India, March 22 -- Nearly all racquet sports can trace their history to a rudimentary children's game from France called jeu de paume (game of the palm), that dates back about 1,000 years.

This game involved slapping a ball made of leather or cloth against a wall or doorway, without letting it drop to the ground. New versions evolved, including ones in which people played across a net (favoured by the nobility and royalty) and ones in which the aim was for the ball to hit the body of the other player.

The game was elevated in the Netherlands, when the racquet was invented there in the 15th century. As it raged through Europe in new forms, common folk played wherever there was a wall, monks in cloistered courtyards, and kings and queens ...