The history and origin of tennis rackets goes a long way back, to French monks in the 11th century. Their 'racquets' as they are often called, were their own open hands which they used to block and lob balls across a net. Since then, the technology and design behind the racket has come a long way.
These centuries of changes have morphed the racket from a brute piece of wood to strong aluminum to a lightweight and sleek graphite composite. The wooden racket era began in 1874 when Walter Wingfield filed a patent for lawn tennis rules and paraphernalia. This arrangement reigned supreme for about a hundred years.
The aluminum racket's first real breakthrough was when Wilson Sporting Goods launched the T2000 in 1967. Once Jimmy Connors gave it his stamp of approval, it took off big-time. But the final nail in the coffin was the change in the head size.
This was around 1976, when the 110 sq. Inch head was introduced. As opposed to the 65 sq. Inch head on the wooden racket, the aluminum one offered a whole lot more string area. Once players found out how useful the extra head size on an aluminum racket was, the wooden racket was as good as dead.
After this, there were experiments with variations in head sizes. 90 square inch heads were labeled midsize while 95 square inch ones were midsize plus. The intent was to offer players a choice - the bigger head provided a larger sweet spot and more power, while the small one would offer the ability to control the ball better.
The two important design requirements are stiffness and weight. There was a big improvement in both areas when graphite composites came along. Manufacturers can now offer a light-weight racket with much more stiffness using a mix of graphite with fiber-glass, ceramics, titanium and even piezoelectric material. Given the rapid innovation, who knows what tomorrow's tennis rackets are going to be like.
These centuries of changes have morphed the racket from a brute piece of wood to strong aluminum to a lightweight and sleek graphite composite. The wooden racket era began in 1874 when Walter Wingfield filed a patent for lawn tennis rules and paraphernalia. This arrangement reigned supreme for about a hundred years.
The aluminum racket's first real breakthrough was when Wilson Sporting Goods launched the T2000 in 1967. Once Jimmy Connors gave it his stamp of approval, it took off big-time. But the final nail in the coffin was the change in the head size.
This was around 1976, when the 110 sq. Inch head was introduced. As opposed to the 65 sq. Inch head on the wooden racket, the aluminum one offered a whole lot more string area. Once players found out how useful the extra head size on an aluminum racket was, the wooden racket was as good as dead.
After this, there were experiments with variations in head sizes. 90 square inch heads were labeled midsize while 95 square inch ones were midsize plus. The intent was to offer players a choice - the bigger head provided a larger sweet spot and more power, while the small one would offer the ability to control the ball better.
The two important design requirements are stiffness and weight. There was a big improvement in both areas when graphite composites came along. Manufacturers can now offer a light-weight racket with much more stiffness using a mix of graphite with fiber-glass, ceramics, titanium and even piezoelectric material. Given the rapid innovation, who knows what tomorrow's tennis rackets are going to be like.
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