Quick serve: Where did the game of squash come from?

It can be traced to France 1,000 years ago, then a London prison. See how it evolved and spread to colonised countries, which are home to its best players today

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