Tennis - Racket

A tennis racket is required for striking a tennis ball during a match. The tennis rackets vary widely according to their length, weight, balance point, stiffness, beam thickness, pattern and density of the string and the size of the head. Some of the popular brands for tennis racket manufacturing are Prince Sports, Yonex, Wilson, Babolat, Dunlop Sport, Head and Tecnifibre. The major manufacturers use graphite composite to make the rackets. The wooden rackets or those manufactured from other materials such as steel, fibreglass or aluminium are regarded as obsolete but are technically legal for play. However, the inexpensive rackets have poor performance due to its inadequate weight balancing and excessive flexibility. 

Tennis Racket Specifications

• Racket head - It’s that portion of the racket which is required to hit the ball. It denotes the total surface area of the strings and frame. The bigger the surface area of the head, the more area a player gets to hit the ball, i.e. larger “sweet spot”. The average tennis head is approximately 95 to 115 square inches. The rackets with a size smaller than 95 square inches are considered as small thus generate less power but tackle the ball in a better way but are not used by professionals currently. 
• Racket weight - Tennis rackets have an average weight of 300 grams (or 10.6 ounces) whereas the rackets with less than 285 grams (10 ounces) are considered light and heavy rackets weigh more than 310 grams (or 11 ounces). Generally, the professional and advanced players prefer heavy rackets and the beginners use light rackets. So all in all, the weight of the rackets range between 7 ounces (200 g) unstrung to12.6 (360 g) strung.
• String pattern - The smaller number of strings in a racket produces more power and spin whereas a higher number of strings in a racket provide more control and lesser spin. The average string pattern has a designing of 16 main and 19 cross (16/19) whereas an open string pattern has 16 main and 18 cross (16/18) that produce more spin and power. The closed string pattern has 18 main and 20 cross (18/20) that provides more control. 
• Racket’s balance - Tennis rackets can have a balanced weight across the racket’s head and handle or can have a heavy head with light handle or a light head with most of the weight in racket handle. The heavy head aids in more velocity to swing the ball whereas the lighter head offers more control. If the rackets have a balance less than 345 mm (34.5 cm), they are light head. If the rackets have more than 345 mm (34.5 cm) balance, they are heavy head. If the rackets have a balance of 345 mm (34.5 cm), they are perfectly balanced. 
• Racket’s beam - The tennis rackets’ width isn’t uniform all along with the frame. If the rackets have a 22m or less width, it is regarded as a narrow beam racket. The 22-24 mm width is regarded as an average beam whereas the 24 mm or more width is considered as a wide beam. 
• Racket length - All the rackets are nearly 27 inches (69 cm) long. Longer rackets produce a higher rate of swing velocity but are harder to control. Generally, the junior rackets range from 21 inches to 26 inches (53 to 66 cm) length whereas mature and professional players go for the 27 inches long rackets.

Types of Tennis Rackets

• Power Rackets - These are power-oriented rackets which have oversize to super-oversize heads (107 to 135 square inches), lighter in weight approximately from 8 to 9.5 ounces and are 27 to29 inches long. The rackets are stiffer and have evenly balanced body frame. These are ideal for shorter and slower swings with maximum power. 
• Tweener Rackets - The tweener rackets are lighter and produce more power along with providing more control to players. The rackets have a weight ranging between lighter to medium, i.e. approximately 9.5 to 11 ounces. The rackets range between head light to head heavy and have midplus heads between 98 to 104 square inches. The rackets have a power ranging from low-medium to medium-high, making them ideal for intermediate to advanced players.
• Modern Player’s Rackets - Modern rackets are lighter and faster than the traditional variants. The rackets are ideal for striking the ball with more aggression to gain a maximum spin. The strung weight generally ranges from 11 to 12 ounces. The head of rackets has an area of 98 to 100 square inches.
• Traditional Player’s Rackets - The rackets are used by professional tennis players, high-level clubs and college team players. The rackets are heavier in weight (11.5 to 12+ ounces) with a smaller head, thinner and flexible beams. The lighter head aids in better manoeuvrability of the racket and offers better control.

Evolution of Tennis Rackets

The game of tennis was originated in 1100 BC when monks played the sport for the first time and used their hands as rackets. In 1874, the first tennis racket was manufactured by Major Walter C. Wingfield in London. It was composed of solid wood and was comparatively heavier. In 1947, laminated wood was used to manufacture tennis racket. Later in 1975, with the increasing popularity of tennis, American brand Weed manufactured the first oversized aluminium racket.

By 1980s, wooden rackets became obsolete. Many tennis racket brands like Dunlop and Prince started manufacturing graphite frames. Meanwhile, Dunlop Max200G racket was dominating the court and used by world-class players John McEnroe and Steffi Graf. Later in the 1990s, Japanese brand Yonex started dominating the market. The modern rackets have some graphite in it as it aids in flexibility, stability and more power. Some companies also add little titanium and Kevlar to improve the performance of rackets. The modern rackets are durable, lighter and customizable depending on the requirement of the players.