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Jan 1, 1100
The First Rackets
In the 11th and 12th centuries, tennis was played with monks using their own hands. Simply, the monks would hit the ball using their bare hands, with no rackets, or protection. This is where the " racket " first began. ( note- The sport found its origin somewhere between 1100- 1200 CE, therefore an exact date does not exist ) http://tennis.about.com/od/racquetsballsstringing/a/evolmodracquet.htm http://tennis.about.com/od/racquetsballsstringing/a/evolmodracquet.htm -
Jan 1, 1200
Hand Protection Introduced
Tennis with just the bare hands did not cause intense pain due to the low pressure in the tennis ball at the time, but it could cause discomfort over time. Around 1200 CE, people began to use either webbed, padded gloves, or small wooden paddles. This was the first successful attempt to provide hand protection.
( Note- Exact date unrecorded ) http://tennis.about.com/od/racquetsballsstringing/a/evolmodracquet.htm http://thesmartset.com/article11300701/ -
Jan 1, 1400
Jump to true Rackets
For 200 years, people continued to play tennis with a wooden paddle, or a glove. However, around 1400, people began to use the first true tennis rackets. They were wooden, and used gut strings. The origin of this innovation is said to have been in Italy.
( Note- Once again, there is no exact date of the innovation ) http://tennis.about.com/od/racquetsballsstringing/a/evolmodracquet.htm http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Tennis.htm -
Increase in Head size s.
In 1874, Major Walter Wingfield made a patent for tennis to be played outdoors. With this, he also began to make his own brand of equipment. The head size was increased to around where it was in the early 70's ( which was around 65 square inches) . This helped allow the player to get control of the tennis ball with a larger sweet spot. The popularity of tennis was beginning to rise again. http://tennis.about.com/od/racquetsballsstringing/a/evolmodracquet.htm http://www.vthc.de/History/6 -
Metal Rackets
In the year 1899, the first metal racket was introduced. However, it did not receive very much popularity at the time. Wooden rackets still remained the primary racket type used by players for over 50 more years up until the late 1960's. ( No exact date ) http://tennis.about.com/od/racquetsballsstringing/a/evolmodracquet.htm -
The Oversized Head
At 1976, Howard Head, who was working for Prince Rackets at the time, introduced the oversized head.The idea was, an increased head size allowed for a much larger sweet spot.However, they did not gain popularity at the higher level, as the combination of head size and power caused shots to go off target, However, these rackets were very popular for beginner players learning the sport. http://tennis.about.com/od/racquetsballsstringing/a/evolmodracquet_2.htm -
" Graphite " Racquets
By the year 1980, a new kind of racquet emerged. While the material was called graphite, the racquet was actually made out of a mixture of plastic resin and carbon fibers. This created a stiffer frame than the cheaper aluminum frames. The effect was enormous, as it divided the racquets into 3 categories; The irrelevant wooden, the cheap aluminum, and the expensive steel, titanium, and " graphite " racquets. http://tennis.about.com/od/racquetsballsstringing/a/evolmodracquet_2.htm -
The Widebody
In 1987, Wilson introduced the widebody racquet: a racquet that saw the frame thicken to around 40 mm. This increased the stiffness of the racquet without the introduction of any new material. However, their value diminished, and they did not gain too much popularity. However, they have persisted into today, as the overall size of racquet heads is bigger than they used to be. http://tennis.about.com/od/racquetsballsstringing/a/evolmodracquet_3.htm
