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1100
1100
The game of tennis was created from a French handball game, “Paume”, where the ball was hit by the players hands. This was a form of handball, with the ball being hit against the wall. Gloves were also added to prevent major injuries. -
1200
1200-1300
As a result of pain from hitting the ball with their hands, wooden blocks, called pallas, were created. These were early developments of the tennis raquets. Tennis balls were also made from wood for indoor use. The name of the game changed from “Paume" to "Jeu de Paume". -
1400
1400
The racquets have been adapted to provide a handle so that the players can control the serving and hitting of the ball. These racquets are a combination of ash and beech and act as the first racquets created. -
1700's
Tennis shoes were created specifically for the court with rubber soles. -
1800's
Most of the 1800s saw games on grass courts. -
1850
Tennis balls are designed out of rubber so that the balls bounce outside. The clothing for women at this time includes full-length skirts, corsets, hats and croquet sandals. Men wear full-length pants, long-sleeved shirts, belts, neckties and dress shoes. -
1873
The game was changed to “Sphairistike” when Major Walter Wingfield redesigned the court to be an hourglass design. It was the first time a net, net posts, racquets and rubber balls were used to create a formal game. -
1874
Wooden racquets were made in the shape known today, made from ash wood and stretchy, the outer skin of sheep intestine, acting as the racquet strings. -
1875
The shape of the courts was once again changed to the design we know today. -
1892
The tennis shoes were light and had a rubber sole, known as plimsolls. They later became known as sneakers. -
1916
The shoes began to upgrade by having companies create tennis shoes with rubber soles, known as Keds. -
1920
The clothing for women at this time would include knee-length dresses with 3/4 sleeve tops and sneakers. To add to the existing clothing, the men add V-neck sweaters and sneakers. -
1930
The ash wood racquets are replaced with laminated wood. Both men and women play in skirts and shorts above the knee with short sleeve tops. -
1940's
Courts began to change into acrylic courts, which is typically made of rigid materials like asphalt or concrete, whilst also providing cushioning. They are hardcourts that were quickly used in official tournaments. -
1950's
Courts change material again to clay courts, made of crushed stone, brick and shale. -
1967-1968
The first metal tennis racquet is made to be sturdier and long-lasting, however, the weight was an issue. This was thanks to Wilson, as they created it to produce the T2000(steel racket). -
1970
Men and women have a choice of shorts, skirts and tops at each size and length. The fabrics now used included stretch capabilities. The shoes designed were to improve the stop-and-go movement. The courts were also beginning to use carpet as their main material. -
1976
Howard Heads made the first composite racquet, made from graphite, titanium, lithium and carbon fibre. This racquet also gained better strings and grip for the players. An oversized racquet with a larger sweet spot was made, called Prince brand. They became light and larger in size. -
1978
The material of the court changed to deco turf, composed of layers of acrylic, rubber and silica. -
1980
The cyclops machine is a system that was created with infra-red beams to determine whether the ball was in or out of the serve. -
1982
The white tennis balls were made of rubber with felt, and were hollow inside. -
1986
The yellow tennis balls that we know today were used in tournaments, after the white balls. -
1987
The widebody racquet, created by Wilson, was made for more powerful shots. This also leads to the creation of Wilson Hammer, for more stronger shots. -
1991
Serve speed technology was created by two radar sensors at each side of the court to record the speed of the ball. This data is recorded automatically once the ball has been hit. -
1994
Tennis is played indoors on grass for the first time. -
2000
Clothing begins to have Swarovski crystals and animal prints added. The men wear shorts and elastic shirts, and the women wear skirts with shorts underneath and elastic shirts. -
2001
Hawkeye technology was created to track the movement of the trajectory of the ball through the generation of a digital image. It also provides the spin, speed and movement of the shot, helping with close calls. -
2003
Ultra-light graphite composite racquets are created as the newest form of racquet for this time. Babolat Pure Drive racquet is also created to improve the speed and accuracy of the shots. -
2005
Prince O3 racquet was created with larger string holes to improve the racquet speed. Babolat AeroPro Drive racquet is also created an aerodynamic design for more efficient strokes. -
2008
The court got upgraded to a Plexicushion, which is a hybrid of latex, rubber, plastic particles and the acrylic surface. Slamtracker is created to be an online dashboard that creates statistics for each match being played. -
2010
New software is made for 3D motion tracking hardware to view the spinal movement, reducing injury risk, before pain is revealed. The Australian open created an app to allow viewers to inspect information on matches by pointing their phone at the court. -
2012
Technology has been created for IBM to gather and analyze 41 million data points into analytic assessments of athletes, assembled from the Grand Slam matched over 8 years. Composite racquets have improved into new styles, such as Head YOUTEK, which creates innovative gear. New scoring technology provides the score and statistics of each athlete, called Momentum. -
2014
Racquets have been advanced into allowing chips and devices to be connected to it, recording power, spin and accuracy of the shots. These racquets help with training and gameplay for the athletes. -
2015
Wilson created the first shoe to slide on hard-courts, designed for each type of surface. -
Today #1
Majority of professional events for tennis are played on acrylic or grass courts. Tennis balls are now made from felts to suit every type of court, including the hard courts, soft courts, and high elevation courts. Tennis racquets now have customisable features so that it suits the player and the condition of the court. Stiff racquets create more power, but less control, however, flexible racquets create more control, but less power. -
Today #2
Racquets are now made from a thermoplastic visco-elastic polymer material, that are larger in size, are lighter in weight, have tighter string tension and have stronger frames. Today’s athletes have clothes that are revealing, ergonomically pleasing and with the fashion(colourful), whilst having added stretch, sweat-wicking, odour control, and sun-blocking capabilities. These technological advancements increase performance and comfort.
