 3 out of the 4 Opens (US, French, British), won a majority of the Professional events, and earned his second challenge for the World Championship. Camden was defeated by Rob Fahey in the World Championship at the Royal Melbourne Tennis Club 7 sets to 3 in May.

...
Wikipedia