TENNIS TECHNOLOGY - FIFTY YEARS OF INNOVATION {1999}

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

Technological advances in other fields have accelerated tennis equipment evolution over the past fifty years. Although the game of tennis is many centuries old, until about 1960, the only material used to make a racquet was, you guessed it, wood. The turn of the last century found most frames weighing in at around 14 ounces with head sizes less than 80 square inches and handles measuring well over 5 inches (the largest grip size currently made is 4 5/8 inches). "Wright & Ditson" was a top manufacturer, and names like Wilson, Spalding, Dunlop, Davis and Bancroft became well known in the industry.

The next step was metal frames; most made of steel, aluminum, and magnesium. A principal drawback to metal was a drastic increase in vibration. Prince introduced the oversize "Classic" frame during this time, and manufacturers experimented with fiberglass, some using an outer "sandwich" of aluminum such as in the Arthur Ashe Comp series. A design change that, in my opinion, was the most significant enhancement in racquet technology, was the open throat. This allowed the handle to be connected to the head closer to the 3 and 9 o'clock positions, thereby adding much greater stability on off center hits. Wood frames were still being made, and some racquets had graphite sandwiched over wood, like the Prince "Woodie".

The 1970-decade will someday be known as the age of graphite. Even today, graphite (which is actually carbon fiber) is still the main material used in racquet construction. Some of the other materials that have been used in a composite with graphite are boron, ceramic, fiberglass, Kevlar® and Vectran®. Titanium, recently introduced as a new material for racquets is used very sparingly. The most Titanium in any racquet on the market is 1%. The reason is Titanium is three times heavier than graphite, and essentially does little if anything to enhance the playing characteristics of a racquet. Graphite comes in Modulus, High Modulus and Ultra High Modulus (also known as HyperCarbon, Diamond Fiber, and GraphitExtreme) forms. Touted as a new and significant material, UHM has actually been used for over 10 years in the manufacture of racquets.

Just over 10 years ago, Wilson introduced the "wide body" to the industry in the "Profile" racquet. Adding stiffness and therefore more power, this was probably as significant a design change as the oversize head. Super oversize heads have gained some interest lately, the first one being launched by Tad Weed almost 20 years ago. Longer racquets, debuted in the 1980's, have recently seen a significant increase in the market in the past three years. Lighter frames are now in vogue, some as light as seven ounces.

I can't talk about racquet evolution without mentioning strings. Natural gut was used pretty much exclusively until the advent of nylon, during WWII. A pioneer in the development of synthetic strings was Ashaway Line & Twine in Rhode Island. Celebrating their 175th Anniversary this year, they have been making racquet strings for 50 years. Many of the same materials used in racquet manufacture are also used in strings. Kevlar, Vectran, polyester, boron and Zyex are among a multitude of substances currently used in the making of synthetic strings.

Copyright 1999 (Previously published in FLORIDA TENNIS, Oct, 1999)