From the Middle Ages, real tennis was popular and very widespread throughout France, and, if several kings of France such as Louis XI, Henri IV, Francois Ier and Louis XIII were keen players, the game was also played by the bourgois, artists, students, business owners and workers.
Two forms of the game were played :
* Long tennis, which is played outside, and this gave birth to what is now known in the Pays Basque as « rebot » and the « bota luze »
* Real tennis which is played in a sports court called the « tripot » with a net in the middle of the court and players on either side of the net. From this form of the game developed the « pasaka » and most importantly, the game of tennis as we know it today.
At the beginning of the 18C, the »tripots » (real tennis sports courts) were in all the towns in France. Then, little by little this sport fell out of favour and became forgotten. Yet, this game was the ancestor of all racket ball games !
Many expressions of the real tennis game have become part of popular langage : « Impress the spectators », « he who imposes a chase loses his place », « left on the square », « behaving properly », « playing by hand is a villain’s game », « taking the ball on the volley », « children of the ball », « a false move », « landing on the nick », etc.