Court tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is known as court tennis in the United States and real tennis in England. There are approximately 45 active real tennis courts in the world, located in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and France. 

Court tennis courts, rackets, balls and rules have not changed for centuries. The game is played indoors, the balls are handmade and solid, and the rackets are wooden and asymmetrical with a very small sweet spot.

Stripped of its special rules for serving and chases, the game is simple to understand. Each player strives to get the ball over the net and in doing so may use any wall - as in squash. The scoring is the same as in lawn tennis (15, 30, 40, deuce, advantage). As in lawn tennis, singles or doubles can be played. The length of a real tennis court is approximately one and a half times the length of a lawn tennis court, and its width a fraction more than the width of a doubles lawn tennis court.

For a comprehensive history of the sport, please visit “A Detailed History of Real Tennis” compiled by The Tennis and Rackets Association.