Friday, September 6, 2019

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The Evolution of the Tennis Racket

00:02The design of the modern tennis racket goes back to England in 1874
00:07and a man named Major Walter Clopton Wingfield.
00:10Wingfield patented the rules for a game known as lawn tennis,
00:13standardising elements like balls, nets and rackets.
00:17For the next century rackets would be made of wood and remain similar in shape to Wingfield's
00:22original design.
00:23But in 1961 French tennis legend Rene Lacoste unveiled a radical invention.
00:29"The Crocodile" - as he was nicknamed - had made a prototype using metal.
00:35Just a few years later Wilson released the T-2000, the first stainless steel racket whose
00:40futuristic design caught the eye of players like Billie Jean King and Jimmy Connors.
00:45Its small head and open throat reduced air resistance and helped Connors win the US Open
00:515 times.
00:52The 1970s ushered in an era of aluminium which was lighter and easier to mould than steel.
00:59This was followed by fashionable oversized racquets that had a larger sweet spot and
01:04gave players more power.
01:06Eventually the quest for lightness and durability led to graphite rackets as well as other materials
01:12like kevlar and graphene.
01:14Today Wilson and French brand Babolat dominate both the men’s and women’s game with the
01:19two brands winning 71% of professional tournaments in 2017.
01:25Precise and powerful this is the design that’s helped to create legends with every stroke.