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 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