Lesley Barker, director of the Bolduc House Museum, authored the books "St. Louis Gateway Rail—The 1970s," published by Arcadia, and the "Eye Can Too! Read" series of vision-related e-books. Her articles have appeared in print and online since the 1980s. Barker holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Washington University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Webster University.
Overview
Until recently, tennis rackets were made from wood with animal gut strings. Actually, Jimmy Connors, the American tennis champion, is credited with making metal tennis rackets popular beginning in 1967. Now you can buy tennis rackets made of graphite, Kevlar, aluminum or wood with either synthetic strings or ones made from animal gut.
History
The first patent for a tennis racket was awarded to Major Walter C. Wingfield in 1874. This was a wooden racket with animal gut strings. It was used and patented as a lawn tennis racket in England.
Features
Tennis rackets were made from wood until the late 1960s. The most commonly used type of wood was white ash, the same as for baseball bats. The wooden rackets were usually 27 inches long and weighed 13 ounces. The head of the racket, where it hits the ball, usually measured a total of 65 square inches. The handle at the end of the racket was covered with a leather grip.
Time Frame
The first metal racket was adopted for match play by tennis champion Jimmy Connors in 1967. He chose one made by Wilson Sporting Goods. By the 1980s wooden tennis rackets had all but been replaced by metal ones. Many less-expensive tennis rackets are now made of aluminum. More expensive, better-quality rackets are made from graphite, a composite of carbon fibers mixed with a plastic resin. Other high-quality rackets are now made from Kevlar, a synthetic alternative to steel that was developed by DuPont.
Identification
Natural animal gut strings, although called cat gut, are made from the serosa of a cow. The serosa is a small fibrous section of a cow's intestine. It actually requires three cows to produce enough gut to make strings for one tennis racket. Modern tennis rackets can use either natural gut or synthetic strings. The synthetic strings sold under the name of Gamen Synthetic Gut, for example, have a core made from dynalon that is wrapped with a nylon 6 coating.
Size
The dimensions of modern tennis rackets that can be used in match play are set by the International Tennis Federation. There is no exact measurement or shape specified. However, the frame can be no more than 29 inches long and the area of its head cannot be greater than 135 square inches.
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