In the earliest versions of the game, the players hit the ball with their hands, as in
palla,
volleyball,
Fives, or certain varieties of
pelota.
Jeu de paume, or
jeu de paulme as it was formerly spelled, literally means "palm game". In time, gloves replaced bare hands. Even when paddle-like bats, and finally racquets, became standard equipment for the game by the late 17th century, the name did not change. It became known as "tennis" in English
(see History of tennis), and later "
real tennis" after the derived game of
lawn tennis became the more widely known sport. The term is used in France today to denote the game of tennis on a court in which the ancient or modern game might be played. The indoor version is sometimes 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.
Olympic At the 1908 Summer Olympics, jeu de paume was a medal event:
American Jay Gould II won the gold medal.
World Championship Since 1740, jeu de paume has been the subject of an
amateur world championship (
Real Tennis World Championship), held each year in September. It is the oldest active trophy in
international sport.
World Jeu de paume Championship == Derived sports ==