Real tennis Real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (originally called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United States, formerly royal tennis in England and Australia, and courte-paume in France (a reference to the older, racquetless game of "jeu de paume", the ancestor of modern handball and racquet games; many French real tennis courts are at "jeu de paume" clubs). The term "real" was first used by journalists in the early 20th century as
Jeu de paume called "jeu de courte paume" or just "courte paume" ("short palm") to distinguish it from the outdoor version, "longue paume" ("long palm"), played on a field of variable length. Jeu de paume at the 1908 Summer Olympics was a medal event; American Jay Gould II won the Gold medal. Since 1740, jeu de paume has been the subject of an amateur world championship, held each year in September. It is the oldest active trophy in international sport. Various other forms of handball may be related to one degree or another; this is generally difficult to ascertain with certainty, and some,