Originating on the island and played as far back as the 1930s, road tennis is the beloved pastime of many Barbadians. The sport began—as its name would suggest—with courts marked on the road, divided a plank of wood serving as 'net'. Players would use homemade wooden rackets, with more resemblance to table tennis paddles than a strung tennis racket, to knock a tennis ball stripped of its fur back and forth between themselves.
With the formation of the Barbados Road Tennis Association in 1970, the rules of road tennis were standardized, making an official court 20 feet long, 10 feet wide, divided by an 8 inch 'net'. The basic rules are quite similar to those of table tennis.
Bouts of road tennis can be found both in an official capacity in tournaments held by the Road Tennis Association, and true to its roots, played in the road with homemade gear, just about anywhere in the island. The popularity of road tennis has lead to rackets, ball, and nets all available commercially, but the DIY versions still remain very popular among Bajans.
