This article is about the precursor of tennis. For the museum in Paris, see Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume.
Jeu de Paume (French for "game with the palm of the hand") was a precursor of tennis, the game of which is documented as early as the Middle Ages in cloisters. It is played with walls, as in squash. For a detailed description of its origins, see History of Tennis. Jeu de paume was first mentioned in a document in 1250, when monks were forbidden to play against laymen. Due to the exact counting of points, without regard to rank or standing, it can be considered one of the first modern sports.
Jeu de Paume was an Olympic discipline in London in 1908 and a demonstration sport at the 1924 Games in Paris and the 1928 Games in Amsterdam. The only Olympic champion in the history of this sport is the American George Jay Gould II.
Today, this form of tennis is played by only about 10,000 athletes, about a third of whom are women. They are spread over just under 50 courts in Great Britain (Real Tennis), the United States (Court Tennis), Australia (Royal Tennis) and France (Jeu de Paume). Contrary to what the French name suggests, Jeu de Paume is usually played with a wooden racket, although its eponymous origins lie in bare-handed or gloved play.
The World Championships are played every two years. The top four players in the world rankings (with the exception of the reigning world champion) determine the challenger, who then competes against the defending champion in a match over seven winning sets within three days. Australian Robert Fahey has been the world champion in the sport since 1994. In 2016, he lost to Camden Riviere and took the title again in 2018. Fahey is the only player in the sport to be ranked as a professional.
