The earliest form of the game of tennis is called “le jeu de paume”, which is French for “game of the palm” and was played in 13th century France, solely by people of nobility, who used to strike the ball with their hands.
By the start of the 17t century, racquets were introduced and “le jeu de palm” evolved into a game known today as “court tennis”. Like its predecessor, court tennis is played indoors, under very complex rules and restricted to nobles. Only seven of these courts exist in the United States, to this date.