The Tennis Racquet

The tennis racquet consists of the handle or grip that connects to the neck and which then joins a circular frame that has a matrix of strings that are pulled together tightly. In the first century the game was played the racquets were made of wood and were a very standard size and the strings were made of animal gut.

As technology started to influence the game the racquets transformed from wood to metal and are now made of different composites that include carbon graphite, light metals and even titanium. The use of light medals allowed the racquets to be made larger to increase the power in the serves and returns. Technology also advanced the strings as gut was no longer used but synthetic strings were designed to create more strength and durability.

Today the hitting area of the racquet must be flat, composed of only strings and be uniform in size. The frame of the area that is used to hit the ball can not be any longer than 29 inches and have a width of no more than 12.5 inches. The overall racquet must be a fixed size, shape and weight. These rules have had to be changed at times during the last twenty years due to the onset of technology in the game and the engineering breakthroughs in the game. In 1997 for example the length of the racquet was reduced from 32 inches to its current length of 29 inches.