Wood vs Graphite-Tennis
Tennis rackets have come a long way from when I started playing the game. The change from wood rackets to steel to graphite to ‘beyond’ has forever changed the game of tennis.
Wood
The game has made a huge transition with the technology of today compared to yesteryear when wood rackets were all that were known to play tennis with. Ever wondered how a wooden racket was made? Doesn’t that sound complicated and amazing? However, there are some factors with wood that would not stand the test of time and newer racket technology replaced. One of those is weight. The average weight of wood rackets was between 14 1/3 to as high as 17 ounces. The construction entailed laminations glued together. Two things would happen to these wooden rackets. The weight of the rackets would change as the wood dried out and the laminations would loosen as the glue dried.
The weight of the rackets would vary depending on the type and weight of the wood used. It was typical of a player to go to the factory and sort through myriad of rackets to find the same weight and balance in two or more rackets. There was also more flex in the frame as the ball impacted the frame which caused string tensions to be much higher. Bjorn Borg typically strung his around 80 plus or minus pounds.
Graphite (composition)
The first to make an impact on the tennis world with a racket other than wood was Jimmy Connors and Billie Jean King. After that came the world of aluminum and graphite rackets. The staying power of graphite was greater. With graphite construction the tennis rackets were lighter and stiffer allowing more racket head speed and a looser string tension causing power and spin to become prominent in the game. Although the frame allowed for a tighter string tension the control exhibited through the use of top spin brought the string tension down to allow the ball to ‘sit’ on the strings longer to impart the spin.
The evolution from wood to largely graphite tennis frame construction has also changed the strategy of the game. With wood rackets the players could utilize the whole court in a more enjoyable (my opinion) experience either playing from the baseline in a defensive or offensive way, serve and volleying, or using both (all court player). Nowadays, with the power from the graphite frames and looser strings rarely do players foray to the net on a consistent basis. In doubles players can play more from the baseline utilizing power over finesse at the net. I miss the developing strategy of players with the ‘slower’ game that wooden rackets produced. However, the athleticism is still amazing to watch and the angles that are generated using the technology of today’s game is still inspiring (and tiring).
