Although hidden from the road, South Bucks District Council ruled the court had to go because the land was designated for forestry and agricultural use.

The 49-year-old has since removed the offending court, which may have eluded officials at first because it was nestled in some woods on his estate, near the village of Fulmer.

It has prompted speculation they spotted the court thanks to aerial shots on Google Earth.

Mr Jones, once an aspiring professional tennis player, qualified as a coach before setting up an academy aged 16 and then branching out into the computer industry.

He paid an estimated £7 million for the Buckinghamshire estate, where he lives with his partner Tara and their three children.

The tycoon began work on the tennis court shortly after purchasing the estate in 2009, sparking a row with officials that lasted nearly four years and ended with the council issuing an enforcement notice.

In a written decision, Keith Turner, of the Planning Inspectorate, said of the court: “I have found the development to result in some harm to the openness of the green belt, notwithstanding its screened location.”

A council spokesman told The Mail on Sunday that it was removed soon after the Planning Inspectorate delivered its decision.

Officials also ordered the removal of a 64 ft jetty Mr Jones had built on the lake that runs through the estate.