The War of the Racket: A Tennis Players’ Worst Nightmare

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 16, 2010

commentComment        

Have you ever picked up a racket and thought it felt identical to the previous model in your hand? Has the word "string tension" or "grommet size" created a puzzled look on your face? If so, you're not alone—the world's best tennis players have the exact same problem.

The struggle of finding a consistent and appropriate frame for the world's best players can often times become a tedious process. Adding lead tape to balance out the swing-weight of a racket, or applying an extra grip to ensure that a forehand on match-point lands in the court instead of in the stands, takes years of fine-tuning.

Speaking to numerous professional players throughout the years, I often found it amusing when they referred to their rackets like a second child, instead of a finely molded piece of graphite. Could a players' racket really be that important? I mean, with the skill-set the pros render, couldn't they just pick up any old racket and win a tournament?

German great Boris Becker once said that his "racket was like his right arm." That to change his racket would result in a decrease of his results.

Becker was nothing short of a powerful and smart player, using his wit and powerful arsenal to capture six Grand Slam titles. I guess his Puma Estusa 1990 Wimbledon Limited Edition ProVantech PB was quite an important tool after all.

The great Pete Sampras viewed his Wilson racket under a similar set of circumstances to Becker. Playing with the same ProStaff 6.0 Original throughout his career, Sampras sacrificed a bigger sweet spot for continued control.

Winning 14 Grand Slams with his same Wilson frame proved to be an optimal choice for Sampras, even though he later admitted that he could've performed better throughout the latter stages of his career—a stage where he went title-less for two years between the summer of 2000, and the fall of 2002—had he switched to a larger racket face.

Eve...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!