Tennis Was Originally Played with Bare Hands

Long before the manicured grass courts of Wimbledon, the ancestor of modern tennis was a gritty affair played in the stone courtyards of 12th-century French monasteries. This early version, known as jeu de paume or "game of the palm," involved players striking a solid ball, often made of leather stuffed with hair, using only the palm of their hand. The game was played indoors against walls, and the hard ball and unforgiving surfaces made it a challenging and often painful pastime for the monks and nobles who first popularized it.

The constant impact on players' hands naturally led to innovation for both protection and power. First came simple leather gloves, which soon evolved into small wooden paddles or "battoirs" to gain more leverage. This technological shift culminated in the 16th century with the invention of the strung racquet, a revolutionary tool that allowed for far greater speed, control, and the introduction of spin. This original indoor version of the game still survives as "court tennis," the direct predecessor of the globally recognized "lawn tennis" we know today.