Table of Contents
What can a tennis racket be used for?
A racket or racquet is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of strings or catgut is stretched tightly. It is used for striking a ball or shuttlecock in games such as squash, tennis, racquetball, rackets, badminton and padel .
How do tennis rackets improved performance?
This decrease in mass has the important spin off that players are able to swing the racquet faster, which generates higher impact speeds, resulting in faster ball speeds. Thus rackets of the same mass as wooden ones are no longer made. Despite being lighter, modern rackets are also stiffer than wooden ones.
How does a tennis racket work?
When a ball hits a tennis racket, a large amount of energy involved in the collision goes into deformation of the ball, the strings and the racket frame. Some of this energy returns to the ball in the form of kinetic energy, whilst some becomes energy of vibration causing both the strings and racket to oscillate.
How have tennis rackets changed over the years?
Since the 1980s, high-end tennis rackets have been made from fibre-reinforced composite materials, such as fibreglass, carbon fibre and aramid (strong synthetic fibres). The advantage of these composite materials over wood and metal is their high stiffness and low density, combined with manufacturing versatility.
Does the type of tennis racket matter?
Soft strings offer good ‘feel’, but only modest power and control, and will tend to break frequently. Thicker, tougher strings will be stiffer, meaning that they can provide power, and, at higher tensions, control, but they offer reduced feel and transmit more vibration to your arm.
Who was the founder of tennis?
Major Walter Clopton Wingfield
The inventor of modern tennis has been disputed, but the officially recognized centennial of the game in 1973 commemorated its introduction by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield in 1873. He published the first book of rules that year and took out a patent on his game in 1874.
What kind of racquets do tennis players use?
Tennis racquets have not changed massively in shape, size, and materials in the last 20 years. The change from wood to graphite was massive in the 80s, but how much has changed after that?
Is it possible for a tennis racquet to break down?
But tennis racquets start to break down the moment you first string them. This may come as a surprise to some, since many racquets are constructed with some of the same materials that NASA uses to build shuttles. But while racquets are more durable than ever, they are not indestructible.
What’s the difference between old and new tennis racquets?
Racquets have become bigger, lighter, stiffer, with more open string patterns and thicker beams. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t more old-school racquets on the market. There are still midsize (90-93 sq inches) racquets available. There are racquets with very thin beams.
When did wooden tennis racquets go out of fashion?
Wooden tennis racquets went out of fashion in the early 80s. Bjorn Borg was one of the players that clung to his racquet, but then he also retired in 1983. There is a reason wooden racquets went out of fashion.