The current game of tennis originated from a game called real tennis or royal tennis. Historians believe that the game originated from France in the 12th century. It was played with the hand and the ball was hit with the palm of the hand and hence was called jeu de paume (game of the palm). In the 16th century was when rackets came into use and people started calling the game tennis. It was popular in England and France and Henry VIII of England was a big fan of the game
The game thrived among the 17th-century nobility in France, Spain, Italy, and in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but suffered under English Puritanism. By the Age of Napoleon, the royal families of Europe were besieged and real tennis was largely abandoned. Real tennis played a minor role in the history of the French Revolution, through the Tennis Court Oath, a pledge signed by French deputies on a real tennis court, which formed a decisive early step in starting the revolution. In England, during the 18th and early 19th centuries as real tennis declined, three other racquet sports emerged: racquets, squash racquets, and lawn tennis. Lawn tennis is the tennis that we currently play today. It was called lawn tennis because it was played on grass courts.