One of the more profound ways technology has affected the game of tennis can be seen in the rackets players use at all levels. Several decades ago, tennis rackets were wooden. Today, most tennis rackets are made of carbon fiber composite materials, which allow them to be lighter than wood.
The Impact of Modern Tennis Rackets
Carbon composites allow for a better distribution of weight than wood, such that rackets can be used by people of all abilities. Indeed, rackets are more customizable than they used to be, so beginners can use certain types, while pros can pay more money to get the top of the line options. Today’s rackets deal with weight, balance and swing weight in various ways, rather than just one standard option players would get from wooden ones that were essentially all the same.
Frames on the “new” rackets can be adjusted when it comes to “stiffness points.” Therefore, manufacturers can adjust both how and where the racket flexes during play. If you were to use one racket versus the other and they “felt” different, that’s typically because they have different stiffness points.
Carbon composites are stronger and more malleable than wood. Instead of warping over time (like wood would), carbon composites hold their shape and are relatively unaffected by changes in temperature and humidity. With a wooden racket, you’d probably have to buy a new one every couple years. Carbon composite rackets, though, could conceivably last you a lifetime.
Should you ever need to attach/replace a handle on your racket, carbon composite rackets make this fairly easy to accomplish– something you couldn’t do with wooden ones. Plus, they can be strung with less breakage or damage to the frame because they’re stronger than wood.
So when did the change from wood to carbon/graphite composite frames take place? It was about 30 years ago. Since then, there have been few changes or variations, though the wide body racket did make a splash for a while. When you see rackets available today in the store, they’re very similar, except for different colors of paint and graphics to make them interesting and appealing to changing tastes.
Technology Has Improved Tennis Playing Surfaces
Technology helped make a better tennis racket, just like technology has helped make better playing surfaces during the past couple decades. Classic Turf Company uses post-tension concrete, which basically means the tennis court surface has the ability to “move” when the ground shifts, thus eliminating cracks in the court. Since no player likes or wants cracks in the court, post-tension concrete has become popular, as you’d imagine. Contact Classic Turf at 1-800-246-7951 for more information.
