Earliest rackets
Until the rules of tennis were instigated in the late 19th century, legend goes that the early ‘tennis’ players didn’t use rackets, instead, hitting the ball with their hands. Some early rackets were made of cork wrapped in cloth, but consensus has it that French monks, who were suffering from hand injuries picked up while hitting the ball with their bare hands, reportedly began using paddles, made of wood.
First official tennis racquet
Historians love to debate the origins of tennis and where rackets, as we know them, really began but they seem to agree on one thing; the first official tennis racket was in 1874, produced by Welshman Major Walter Clopton Wingfield, a British army officer and inventor. Made of solid wood, it had a leather grip and would have been large and pretty heavy. Wingfield used the racket after inventing a game called “sphairistiké”, played on an hourglass-shaped court. Rackets at this time were individually crafted and these ones were considered the standard.
Wooden racket evolution
Racket frames were often made from ash, which was popular because it was strong, durable and could be easily bent into the shape for tennis rackets. According to historians, from 1947, rackets were made using laminated wood, which meant that companies could add their own paint and design to the rackets. As tennis increased in popularity, brands including Wilson and Slazenger created unique designs. Wooden rackets all had a single piece of wood running up to the racket head.
The Dunlop Maxply
In 1932, Dunlop launched the Maxply, which became one of the most iconic rackets in tennis history, dominating the market for much of the next 50 years. Rod Laver and John McEnroe were among the top players who used it, with great success, racking up several Grand Slam titles. The biggest rival to the Maxply was the Wilson Jack Kramer, named after the former Wimbledon and US Open champion.
First metal racket
In 1957, the first metal racket was invented, by the legendary Frenchman, Rene Lacoste, one of the four “mousquetaires”. The metal racket was instantly more powerful, with a bigger racket head. Wilson bought the rights to the racket and the Wilson T2000 became the most iconic racket, thanks to Jimmy Connors, who used it to great effect.
Introduction of graphite
In the late 1970s, rackets were transformed by the introduction of graphite into the tennis racket manufacturing business. Far lighter than the wooden rackets, they weighed only 12.5 ounces, making them far more manoeuvrable and powerful. Arthur Ashe was reputedly the first player to use a 100 percent graphite racket. Steffi Graf and John McEnroe were among the players to use the Dunlop Max 200G, one of the first and best graphite rackets, a little lighter than the others. Unlike wooden rackets, these had open throats.
Spaghetti racket
In 1977, tennis racket technology was transformed, briefly, by the arrival of the “spaghetti racket”, created by German Werner Fischer, an amateur player and horticulturist. Instead of having interwoven strings, the racket featured two sets of strings stacked on top of each other, which created increased, erratic spin, hard for opponents to control. It was too much for the tennis governing bodies, who banned it at the top level in 1978.
Oversized head
Prince, one of the biggest tennis racket manufacturers, produced a racket with an oversized racket, offering players a bigger sweetspot, making it far easier for them to create power. The Prince Pro, an aluminium racket, was one of the earliest examples. Initially, there was no limit in how big a racket could be, and other racket companies understandably followed suit in producing similar products. In 1979, the ITF belatedly imposed a limit on how big a racket head could be.
Late 20th century – Titanium, light metals
As graphite rackets improved, manufacturers looked for even lighter, stronger materials to make rackets. Titanium proved to be a major breakthrough and in 1998, Head titanium technology was introduced, which in addition to producing more power, were lighter and offered improved vibration dampening.
Connected rackets, more technology
In the 21st century, the trend for using technology in tennis has seen racket manufacturers look to add tech into rackets themselves. Endorsed by Rafael Nadal, Babolat came up with the Babolat AeroPro Drive Play, which came with a sensor inside the racket handle. An app recorded all the details and stats to improve playing performance.
