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Real tennis is a precursor of presenp day lawn tennis; two players use rackets to hit a ball so it bounces between them. Originally the players hit the ball with their hands (hence "jeu de paume": "palm game"). Several versions exist, the two principle French ones being played on an outdoor court (longue paume: "long palm") and on a shorter indoor court (courte paume: "short palm") 28.5m long, 9.5m wide and at least 7m high. The court is sometirnes divided by a sagging net but more often simply by a line across the ﬂoor. The point system (15. 30, 40) used in modern tennis matches is inherited from real tennis. The spectators sit undemeath sloped penthouses (solid awnings) running around three sides of the court, protected by nets. When the ball is served it must touch a speciﬁc penthouse before touching the floor in the opponent’s end of the court. Louis XIV regularly played real tennis on the advice of his doctor, but Louis XV was not a keen player. Louis XVI and his brother Charles X played real tennis. Versailles' real tennis court was built in 1686 on a plot of land south-east of the palace. This was a private property but the royal family played there. On the eve of the 1789 Revolution, real tennis was still in vogue.