The evolution of tennis

By Dr. Jay Bewley, Ph.D., USPTA, USPTR Sports Central Columnist

It is amazing how much the game of tennis has evolved over the last 25 years compared to the previous 125. Up until the 1970s, most of the racquets were made of wood and, with the exception of some cosmetics, all looked pretty much the same. Starting around the early-'70s, racquets started going through changes. If you watched tennis during this time, you will never forget the metal T-2000 immortalized by Jimmy Conners.

Racquet technology really took off in the late-'70s when Prince introduced the "Classic." This racquet broke the boundaries at 110-square inches and looked out of place compared to all the other racquets out there. It almost seemed unfair. Who could miss with something this big?

Starting in the early-'80s, racquets started going through some amazing transformations. Wood, aluminum, fiberglass, graphite, composites, boron, magnesium, ceramic, carbon, titanium, oversized, midsize, widebody, longbody, headheavy, headlight, sweetspot, superlight, and superstiff are just a few of the items and buzzwords the manufacturers would use to lure you into buying their next frame. I wonder which symbol on the periodic table will be chosen next by the manufacturers as "element of the month." I also wonder how the "sweet spot" seems to get 40% bigger each year.

The jury is still out regarding how all of these elements have brought power to the game. I remember several years ago in an exhibition when they put a wooden racquet in Pete Sampras' hand. Within a few serves, he was regularly clocked in the 120s, but lost some accuracy. This is why the vintage matches you see on tape from years ago look like they were played in slow motion. They lost control when they tried to hit too hard, but it was poetry in motion to watch the points develop. Racquets today are certainly stiffer and lighter. This simply allows someone to take a bigger swing and still control where the ball goes.

With this new control of the ball, the pace of the game seems to go up every year. Open stance forehands, swinging volleys, and first-serves now clocked in the 140s have definitely turned tennis into a power game. Has all this power come from the racquets or better training by the players? I certainly believe graphite has done wonders for the game, but today's top players are stronger, faster, and are exposed to some of the very best in nutrition and training techniques.

Sampras played his professional career with a racquet that was being made almost 20 years ago. It appears he may be on the brink of retirement, but I doubt his racquet has much to do with it.

What has all this power done for the game? First of all, it has seemed to make the serve-and-volley game front page on the endangered species list. I loved watching the finesse of John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Patrick Rafter, and now probably Pete Sampras. Who would have dreamed years ago that someone could win Wimbledon who did not serve-and-volley? Agassi and Hewitt certainly showed it could be done. All this power has brought in the day of the huge serve, but it also has produced the day of the bigger return.

Where does this leave us for the future? Without a doubt, the game is changing. I'm certainly not going to complain and wish for the game of the past. Despite all the technology, it is still one of the best games on the planet and somebody still has to swing the racquet. I sure hope technology won't do that for you one day. Who knows, we may see the NRRXJ3000 nuclear phantomizer on the shelves next year! With a "sweet spot" 3,000% bigger than ... well, if you find out, please let me know.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.