The game of tennis most commonly played today has been adapted from a much earlier game called Court Tennis, Real Tennis, or Royal Tennis (depending on where you live). Modern tennis is played on a special court divided by a net, with a single player at each end (singles), or a team of two players at each end (doubles). Players use racquets to hit a ball back and forth, either on the full or after a single bounce. There are many sites listed in this category which can give you a better understanding of how the game is played.

To distinguish it from its relatively recent sister sport of lawn tennis, the original game of tennis is called "real tennis," in the U.K., "royal tennis" in Australia, "jeu de paume" in France, and here in the U.S., "court tennis." By any of these names, it is the game of Napoleon, of Henry VIII and many of Europe's monarchs and aristocracy.