RACQUETS, or RACKETS (Fr. raquette, from OF. rackete, rachette, rasqucte, rasquette, from Sp. raqueta, racquet, battledore, from Ar. raliat, palm of the hand). A modern legitimate descendant of the old game of tennis (q.v.). It is probably of British origin and arose about the beginning of the nineteenth century, being at that time played chiefly in the English debtors' prisons by men who were tennis players. but in their incarceration had to make shift with a less elaborate court. It began as an open-court game, the ball being batted against a single wall so as to rebound within a marked space upon the ground. Other walls were added as the game The 'hand in' drops a ball and strikes it so that, without touching either of the side walls, it strikes the front wall, above the service line on the opposite of the centre to that from which he strikes, and rebounds into space. If these con
ditions are not conformed to, the 'hand out' is not obliged to take the service. If the `hand in' fails to accomplish the stroke in two attempts, or hits the service board, or roof, or gallery, he loses his service. His opponent is on the watch to hit the ball before it has touched the ground twice, back to the front wall, above the board, and he is at liberty to strike it so that it first hits the side walls, with penalty. Then the 'hand in' endeavors to return the stroke in the same manner, and thus the game proceeds until a failure to return the ball above the 'service board' counts against the player who fails. The game is fifteen points, scored according to the rules. In the double game each of the opponents serves in turn.