Tennis recreational players and is also a popular worldwide spectator sport. The four Grand Slam tournaments (also referred to as the Majors) are especially popular: the Australian Open played on hard courts, the French Open played on red clay courts, Wimbledon played on grass courts, and the US Open also played on hard courts. Historians believe that the game's ancient origin lay in 12th century northern France, where a ball was struck with the palm of the hand. Louis X of France was a keen player of jeu de paume ("game of the palm"), which evolved into real tennis, and became
Jeu provençal Jeu provençal In Italy, the sport ", which is played with bronze balls, follows a similar set of rules. The current version of the game developed during the 18th century around the area of Lyon. The rules are similar to the game of " except that: These differences reflect the reason that " was invented – to create a sport that was accessible to a disabled player in a wheelchair. In addition: Under official rules, the court must measure in length and between in width, with a clear play area of and at each end (one end is the Landing