Friday June 20th is International Tennis Day, celebrating the 225th anniversary of the Tennis Court Oath of the French Revolution. On that date in 1789, members of the Third Estate (the non-privileged classes) met at a tennis court in the village of Versailles, having been locked out of the palace Assembly Room by King Louis XVI. The delegates swore unity and demanded a written constitution, which led to the abolition of the feudal system. The site was at one of hundreds of tennis courts in France where Royal Tennis / Court Tennis / Jeu du Paume was played, being the 14th Century origin of all racquet sports. The oldest such court in the United States, built in 1880, is located at the Newport Casino and is in daily use as The National Tennis Club.
The Tennis Court Oath (Le Serment du Jeu de Paume), 20 June 1789. Image courtesy Musée de la Ville, Paris.
View of the interior of the tennis court, 1790-1791. Image courtesy Musée National du Château, Versailles.